£15M worth of meals BOOTSTRAPPED with GSN founder Craig Allen (Gold Standard Nutrition)

£15M worth of meals BOOTSTRAPPED with GSN founder Craig Allen (Gold Standard Nutrition)

In the latest episode of Brand Growth Heroes, Fiona Fitz sits down with Craig Allen, the founder of Gold Standard Nutrition (GSN), who joins us from Selby, York. GSN has become a standout brand for its high-quality, healthy, and convenient frozen meals that taste amazing!

At just 21, Craig launched GSN with a bold vision, growing it into a multi-million-pound business—all without any external funding.

The idea for GSN was born 12 years ago during a family outing to a local Chinese restaurant with his Dad. That “light bulb” moment set Craig on a pathway to create a brand that thrives today as a case study in profitability, brand growth, and focused strategy.

In this episode, Craig shares the triumphs and challenges of his entrepreneurial journey, highlighting how staying true to his vision and focusing on overlooked market opportunities propelled his success. Enjoy!

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Key Takeaways

Spotting a Market Opportunity

  • Craig reveals how he identified a gap in the high-protein, healthy frozen meals market and turned it into a thriving business.

The Bootstrapping Journey

  • Building GSN without external funding wasn’t easy. Craig discusses the challenges and rewards of starting and scaling a business from scratch.

Hard Lessons in Business

  • An early hurdle forced Craig to downsize his team, teaching him valuable lessons about thoughtful growth, self-belief, and sound financial planning.
  • Cash flow management became a critical takeaway after hard-won experiences.

Staying Focused in Entrepreneurship

  • Craig’s journey underscores the importance of adaptability, clarity of vision, and self-belief, even when navigating competitive pressures.

The “Where-to-Play” Strategy

  • GSN thrives by serving underserved markets—like police stations, gyms, and universities—rather than competing directly in crowded grocery aisles. This strategic focus has been a cornerstone of the brand’s growth and scalability.

Responding to Market Needs

  • GSN’s rebrand from Goldstein Nutrition to GSN reflects a strategic pivot to resonate with mainstream audiences. This move expanded its appeal beyond bodybuilders, championing an inclusive vision for healthy eating.

Looking Ahead: GSN’s Future Growth Potential

  • Craig’s commitment to “doing things properly” underpins the brand’s success, and he shares exciting plans for the next phase of GSN’s journey.


If this episode inspires you to think about new ways to drive business growth, don't forget to click FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE on your favourite podcast app and leave a review!

You won’t want to miss the next episode, in which Fiona Fitz talks with another successful founder of a challenger brand who shares more valuable insights into driving growth. Plus, your small gesture will be truly appreciated.

The Brand Growth Heroes Mini MBA Powered by Alantra has opened (Jan 6th) - apply here!

Please don't hesitate to join our Brand Growth Heroes community to stay updated with captivating stories and learnings from your beloved brands on their path to success!

Follow us on our Brand Growth Heroes socials: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Thanks to our Sound Engineer, Gyp Buggane, Ballagroove.com and podcast producer/content creator, Kathryn Watts, Social KEWS


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Ep64 How to Create Content that SELLS & Drives GROWTH, with Dan Knowlton

