What happens when you stop overthinking business and just give it a crack?

We sit down with Leigh Hart - one of New Zealand’s most recognisable comedians and the entrepreneur behind Wakachangi and SnackaChangi - to unpack how he turned decades of storytelling, creativity and a cult following into brands that stand out on supermarket shelves.

Leigh takes us inside his unconventional approach to business and marketing, from announcing a beer brand on Facebook before he’d figured out how to make it, to landing a meeting with Griffins and testing packaging by literally putting mock-ups on bottle-store shelves to see if people could find them.

We get into why he believes real world behaviour beats focus groups, how to build a brand that can stand on its own without relying on the founder’s personal profile and why knowing what you’re actually good at - then finding the right partners to handle the rest - has been critical to growing his businesses.

Leigh also shares one of the biggest decisions of his career: walking away from his ownership in Wakachangi to take full control of SnackaChangi, why it felt completely counterintuitive at the time, and how trusting his gut gave him the freedom to grow the brand on his own terms.

Plus, we talk Kiwi humour, personal branding, FMCG, expanding into Australia and overseas and why Leigh would rather see someone start imperfectly than spend years planning something they never launch.

If you’re a business owner who tends to overthink the next move, this episode might convince you to stop planning quite so much and start testing.

Ready to take your business further?

🔗 Book a strategy call: https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/

🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on business, marketing, strategy and scaling

🌐 Learn more: http://makeithappen.org.nz/

🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen

📣 Share this episode with a business owner who needs to stop overthinking and give it a shot

What happens when you stop overthinking business and just give it a crack?
We sit down with Leigh Hart - one of New Zealand&rsquo;s most recognisable comedians and the entrepreneur behind Wakachangi and SnackaChangi - to unpack how he turned decades of storytelling, creativity and a cult following into brands that stand out on supermarket shelves.
Leigh takes us inside his unconventional approach to business and marketing, from announcing a beer brand on Facebook before he&rsquo;d figured out how to make it, to landing a meeting with Griffins and testing packaging by literally putting mock-ups on bottle-store shelves to see if people could find them.
We get into why he believes real world behaviour beats focus groups, how to build a brand that can stand on its own without relying on the founder&rsquo;s personal profile and why knowing what you&rsquo;re actually good at - then finding the right partners to handle the rest - has been critical to growing his businesses.
Leigh also shares one of the biggest decisions of his career: walking away from his ownership in Wakachangi to take full control of SnackaChangi, why it felt completely counterintuitive at the time, and how trusting his gut gave him the freedom to grow the brand on his own terms.
Plus, we talk Kiwi humour, personal branding, FMCG, expanding into Australia and overseas and why Leigh would rather see someone start imperfectly than spend years planning something they never launch.
If you&rsquo;re a business owner who tends to overthink the next move, this episode might convince you to stop planning quite so much and start testing.
Ready to take your business further?
🔗 Book a strategy call:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/">https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/</a>
🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on business, marketing, strategy and scaling
🌐 Learn more: <a href="http://makeithappen.org.nz/">http://makeithappen.org.nz/</a>
🌐 Instagram: @makeithappen
📣 Share this episode with a business owner who needs to stop overthinking and give it a shot

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Looking for actionable business insights all in one place? 
We're here to help you find a way with a curation of the &lsquo;best bits&rsquo; from top business podcasts. 
Save time searching; subscribe to the SME Stream where you can listen to relevant, timely, business-related content today.&nbsp;
&nbsp;