A show from myself and James Hickson, a self-certified FMCG nerd.

This isn’t a podcast (although it’s very podcast adjacent!).

And whilst we talk about the business of food and drink, this isn’t intended to be a webinar or online coaching, it’s deliberately not another “3 tips to scale your business in 30 minutes” type affair.

It’s an informal conversation, we’ll share things that have caught our eye and made their way into our shopping baskets, things that we think could make a great business or have simply made us smile.

In this episode we get into,

• Fewer bets, bigger bets

• Crisps that give you status

• Pure Oceans and the seaweed drink trend

• Why glass bottles are a bold bet right now

• Chicken wine’s KFC and Dash collabs

• Personalised Toblerone at the airport

• And more!

We enjoyed it, so we’re looking to do another one when James is back from hols.

Subscribe and you’ll get notified when we’ve locked down the date and are going live.

Oh and if you want to watch the first episode, you can find it here,

And yet it helps create trust and it’s algorithm friendly - generally a video will be pushed to more people.

Being on camera makes it more likely I will get the things I want, such as making WOW Studio Live a successful TikTok agency or Bloody Bens Bloody Mary Mix being in thousands of pubs (including Young’s!) or building Best Before or just generally doing more fun projects and meeting more fun people along the way.

So, I started doing little videos each week to preview my latest Sunday Service Substack posts.

The first one I was almost too shy to speak and there were quite a few takes.

But I realised I find it hard to monologue to camera.

That got me thinking, how could I do more on camera?

I realised I’m better in a conversation.

So how could I find a solution, with the least friction, that would allow me to practise.

And then it occurred to me.

Claude could help.

It could ask me questions about my latest Substack, to get under the skin of whatever I was writing and ask questions that hopefully some readers were pondering or to give the post a bit more depth.

The sort of thing I just can’t seem to access on a monologue to camera.

So I started “Cringe On Camera”.

It felt pretty self indulgent.

Answer AI generated questions about your own post.

But the cringe subsided, I actually started to look forward to doing them, and having done 4 of them, I’ve now decided to change the name to “Claude Asks”.

This is episode one, and it’s asking about my last Sunday Service Substack, this one:

Ironically, for this debut Claude Asks, I probably felt more self-conscious than normal.

Why?

Well I’m on holiday, so it kind of feels ‘a bit naughty’.

But I couldn’t sleep, the rest of the family are asleep and the hotel breakfast hadn’t started, so I thought, ah well, I may as well jump on and do this (it was slightly gnawing away at me that I hadn’t done one for last week’s Sunday Service).

I’m all bleary eyed and in need of coffee!

I’m also conscious of talking too loudly as I’m sat outside on the apartment deck and everyone around me also seems to be asleep.

So the cringe factors are raging but part of this series is to prove to myself that I can get more comfortable with being uncomfortable on camera - so this felt a good test of that.

Also, this week’s Claude questions are, I would say, a bit-off and probably the lack of caffeine and sleep combo is slowing down my cognitive responses!

Anyway, have a listen, let me know if any of it resonates.

And please do take this as inspiration for you to show-up on camera. If I can do it, I’m sure you can… and from there, who knows what will happen next.

I’m back from holiday next week (even though, as a freelancer, I’ve had to do some work everyday but I won’t be alone in that) and I suspect I’ll be straight back onto Sunday Service… there will likely also be episode two of BASKET CASES, if you missed it, you can watch the first ep here:

→ The million minute investment: 2,500 to 9,000 followers and what it bought me

→ Basket Cases is live: why we're calling it a show, not a podcast

→ 50 brands and counting: WOW Studio Live has gone from idea to inbound

→ Small Wins Sunday: Fuoco, a Bloody Bens explainer video, and surviving the school holidays

→ Pickle Beer!

Would you invest a million minutes?

Just under two years ago, I was on holiday in France, sitting outside as the morning sun came up and thinking about the future.

Even though I was away, I still had to work, I had been freelance for just under 6 months.

Luckily the kids agreed to go to the onsite Kids Club, so that provided the window to keep things ticking over.

If I had been working for a company, I would have been properly on holiday I mused.

But freelance life gave me way more freedom and allowed me to be my own boss again.

Even though it was impinging on my holiday, it allowed me to be around for my kids way more and without having to ask permission to go to say sports day or their summer show.

Freelance life doesn’t give you security though? Well that’s not actually true. Part of the catalyst for going freelance was being made redundant.

We perceive ‘a job’ as being safer but it’s not really and if you’re like me, it’s a bit of a misery prison.

That said, you do get paid holidays!

So I sat there weighing things up and I decided that I was going to commit to being freelance.