Ep64 How to Create Content that SELLS & Drives GROWTH, with Dan Knowlton

"What is Susan who's 40 talking about with her friends when she picks the kids up from school? Or what is Dave who's 50, who's a builder, sharing in his WhatsApp group? What kind of videos are you sharing that you're seeing online? Or what kind of TV shows are they watching and talking about with their friends?'Subscribe now by hitting the followbutton beside Brand Growth Heroes on your podcast app.As a rule, I don't interview marketing agencies on Brand Growth Heroes, but I made an exception when I reached out to our next guest. Dan Knowlton is one half of Knowlton, a digital and social media market agency that has me in stitches with the videos they create and post on LinkedIn. If you don't follow them yet, I suggest you do.Both Dan and his brother Lloyd Knowlton are hilarious. But why is this of value to you? Well, since I interviewed Jake Carls of Midday Squares and then Teddy and Marissa of Perfect Ted a few episodes ago, I've been exploring how the concept of advertainment works and why it's way more important to you as a grocery brand leader than just posting product shots.Dan knows way more about advertainement than I do, so I thought a good chat with him would be of real value to us all.Here are the top 5 things you'll learn :How to truly understand your Target Audience, in a way you never have beforeHow to Connect with What Really Matters to your AudienceHow to Trigger their EmotionsHow to Build Trust and Overcome Objections Where to Allocate your Budget in your marketing funnelPlease leave a review on your podcast app if you enjoyed this episode!Don't miss your favourite brands talk about how they grew their inspirational businesses!Click the Follow button beside Brand Growth Heroes on your podcast appFollow Brand Growth Heroes here on Instagram, Tiktok, LinkedinBecome part of the Brand Growth Heroes community! Sign up here for news and information on Brand Growth Heroes Accelerator ProgrammeEmail Fiona for a 1-1 session: fiona@fionafitzconsulting.comSee how Fiona can group-coach your senior commercial and marketing teams internally: Fiona Fitz Consulting

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How ODDBOX Grew to £32M: Dig Deep into their D2C Journey

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Founders' Hotline: Bold Bean Co's Viral Mistake

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25 Maj 20232min

Nurture Brands: Co-conquering your Costs with Other Brands. Ben Arbib.

Nurture Brands: Co-conquering your Costs with Other Brands. Ben Arbib.

As the founder or leader of a grocery brand, have you ever thought it would be GREAT to pool your central costs with other brands like yours?Follow Brand Growth Heroes here on Instagram, Tiktok, LinkedinI certainly considered it when I was launching GU Chocolate Puds in France years ago, and as a result,  I created a shared field sales team with Innocent France for the French market, and it was certainly something worth doing for the period of time it worked for both businesses. I wanted to explore what this looks like today, so in this next episode, I talk to Ben Arib, founder of Rebel Kitchen, and more recently Nurture Brands, a cohort of eight better-for-you brands - Rebel Kitchen & Myracle Kitchen, Primal Pantry, Doisy & Dam, Emily, Jax Coco, Indie Ba - that share the same platform (and equity) in order to mutualize a lot of their costs. Ben explains how the Nurture Brands' shared model works, why he started it, and all the economics behind it.So that you don't miss the leaders of your favourite brands talk about how they grew their inspirational businesses, click the Follow button beside Brand Growth Heroes on your podcast app (on apple podcasts it's three dots like this (...)Become part of the Brand Growth Heroes community!Sign up here for news and information on Brand Growth Heroes Accelerator ProgrammeEmail Fiona for a 1-1 session: fiona@fionafitzconsulting.comSee how Fiona can group-coach your senior commercial and marketing teams internally: Fiona Fitz Consulting

22 Maj 202343min

Renée Elliott: Rescuing Planet Organic. Empowering Women.

Renée Elliott: Rescuing Planet Organic. Empowering Women.

Renée Elliott is the original founder of much-loved UK organic retailer Planet Organic...and now she's back: to rescue the business out of administration. At the time of recording, we are 3 weeks into this rescue deal. All the latest insider info is right inside this episode, along with some invitations to suppliers to join Planet Organic on their new journey, as well as information on Renée's upcoming women's retreat (www.womentree.uk).

17 Maj 202338min

Founders' Hotline: Nojo London's Big Screw Up

Founders' Hotline: Nojo London's Big Screw Up

Have you ever messed up and felt like you were the only founder in the world to make such a stupid mistake? Simona Deifta, female powerhouse and founder of the brilliant sauces and dressings Nojo London, shares one of the biggest brand growth bloopers she's made along the way to getting national listings with Ocado, Co-Op, Wholefoods and Amazon.YOU can be featured on Brand Growth Bloopers! Just send me a WhatsApp on +447418605547 and tell me the following:Your nameYour brand website and Instagram handleA quick outline of your brand growth blooper, for example, 'manufacturing disaster, wrong ingredients' or 'no laptop power at a Tesco buyer meeting' etcWhat's in it for you? If you are chosen to feature on the show, you'll have the opportunity to share your brand growth blooper story as well as sharing your website, instagram and LinkedIn handles to thousands of listeners around the world. You could even do what Simona did, and share a coupon code!So that you don't miss your favourite brands talk about how they grew their inspirational businesses, click the Follow button beside Brand Growth Heroes on your podcast app (on apple podcasts it's three dots like this (...)Follow Brand Growth Heroes here on Instagram, Tiktok, LinkedinBecome part of the Brand Growth Heroes community!Sign up here for news and information on Brand Growth Heroes Accelerator ProgrammeEmail Fiona for a 1-1 session: fiona@fionafitzconsulting.comSee how Fiona can group-coach your senior commercial and marketing teams internally: Fiona Fitz Consulting

