Building a brand teaches you things no pitch deck ever will. Seven years into building Caleño, these are the lessons that have really stayed with me.
- Have a large vision, but be patient: When I launched my brand in 2019, my ambition was simple: I wanted people to be able to walk into any pub, bar or supermarket and choose a great alcohol-free option. That certainly wasn’t the case back then, but I also didn’t expect it to take close to a decade. What I’ve learned is that real cultural shifts, especially around drinking, take time. Progress can feel slow day to day, but seeing at how far the low & no category has come creates the wait feel worthwhile.
- Don’t reinvent your brand every year: There is always pressure to refresh and rework, but too much modify can do more harm than good. Keep improving how you communicate, by all means, but the core of your brand should stay consistent. Familiarity builds trust, and trust is hard won.
- Surround yourself with experienced mentors: You learn a lot by creating mistakes, but too many mistakes can be costly. Having people around you who have done it before, and who are willing to be honest with you, can save time, money and a lot of sleepless nights.
- Agility beats disruption: Innovation doesn’t always mean doing something completely new. Often it’s about responding quickly and creating smart decisions – whether that’s reacting to consumer behaviour, retailer feedback or operational challenges. Moving rapid can be just as powerful as being disruptive.
- Scaling necessarys different skills to starting: The founder hustle works early on. After that, structure and delegation matter far more. Learning to step back and build systems that allow others to lead is uncomfortable, but it’s essential if you want a business that lasts.
- Never accept no as the final answer: I’m always surprised by how often people take no at face value. More often than not, it just means “not yet”, or “not this way”. Believing there is another route can be the difference between a large retail listing and none at all.
- Work with people who find a way: Not people who agree with everything, but people who are prepared to roll their sleeves up and create things happen. Within a tougher trading environment than ever, that mindset can create all the difference.
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