At that time, I had started getting into LinkedIn, I had finally woken up to the opportunities it presented.

And I identified that if I was going to be able to sustain being freelance then I would need to build more of a network and that LinkedIn would be my primary vehicle to achieve that.

If the price of getting what I wanted, freedom, was posting endless awful selfies then,

I was going all in.

So I started posting and commenting on LinkedIn on a daily basis.

At the time of starting I was on 2,500 followers and then last week I noticed I had hit 9,000.

It had taken over a million minutes to achieve, the best part of two years.

Now it’s not been a straight line, I’m not here to tell you tales of 10k months and 100k launches.

Far from it.

There’s been a lot of challenging times, last summer was super tough in terms of money coming in.

And I always find myself pretty much living month to month with no real cushion in the bank (if I was giving advice to someone going freelance, this would be my number one tip).

But I achieved my goal of staying self-employed and I’ve found real joy in having a portfolio career.

LinkedIn has allowed me to,

• Formalise being freelance into On A Plate Growth and work with 30 different clients

• Build a network full of incredibly inspiring individuals, many of whom I now regard as friends

• Build Best Before with Lizzy Kaplan

• Win listings for Bloody Bens Bloody Mary Mix

and now it’s helping to turn the idea of WOW Studio Live, a social commerce agency focussed on TikTok, into an actual thing - we’ve spoken to 50 brands since I started posting about it on LinkedIn.

If I just listed the highlights and said last week I hit 9k followers on LinkedIn, I have a thoroughly enjoyable portfolio career that I find both meaningful and satisfying and get to speak to founders, build a community, have a drinks business and create a social commerce agency to realise the growing potential of TikTok and live shopping, then that might sound a bit flashier.

You might think, give me some of that action.

But would you be prepared to give it the time?

That’s my challenge to you.

Not to say you couldn’t do it faster, do it better or do it bigger.

You absolutely could, I’m certain of that.

But are you willing to show up day after, to not create the excuses?

I think we underestimate this bit.

Not how hard something will be, but how long we’re prepared to let it take.

We start something and within six months - probably less - we wonder why it hasn’t changed our life.

If we somehow get to a year, then we start to assume that it’s not working and we shut it down.

But things always take longer than we want or expect.

So, if you do think to yourself, ok Ben, I’m going all in on LinkedIn too, then please don’t expect instant results.

Prepare for the long haul.

Because if you stay with something for long enough, you at least give yourself the chance for things to happen that couldn’t have happened at the beginning.

A lot of the things you see others doing, well, that could be you.

As I said, I’m not smashing it financially but I earn around the same levels as I would if I had a job in Brighton.

And my ceiling is way higher. As I develop my network, as my experience compounds, as I get referrals and as I grow the businesses in my portfolio, I have the potential to earn more.

Sometimes that seems so far away but the last two years are telling me, keep showing up, keep putting in the reps, keep connecting, keep building and keep growing the personal brand through LinkedIn and other channels and rewards will come.

What do you think?

BASKET CASES: A Food & Drink Business Show

Last week, I talked about seeing life as a series of experiments:

And with that spirit in mind, I just started BASKET CASES with James Hickson.

We’re not calling it a podcast, that we felt comes loaded with certain expectations. And the world doesn’t need another podcast from a pair of middle aged men.

So, we’re calling it a show.

It’s for people into the business of food and drink.

And it’s basically a show & tell, as we share products that have caught our eye on the shelf and made their way into our baskets.

From there we talk about the world of food and drink from a marketing, branding, packaging and positioning perspective.

You can take a watch here:

On just getting started.

By seeing this as experiment, we were able to agree to just go for it.

If instead, we had approached it as we’re going to create a new podcast that’s essential listening for food and drink professionals, then we would have raised the bar, we would have created friction.

We’d be thinking, hey we need to have a studio. We also need a website, a You Tube account, a script. We’d be looking at other podcasts to see what would be expected of us.

Whereas by saying, lets make a fun show, lets do it as a live on Substack and just see how we go, see how it makes us feel and then we can decide where to take it, then we have lowered the stakes.

We’ve created the conditions where we could easily start.

If we’d raised the bar, if we’d burdened ourselves with a big to-do list and an investment in a space and equipment, then this would have just sat as an idea.

Rather than where we’ve got to - we’ve actually done an episode.

We now have something to compare against.

We have created an experience.

We’re richer for it.

And why?

Aside from being the closest I’ll ever likely get to journaling, the purpose of my Substack is to inspire people to start the idea they’re sitting on. Or, if you’ve started something, to keep at it until you get the rewards you deserve - too many people quit too soon.

I’ve often been inspired by hearing a little nugget of what someone has to say or by being exposed to a new product or way of doing things.