27 Apr 20233min

Founders' Hotline: Perfect Ted's Manufacturing Disaster

Founders' Hotline: Perfect Ted's Manufacturing Disaster

Hear how Marisa and Teddy learned from their big-green-explosion-mistake, whilst preparing for their first-ever show - the London Coffee Festival!If you'd like the chance to be featured on Brand Growth Bloopers, please send us a WhatsApp on +447418605547 and tell us the following:Your name & email addressYour brand website and instagram handleA quick outline of your brand growth blooper, for example 'manufacturing disaster, wrong ingredients' etcIf you are chosen to feature on the show you'll have the opportunity to share your brand with our audience including what you make, who you’re for, and your website, instagram and LinkedIn handles.Every brand that is featured on the Brand Growth Blooper bonus episodes will go into a draw with the chance to win a place on the next Brand Growth Accelerator programme (formally The Growth Strategy Programme) in October 2023.Click the Follow button beside Brand Growth Heroes on your podcast app (on apple podcasts it's three dots like this (...) Follow Brand Growth Heroes here on Instagram, Tiktok, LinkedinBecome part of the Brand Growth Heroes community!Sign up here for news and information on Brand Growth Heroes Accelerator ProgrammeSee how Fiona’s group coaching programmes can help develop your senior commercial and marketing teams internally: Fiona Fitz Consulting

13 Apr 20232min

How Perfect Ted Grew From £0-5M in Just 18 months

How Perfect Ted Grew From £0-5M in Just 18 months

Perfect Ted, the natural energy drinks brand powered by matcha green tea, has taken the UK food and drink industry by storm. Despite launching just 18 months ago, Marisa, Teddie, and Levi have grown their business to a run-rate of £5M, secured a national listing with Tesco UK across three different in-store categories, and even won offers from all five dragons on Dragon's Den. What's more, they've accomplished this by successfully taking a niche ingredient that they are passionate about into the mass market.Make sure you get the latest from Brand GrowthHeroes -> Click the follow or ...  dropdown button beside Brand Growth Heroes on your podcast app now!  You can also follow Brand Growth Heroes here on Instagram, Tiktok and Linkedin.In this episode, Marissa and Teddie chat with Fiona about their journey to success. They discuss the biggest mistakes they've made, how they struggled with positioning their brand and the role of matcha, and how they ultimately hit on the winning solution through their work on The Growth Strategy Programme. They emphasize the importance of focusing on product benefits rather than just ingredients and reveal the advice they would give to any founders preparing for a pitch to investors, buyers or Dragons!The duo also share their experience on Dragon's Den and how it was by far the biggest risk they've taken to date. They talk about the impact the show has had on their sales, and the personal investment necessary to grow their business. Additionally, they discuss the benefits of having a strong multi-channel customer base and reveal how they secured their first Michelin star listing.Finally, Marisa and Teddie answer the question everyone wants to know: what it's like to have Dragon and serial entrepreneur Steven Bartlett as a mentor!!Tune in to hear their inspiring story and valuable insights into building a successful brand.Become part of the Brand Growth Heroes community! Sign up here for news and information on Brand Growth Heroes Accelerator ProgrammeEmail Fiona for a 1-1 session: fiona@fionafitzconsulting.comSee how Fiona can help develop your commercial and marketing teams internally: Fiona Fitz ConsultingPerfect Ted InstagramPerfect Ted TiktokPerfect Ted websiteTeddie LinkedinMarisa Linkedin

1 Apr 202358min

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