It’s not easy starting your own business. But you may find it hard to find a more passionate entrepreneurial team to join than the Worcester-based husband and wife team, Muddy Boots… They are looking for a London-based assistant. Is that you?

Not your ‘normal’ boss behaviour – but probably a good insight into why we love Muddy Boots. Not just their delicious trademark burgers, but all they stand for – their values and make-it-happen passion!

You can find out more about Muddy Boots couple Roland & Miranda Ballard at their website.

And you can buy their range of products in selected Waitrose stores or in their own online Muddy Boots Food Hall.

Muddy Boots – You rock! We salute you!

To find out more about how to take your lifestyle business from idea to living brand, contact Sam Waterfall at the Healthy Marketing Team. We’re currently helping small businesses, multi-nationals and solo-entrepreneurs to get their branding right and compete and win in today’s supermarket shelf battleground.

Out Capital Running in London at the weekend… Sharing the fabulous view from the North Bank of the Thames.

You can see that The Shard is nearly completed. They are just adding the final glass panels at the top. Of course it’s due for completion before the London Olympics.

When finished it will be the tallest [..]

Retail Branding Masterclass – learning from Kiehl’s since 1851.

The trademark vintage Ducati motorcycle found in every Kiehl's store. Not because it's the shop sells bikes. Because the founder liked them. That's all. Beautiful. Interesting. Differentiating.

As the recession lingers and talk of the Double Dip continues, many retailers are looking for ways to up their game. In my opinion, they could learn a lot from New York skincare brand Kiehl’s since 1851, which opened its first UK store in Covent Garden in 2002. And you don’t have to be a boutique to apply their brilliance to your business.

So what’s with the motorcycle?

Why on earth would a skincare retailer have a vintage motorcycle in their store? What a waste of space. Actually, no. It’s not just any motorcycle. And it’s not a ‘nice to have‘. It’s part of the core of the visual expression of the brand.

Even though the brand now has stores around the world, the Kiehl’s brand team do a meticulous [..]

Consumer trends are vital to the success of brands. When brands ride trends they are elevated, with far less effort into the minds of their target consumers.

When brands oppose trends they are choosing to swim upstream. It’s not impossible, it’s just harder work.

When I was in Asia in for client projects and our Singapore Marketing Masterclass in January and February this year, I observed the pace of the movement of trends in South East Asia. While Europe is mired in austerity, Asia, celebrating the arrival of the Chinese Year of The Dragon, is accelerating into prosperity. The contrast is simply breathtaking [..]