So doing a show felt like a fun way to try and achieve this - whilst also trying out a new format for showing up and connecting with more people.

Additionally, could it grow? Could it create a revenue stream? Could it help create leads for my portfolio career and the work James does at Brand Hackers and North Star?

There’s only one way to find out and that's to experiment, to create and to see what happens next.

What could you experiment with this week?

Let me know what you get up to by adding a comment or dropping me a DM

SMALL WINS SUNDAY

Small wins are the best way I know to keep showing up for the long haul and I think for marking the success of your life experiments.

They’re the things that give you fuel and momentum and by recognising them, you’re more likely to keep on the journey.

Most businesses, and people, succeed through longevity, most aren’t an overnight success.

Most grow through endless small wins, all adding up.

I always used to struggle with celebrating them but Small Wins Sunday is my way to pause for a moment, to zoom out and see what has been achieved.

Small wins are proof you’re building something that fits.

Here’s some from this week:

• More inbounds for WOW Studio Live

I know, I know, I keep mentioning this but the whole point of Small Wins Sunday is to recognise the wins, so there we have it, another week gone, another week of alcohol brands directly reaching out to discover how we can help get them onto TikTok Shop now that the booze ban has been lifted.

• New work for On A Plate

I started work with Fuoco - an Australian chilli oil - I’ll be working with their founder Jackson, to drive growth through email marketing.

This one’s only available Down Under right now, although the ambition is to open up in the UK at some point.

If you know someone in Australia, tell them to buy a jar (after they’ve signed up to the newsletter of course!).

• Bloody Bens Explainer Video

So as I’ve started managing to make videos, however cringe (see “Cringe On Camera” for more on this), I figured it’s time to do the same for Bloody Bens.

On Friday evening, I grabbed a minute and filmed a little explainer of what the Bloody Mary Mix is and how to use it.

You can check it out here.

• Survived another week of the School hols!

Look the juggle is real. So, whilst I’m most certainly not wishing life away and summer hols are there to make memories, I am ticking off when each week is done!

Want to build your own small win momentum stack? Try this:

Grab a pen or open Notes and list three small wins from your week:

1. Something you started this week - however small

2. Someone you helped.

3. Something you moved from idea → action.

Then tell someone about them - your team, your audience, your partner or here in the comments (I’ll read every single one).

You’ll feel better, remind yourself why you’re doing it and give yourself fuel to do more.

Keep stacking. Keep showing up.

The small wins always add up.

I’m Ben - living a portfolio career and figuring it out in public, one week at a time.

I believe staying in the game matters more than having it all figured out.

I’ve learned to stack the small wins, protect my energy, and say yes to being in rooms where things happen.

If you’re trying to build a life that feels like yours - without running out of road before it gets good… You’re in the right place. Even on the wobbly days.

And if any of this landed, I’d love to know. Reply, comment, DM - whatever works. This stuff is better done together.

PS

Pickle Beer!

If you follow me on Instagram, then you may have spotted, I’m a mega fan of Sam and Denisa, founders of The Pickle.

They give me so much inspiration and they’re always up to something, like making Pickle Beer!

A show from myself and James Hickson, a self-certified FMCG nerd.

This isn’t a podcast (although it’s very podcast adjacent!).

And whilst we talk about the business of food and drink, this isn’t intended to be a webinar or online coaching, it’s deliberately not another "3 tips to scale your business in 30 minutes" type affair.

It’s an informal conversation, we’ll share things that have caught our eye and made their way into our shopping baskets, things that we think could make a great business or have simply made us smile.

In this episode we get into,

• Czech kombucha

• The empanada opportunity

• Estate Dairy and their retail challenge

• Jacked Granny and tinned protein bars

• Using Hinge to find new customers

• How Brits find it hard to be bold enough

• And more!

Have a listen and please let us know what you think.

We enjoyed it, so we’re looking to do another one, w/c 17th August.

Subscribe and you’ll get notified when we’ve locked it down and are going live.

She regularly reminds me to find the joy in life and to find purpose and meaning in the day to day.

So what a thrill when I spotted a DM, “would I like to do a Substack Live?”

Absolutely!

So we did and we chatted about a whole bunch of things, including:

• One of my fave phrases “misery prison”

• We challenge the “say no to everything, stay focused” advice

• Not every task is fun, so build the scaffolding around it to find the joy in the day to day

• Do we need to eat the frog first?

• The final bosses of cringe

Have a listen and let Amy and I know if any of it resonates with you.

And yet it helps create trust and it’s algorithm friendly - generally a video will be pushed to more people.

