Lucky Generals

15 or so years ago I was approached by a young couple who made pies. Amazing pies. Which they sold almost exclusively to EAT. Who sold them in their restaurants as their own, EAT pies.

Things were going swimmingly until a new buyer came on the scene at EAT. He awarded half the pie contract to a competitor in order to drive the couple’s price down. Now that was bad luck. Half the volume, at a much lower margin. Bummer!

When the couple came to my branding agency they were incensed at this tactic. They vowed to get out of the uncertainty of the own label business by having their own brand.

The project was going well and the new brand was emerging. Final refinements to the identity and packaging were underway

In the middle of this phase I got a frenzied call from a very agitated client. He’d just come off the phone to Sainsburys. They’d called him to invite him into a competition they were running to find new, smaller, craft,  regional suppliers. He told them, through pursed lips, several times, that he didn’t do ‘own label’ and he had no intention of doing so. I think the Sainsbury guy copped it for the frustration with EAT. He closed the conversation saying he’d have a think, and might get back to them.

Hardly what they teach in sales school…..poke it, in short.

I agreed with him that own label was what we were working to get away from. But I wasn’t persuaded that there wasn’t a brand opportunity at Sainsbury. His red mist got in the way. I suggested that it wouldn’t hurt to send in a few pies presented in our best pack mock ups. Unseen outside of our team, they landed at Sainsburys. Looking the full branded Monty!

To cut a long story short they won a televised regional event. After all, they were exceptional pies. And, they were awarded a contract to supply a range of pies to 60 big stores. Gamechanger. 

The sales went well. I’m not humble enough to say that the creative work we did, that we subsequently won a clutch of awards for, didn’t have an effect. Of course it did!

But the 60 became 120 in six months. It got a head of steam and rose to 180 after a year. And it just kept going up to 380 in three years.

The fame didn’t escape the attention of the other supermarkets. The brand was in demand.

The business outgrew its premises three times in the early years….disruptive, but a nice problem to have. They went from 6 piemakers to 120 in that time.

Within 10 years the business had grown from a small own label supplier to a brand with national distribution. Sales grew 60 fold over that period. Yes, 60 fold.

My contention is that luck played a massive part in the success of that business. That’s not to take anything away from the huge efforts put in by a lot of people over many years. Me included. But without that ephemeral luck, how differently might it have turned out?

The timing of the decision to move away from own label. The unexpected call from Sainsbury. The timing of that call with respect to the availability of convincing branded pack mock ups. Then, the fairytale, getting to launch your brand in 60 Sainsbury stores. The planets were truly aligned for a while there. In my estimation, luck played a massive part in the success the company went on to enjoy.

Over the years I’ve worked with many other startup brands. Equally brilliant products, driven by passionate founders, equally deserving of success. Most would have bitten your arm off for a tenth of the luck of the pie team. 

You can’t buy luck.

Gary Player’s famous put down to a ‘that was lucky’ insult was to suggest that ‘the harder he practised the luckier he got’. My experience in business at least, suggests that lady luck is fickle, and hard work alone will not guarantee success.

Can you position yourself to be more lucky?

I honestly don’t know.  I believe that the way you conduct your business, could help. The manner in which you interact with people, your attitude to suppliers, staff and customers should always be positive. Reach out and help people. Engage in deeper personal relationships. Do whatever you do, brilliantly. These are all factors. And, not doing these things can only reduce your chances of being lucky in my estimation. 

So, even though you know it’s there, you can’t isolate and exercise your ‘lucky’ muscle. 

As we say in Essex, be lucky.

Adrian Collins

Exit Planner, NED, Mentor and Business Advisor

Adrian runs his own Exit Planning consultancy.

AdrianCollins.co.uk

“..I have been in business for 40 years. The scars on my back are real. I successfully grew a 6 man 2nd tier UK business into an international leader employing 49 people servicing some of the world’s biggest consumer brands.

I’ve worked with people in the biggest corporations down to the smallest entrepreneurs. The common factor was that they came to me seeking success. Success for their brand, their company, for themselves. For over 25 years I was a multi award-winning talent shop for gifted creatives, strategists, project managers and production specialists. Now I’m working with CEOs of SMEs as a mentor, NED and advisor, leveraging 40 years experience.

In the end, it’s all about people. Getting out from the Covid mess presents us a challenge. Smart, driven people will be required. If I can impart any of my experience to help what will be the biggest challenge of a lifetime, please let me know.. ..check out my Linkedin profile….give me a call…” 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriancollinswellsandsheds/