Episode show notes
While their product range is always growing, if you know sausages then you most likely know HECK.
There are some incredibly strong family roots behind a brand that’s using its power to highlight great causes, something that’s clear to see from spending time with Andrew & Jamie Keeble.
Balancing father-son and boss-employee dynamics, Founder Andrew and Head of Sales Jamie join us on It Runs In The family for a peek behind the scenes of a business with such a strong long-term outlook.
This episode covers:
- The ‘What the Heck’ ambition that’s driven the brand’s success
- Lessons from Andrew’s previous business that he’s taken forward
- The boss-employee dynamic vs the parent-child relationship
- Why delegation and a long-term outlook are key to their decisions
- Marvellous campaigns to raise awareness and funds for charitable causes
Episode highlights
“From selling in the markets, the natural progression was to go speak to retailers. It came sort-of naturally; I had to work at it quite a lot, but having watched dad deal with retailers when he had his other business, I kind of knew what it was all about. ” – 3:40 – Jamie Keeble
“I think it’s very important to let people develop themselves. That’s not just in the family, it’s right across the business. We’re quite a young business, a lot of young people are employed. It’s letting them really sort of take over, run with it, and make some mistakes. Luckily, Jamie hasn’t made too many big ones so far!” – 8:10 – Andrew Keeble
“I always say to our guys at work, ‘If this business goes wrong, somebody’s gonna walk out with my telly’, and that’s how it is. So when you know it’s that serious, you make bloody sure everything works.” – 13:15 – Andrew Keeble
“I think a lot of people take a really short term view of how they can do things, but we invest constantly in the brand. We’re also taking a really long term view with staff, what we do, and everything else.” – 18:30 – Andrew Keeble
“I think what we’ve been at pains to do is have clearly defined roles. If people’s roles cross, then you’re often heading for a car crash. So everyone’s got very, very clearly defined roles made. ” – 26:15 – Andrew Keeble
“To actually have been so blessed with the opportunity to learn off my parents is pretty great, really, and I don’t think I would have learned what I know now if I went a different path, because I was never very academic.” – 31:50 – Jamie Keeble
“We have a responsibility. I think if you can have some sort of reach, or you can do something to raise awareness it’s great. I think helping people is a special thing to do, and we’ve done that quite a lot in the business.” – 36:30 – Jamie Keeble