Being on camera makes it more likely I will get the things I want, such as making WOW Studio Live a successful TikTok agency or Bloody Bens Bloody Mary Mix being in thousands of pubs (including Young’s!) or building Best Before or just generally doing more fun projects and meeting more fun people along the way.

So, I started doing little videos each week to preview my latest Sunday Service Substack posts.

The first one I was almost too shy to speak and there were quite a few takes.

I’ve done around 10 now and you can sense I’m more confident although I will still do them early in the morning to avoid anyone in the street overhearing me talk to camera as I walk Alfie the dog.

But I’ve realised I find it hard to monologue to camera.

It’s just not a current strength.

That got me thinking, how could I do more on camera?

I realised I’m better in a conversation.

So how could I find a solution, with the least friction, that would allow me to practise.

And then it occurred to me.

Claude could help.

It could ask me questions about my latest Substack, to get under the skin of whatever I was writing and ask questions that hopefully some readers were pondering or to give the post a bit more depth.

The sort of thing I just can’t seem to access on a monologue to camera.

So here we are.

And yes it feels pretty self indulgent.

Answer AI generated questions about your own post.

And talking to camera still feels cringe.

But what I know from building in public for the last couple of years is that the things you want are on the other side of cringe.

I’ve done three episodes now and actually it’s been kinda fun and I found myself looking forward to doing this fourth ep.

So here it is!

Oh and for reference, Claude is asking me about this Sunday Service post,

And as revealed in the video, I have gained enough confidence to reach out to my old pal, James Hickson.

We’re going to do a show, not calling it a podcast, around food and drink, marketing and business, with the idea of making it fun.

It’s called Basket Cases and we’re trying it out on Weds 5th Aug 12pm BST and we’re doing it as a Substack live.

If you haven’t already, subscribe and then you’ll receive a reminder as we go live.

Ps, if you want to try Cups Full Coffee - you can get some here.

→ 30 days in the Land of Possibility: what now?

→ The commission pricing experiment that landed a new client

→ Live with Amy Stanborough: Meaningful Work, Redefining Success, and Finding Joy

→ Watch out for Basket Cases (live on Substack, 5th August)

→ Small Wins Sunday: 16,262 impressions, a reply from Justin Welsh, and Cringe On Camera #3

→ Lychee & Yuzu!

30 days in the Land of Possibility and I don’t want to leave

The experiment is over.

Although really, it has just begun…

I’ve just finished my 30 day experiment, 30 days in the Land of Possibility.

This came out of being part of the Conscious Soup Living Experiment, run by and Garth Dew.

The idea of the Land of Possibility is that anything is possible and we had 30 days to work towards something.

Having recently launched WOW Studio Live - a social commerce agency - I took the opportunity to imagine TikTok Live Shopping Shows from 30 different locations.

In this world of possibilities, we went live from all sorts of places, including a fishing boat, a tough mudder, Wimbledon Tennis, a campsite, a mini-golf course, a cheesemonger and we finished up in Selfridges Food Hall, sipping on my Bloody Bens Bloody Marys.

In another post, I might go into the more technical details of posting 30 consecutive Substack articles but for now I want to think about what it did for me.

If I focus on the reality of 30 consecutive posts juggled alongside delivering On A Plate Growth client work, a Best Before in-person event, whilst building Bloody Bens and WOW Studio Live,

it was quite a slog.

But within that, it was a reminder, I can stick to the commitments I make - and achieving that alone gives a sense of satisfaction.

It’s a kind of small, almost silly, experiment but the very act of creating something every day and putting it out into the world is so much more than almost everyone else is doing.

The act of creation and action means you’re different and instantly more interesting than most people.

Remember, nearly everyone is getting average results, so if you do the same as them then at best you’ll get an average result.

If you do something different, you’re giving yourself a chance of something amazing happening.

Now, in the immediate short-term, nothing amazing has happened from a commercial point of view, I haven’t had anyone ask me to deliver a live “shoppertainment” show.

But, alongside the satisfaction of delivering on the commitment I made to myself, something very cool has happened by doing this, and from being part of the Conscious Soup group:

try and see life as a series of experiments.

When you do this you lower the stakes.

Things suddenly don’t have to be as polished, you don’t need to make things perfect, you’re just trying it out.

Doesn’t mean it has to be terrible, or v.low quality, but the emphasis is on making something happen, try it out, see how it goes, you can refine it later, based on how it feels and the feedback you get.

With this spirit in mind, during the experiment, I started something new.

I started “Cringe On Camera” as a way to get more comfortable with talking on camera.

If, as part of WOW Studio Live, I’m going to encourage founders to be on camera more, then I need to be doing more of that myself.

And, I reached out to my old pal James Hickson about doing an FMCG food & drink show thing - I don’t want to use the podcast word.

I think calling it a podcast frames it with more pressure, it’s just an experiment, something that feels like it could be fun.

We’ve decided to call it Basket Cases and we’re doing it live on Substack (make a note for 12.30pm on the 5th August).

If food & drink packaging, marketing, positioning and trending chat is your thing, then come join us - if you subscribe to my Substack then you’ll get an alert when we go live.

The other thing I’ve realised about seeing life as a series of experiments is that it brings more play into your day to day.

And guess what that’s going to do? Yep, create more joy.

That’s going to fuel you up to keep at your idea, to stay in the game long enough for something amazing to happen.

So, I’m on the lookout for more opportunities, more experiments. If you know me, you’ll know I love a collab, so if you’re reading this and thinking hey, wouldn’t it be fun if we tried… then drop me a DM or email me ben@onaplategrowth.com

Encouraged by Conscious Soup, I did also experiment with offering a new way to work with me through On A Plate Growth.

Rather than a project fee, which for some can be prohibitive, I offered up a commission option, where I share in the upside. No success, no fee.

This has led to a new client plus I’m in conversations with two other businesses.

Those doors only opened because I saw it as an experiment. What if I changed how people can work with me?

What’s the downside? Sure there’s more financial risk but with my regular work providing a base that already pays the bills, this is a fun way to have a little gravy on top…

I have extra incentive to make sure my client succeeds. And if it works as well as it could, then I can earn more than a regular one-off fee, that would be cool.

What experiments could you play?

So, a challenge for you. What experiment could you run for yourself this week?

It doesn’t have to be commercial.

It could just be something as simple as, I’m going to go for a lunchtime walk every work day and see what that does for me.

I’m dying to know what you come up with, so drop me a DM or leave a comment below.

Can I keep this mindset?

Eeek, this genuinely causes me some concern.

I’m loving this outlook of seeing life as an experiment. I tangibly feel freer in my mind.

But I know it doesn’t take long for me to meander off course and to return to my default state which is more closed off.

None of this positive mindset type stuff comes naturally.

I have to constantly reinforce it.

What about you?

Do you have to be really conscious to have a positive mindset, one that’s open to opportunities and experimentation?

Or, is it just me?

I don’t think it is but I’d love to know how you feel - leave a comment below or drop me a DM.

I wish I was more like Amy…

Live With Amy Stanborough

Whenever I scroll through my Substack Notes app, I’ll nearly always see a post from that gives me a little reminder about being more mindful and intentional and to remember to find the joy in the small things.

So, I was thrilled when Amy reached out and asked me to do a Substack Live to discuss, Meaningful Work, Redefining Success, and Finding Joy

I’ll go into more detail another time but if you’re curious, you can watch the replay here:

Becoming Without Burnout

Meaningful Work, Redefining Success, and Finding Joy

Listen now

20 days ago · 4 likes · 3 comments · Amy Stanborough and Ben Walton

And, a reminder, that these kind of fun opportunities are only likely to happen if you put yourself out there.

If you’re in your silo, then you’re not increasing your surface area to ‘get lucky’.

You’re likely to be left scrolling through your socials and thinking I wish I was doing this or that. Thinking, I can’t believe they asked X to do it, I would be great at it and I’ve got some really fresh takes to share.

I would also say, you can seize the initiative.

Remember, life is a series of experiments… what if you started something yourself? What if you invited someone to chat live or to collaborate with.

What might happen?

You know about ’s “shoot your shot Wednesdays”?

Think of someone you’d love to do something with, or indeed work with, and just go pitch them.

Worst outcome, they say no or ghost you. Incredible outcome, they say yes.

Shoot your shot, go experiment!

SMALL WINS SUNDAY

Small wins are the best way I know to keep showing up for the long haul and I think for marking the success of your life experiments.

They’re the things that give you fuel and momentum and by recognising them, you’re more likely to keep on the journey.

Most businesses, and people, succeed through longevity, most aren’t an overnight success.

Most grow through endless small wins, all adding up.

I always used to struggle with celebrating them but Small Wins Sunday is my way to pause for a moment, to zoom out and see what has been achieved.

Small wins are proof you’re building something that fits.

Here’s some from this week:

• Most Viral Post

I made a LinkedIn post about how I was one of the first people to buy alcohol on TikTok and it became my most viral post.

As you can see, 16,262 impressions - in my world, that’s viral!

Now for others I get that might be a typical post, even an underperforming one.

But I tend to get 250-500 impressions for a post.

So this is mega.

And like those case studies you hear about mid-doom scroll, this actually led to loads of inbounds.

Feels a bit like being a LinkedIn guru!

• Justin Welsh replied

On which note, guru replied to a comment I made on one of his Substack notes.

I read his newsletter every Saturday and he nearly always has me nodding along.

Funnily enough, this week’s was about just asking for something and seeing what happens - somewhat chiming with the idea of seeing life as an experiment.

You can subscribe to his newsletter here.

• Cringe on Camera Ep 3

Can’t believe I’ve already done three episodes of Cringe on Camera.

And rather than dreading it, I’m looking forward to the next one.

Want to build your own small win momentum stack? Try this:

Grab a pen or open Notes and list three small wins from your week:

1. Something you started this week - however small

2. Someone you helped.

3. Something you moved from idea → action.

Then tell someone about them - your team, your audience, your partner or here in the comments (I’ll read every single one).

You’ll feel better, remind yourself why you’re doing it and give yourself fuel to do more.

Keep stacking. Keep showing up.

The small wins always add up.

I’m Ben - living a portfolio career and figuring it out in public, one week at a time.

I believe staying in the game matters more than having it all figured out.

I’ve learned to stack the small wins, protect my energy, and say yes to being in rooms where things happen.

If you’re trying to build a life that feels like yours - without running out of road before it gets good… You’re in the right place. Even on the wobbly days.

And if any of this landed, I’d love to know. Reply, comment, DM - whatever works. This stuff is better done together.

PS

I have the pleasure of supporting Pop Cultures Kombucha and I wanted to give a shoutout to Rob for his hard work and for getting two stars in the Great Taste Awards for his newest flavour, Lychee & Yuzu.

I know that NPD is full of self-doubt and second guessing but treat life as an experiment and see what happens…

you might just end up with a comment like this from one of the judges “Michelin-worthy”.

The game is simple:

For thirty days straight, I’ve come up with one TikTok Live show idea a day, aimed at food, drink and wellness brands.

Actual show concepts.

There will still be live shopping involved but not like you’ll currently find on TikTok. This is “shoppertainment”.

But why Ben?

This all came out of the Conscious Soup Living Experiment, where we were challenged to create something that felt cool and see if we could make it feel a little more real.

You can find out more on my Day One post,

Live Show Thirty

For this final day in the Land of Possibility, we’re going live from an iconic retailer.

I’m thinking Selfridges and their Food Hall.

As this is the Land of Possibility, this show will be featuring my Bloody Bens Bloody Mary Mix.

Selfridges have never stocked it, even though I know it’s a great fit - so I’m using this post to manifest it.

Honestly, I’d be Bloody delighted.

Anyway, back to the show.

We’d be making Bloody Marys in the window to grab the attention of passers-by.

I’d happily be interviewed, talking about the origins of the Mix and my favourite brunch and Bloody Mary combo.

The Life of Fish have a concession there, so we could talk to them about Bloody Marys & Oysters.

And every time someone bought oysters, it would trigger a flash sale.

Maybe we’d ask shoppers about their own Bloody Mary rituals.

Brunch, Sunday Lunch or only for Boxing Day?

How spicy?

Classic vodka or maybe a Bloody Maria?

You can sense it right? This is more engaging than just selling direct to camera.

You’ve got the theatre of Selfridges and the bustle of the food hall.

You’ve got the public going about their day on the other side of the window - people watching live!

This is something that will keep you logged in.

Something you’ll tell your friends about.

This is Shoppertainment.

A driver of both sales and brand recall.

What would you build in the Land of Possibility?

It can be anything, some in the experiment are dedicating the 30 days to find a new dream home, another to create children’s books and someone is going to learn how to play the drums.

Remember anything is possible and you might just turn it into reality.

Hi, I’m Ben. I’m building a portfolio career, figuring a lot of it out in public, and trying to stay in the game long enough for the good stuff to happen.

Right now, that includes WOW Studio Live - a social commerce agency, specialising in TikTok.

The game is simple:

For thirty days straight, I’m going to come up with one TikTok Live show idea a day, aimed at food, drink and wellness brands.

Actual show concepts.

There will still be live shopping involved but not like you’ll currently find on TikTok. This is “shoppertainment”.

But why Ben?

This all came out of the Conscious Soup Living Experiment, where we were challenged to create something that felt cool and see if we could make it feel a little more real.

You can find out more on my Day One post,

Live Show Twenty Nine

For this penultimate day in the Land of Possibility, we’re going live from the theatre.

The stage.

Red velvet seats.

Backstage corridors.

Dressing rooms.

Lights.

The Royal Box.

This would be a live show before the performance.

We’d start in the foyer.

We’d meet the founder of whichever brand goes for this opportunity.

Maybe we should go for chocolate for this one? In which case, I’d love to feature FATSO.

We ask ticket holders what their pre-theatre ritual is.

We ask the actors to taste product.

The bar manager fixes a drink to pair with the chocolate.

When the bell rings for the interval, the exclusive bundle unlocks and the sale prices last until the curtain comes up.

You can sense it right? This is more engaging than just selling direct to camera.

This is something that will keep you logged in.

Something you’ll tell your friends about.

This is Shoppertainment.

A driver of both sales and brand recall.

What would you build in the Land of Possibility?

It can be anything, some in the experiment are dedicating the 30 days to find a new dream home, another to create children’s books and someone is going to learn how to play the drums.

Remember anything is possible and you might just turn it into reality.

Hi, I’m Ben. I’m building a portfolio career, figuring a lot of it out in public, and trying to stay in the game long enough for the good stuff to happen.

Right now, that includes WOW Studio Live - a social commerce agency, specialising in TikTok.

The game is simple:

For thirty days straight, I’m going to come up with one TikTok Live show idea a day, aimed at food, drink and wellness brands.

Actual show concepts.

There will still be live shopping involved but not like you’ll currently find on TikTok. This is “shoppertainment”.

But why Ben?

This all came out of the Conscious Soup Living Experiment, where we were challenged to create something that felt cool and see if we could make it feel a little more real.

You can find out more on my Day One post,

Live Show Twenty Eight

Today we’re going live from the mini golf course.

Of course, you could go live from an actual golf course but with this being written during the summer hols, I feel like mini-golf is more the vibe.

There’s all sorts of elements that will make for a memorable live shopping show.

Families, dates, mates, and a sprinkling of competitive Dads.

You could go on a round with the founder of whatever brand we’re featuring.

Maybe it should be Wild Thingz sweets for this one? Or maybe an ice cream. Happy Endings are opening a shop in Brighton, so perhaps them.

If anyone gets a hole in one that would trigger a flash sale.

You could get players to do tastings and share their reaction live.

Perhaps you could have a couple of influencers go on a round and whoever wins unlocks a different exclusive bundle.

You’re starting to get the gist, this is more engaging than just selling direct to camera.

This is something that will keep you logged in.

Something you’ll tell your friends about.

This is Shoppertainment.

A driver of both sales and brand recall.

What would you build in the Land of Possibility?

It can be anything, some in the experiment are dedicating the 30 days to find a new dream home, another to create children’s books and someone is going to learn how to play the drums.

Remember anything is possible and you might just turn it into reality.

Hi, I’m Ben. I’m building a portfolio career, figuring a lot of it out in public, and trying to stay in the game long enough for the good stuff to happen.

Right now, that includes WOW Studio Live - a social commerce agency, specialising in TikTok.

And yet it helps create trust and it’s algorithm friendly - generally a video will be pushed to more people.

Being on camera makes it more likely I will get the things I want, such as making WOW Studio Live a successful TikTok agency or Bloody Bens Bloody Mary Mix being in thousands of pubs (including Young’s!) or building Best Before or just generally doing more fun projects and meeting more fun people along the way.

So, I started doing little videos each week to preview my latest Sunday Service Substack posts.

The first one I was almost too shy to speak and there were quite a few takes.

I think I’ve done like 10 now and you can sense I’m more confident although I will still do them early in the morning to avoid anyone in the street overhearing me talk to camera as I walk Alfie the dog.

But I’ve realised I find it hard to monologue to camera.

It’s just not a current strength.

That got me thinking, how could I do more on camera?

I realised I’m better in a conversation.

But to set up a weekly conversation or vodcast with a guest would take lots of work and I am short on time.

So how could I find a solution and one that involved the least friction?

And then it occurred to me.

Claude could help.

It could ask me questions about my latest Substack, to get under the skin of whatever I was writing and ask questions that hopefully some readers were pondering or to give the post a bit more depth.

The sort of thing I just can’t seem to access on a monologue to camera.

So here we are.

And yes it feels pretty self indulgent.

Answer AI generated questions about your own post.

And talking to camera still feels cringe.

But what I know from building in public for the last couple of years is that the things you want are on the other side of cringe.

I’ve done two episodes now and actually it’s been kinda fun and I found myself looking forward to doing this third ep.

So here it is!

Oh and for reference, Claude is asking me about this Sunday Service post,

Would love to know what you think of this format and whether it may inspire you to find a way to do more on camera.

Oh, and if you have any questions about the post or anything else, do feel free to drop me a DM or leave a comment and I’ll get back to you.

I’m Ben - living a portfolio career and figuring it out in public, one week at a time.

I believe staying in the game matters more than having it all figured out.

I’ve learned to stack the small wins, protect my energy, and say yes to being in rooms where things happen.

If you’re trying to build a life that feels like yours - without running out of road before it gets good… You’re in the right place. Even on the wobbly days.

The game is simple:

For thirty days straight, I’m going to come up with one TikTok Live show idea a day, aimed at food, drink and wellness brands.

Actual show concepts.

There will still be live shopping involved but not like you’ll currently find on TikTok. This is “shoppertainment”.

But why Ben?

This all came out of the Conscious Soup Living Experiment, where we were challenged to create something that felt cool and see if we could make it feel a little more real.

You can find out more on my Day One post,

Live Show Twenty Seven

Today we’re going to go live from somewhere that’s actually an integral part of the Great British staycation.

Yep, it’s the service station.

Confession, I’ve never been to one of the few ‘good’ service stations such as Gloucester and Tebay… if you’ve been, are they as good as everyone says?

Anyway, this would work at any level of service station.

That first coffee of the journey.

The emergency snacks.

The dog needing a walk.

Just the ritual of stopping along the way.

Whatever has brought people there, the TikTok Live Shopping will be streaming from the entrance.

And for this show, I think we’d feature a snack brand although SPILL tea would be a great shout too.

We’ll be asking families to do reviews.

We’ll ask drivers about their journeys and asking them to take some snacks along for the rest of the trip.

We’ll have the founder of the snack brand on the show and ask them about memorable trips.

We’ll keep an eye on the carpark and when a nominated car pulls in, that will trigger a flash sales.

This isn't just selling direct to camera from a booth.

This is something that will keep you logged in.

Something you’ll tell your friends about.

This is Shoppertainment.

A driver of both sales and brand recall.

What would you build in the Land of Possibility?

It can be anything, some in the experiment are dedicating the 30 days to find a new dream home, another to create children’s books and someone is going to learn how to play the drums.

Remember anything is possible and you might just turn it into reality.

Hi, I’m Ben. I’m building a portfolio career, figuring a lot of it out in public, and trying to stay in the game long enough for the good stuff to happen.

Right now, that includes WOW Studio Live - a social commerce agency, specialising in TikTok.

The game is simple:

For thirty days straight, I’m going to come up with one TikTok Live show idea a day, aimed at food, drink and wellness brands.

Actual show concepts.

There will still be live shopping involved but not like you’ll currently find on TikTok. This is “shoppertainment”.

But why Ben?

This all came out of the Conscious Soup Living Experiment, where we were challenged to create something that felt cool and see if we could make it feel a little more real.

You can find out more on my Day One post,

Live Show Twenty Six

Today we’re going to go live from a festival field.

Think of the vibes that would give a live TikTok,

• Music

• Crowds

• People in crazy outfits

• Food trucks

• A bit of jeopardy around the weather - will it stay nice?

So there’s plenty going on to grip viewers.

And to amp this up, the live show could move around the festival site.

We could go backstage with the festival organiser and the brand founder.

BTW, there’s so many options for the type of brands to go live from a festival; coffee, snacks, electrolytes, functional drinks and the list goes on.

But I’ll nominate Arrowtown RTD cocktails for this one - especially with their new events van.

Anyway, back to the show… we could see the riders of the musicians and see what they’re ordering.

We could have nominated songs and when they’re played, a flash sale is triggered.

You’re starting to get the gist right?

This isn't just selling direct to camera from a booth

This is Shoppertainment.

A driver of both sales and brand recall.

What would you build in the Land of Possibility?

It can be anything, some in the experiment are dedicating the 30 days to find a new dream home, another to create children’s books and someone is going to learn how to play the drums.

Remember anything is possible and you might just turn it into reality.

Hi, I’m Ben. I’m building a portfolio career, figuring a lot of it out in public, and trying to stay in the game long enough for the good stuff to happen.

Right now, that includes WOW Studio Live - a social commerce agency, specialising in TikTok.

→ Awful screen grabs, awkward videos, and pushing through the cringe

→ Why naivety might be one of your greatest advantages

→ Day 25 in the Land of Possibility: a TikTok live from Twickenham

→ Small Wins Sunday: On A Plate proposals, more WOW inbounds, and a Best Before connection

→ Cringe On Camera #2

→ Studio Soiree!

Making More Possible

I’ve been getting increasingly comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Although now I understand why people spend so much time doing thumbnails for their reels and You Tube videos.

As these mug shots on my Insta grid show - the default screen grab isn’t exactly flattering.

I can totally understand why this would put you off.

Who wants their gurning face staring back not just at themselves but as a showcase of who you are and what you do?!

But I’m pushing through.

In fact, I’m doing more.

I’ve started a weekly series called “Cringe On Camera” where I get Claude to ask me questions about these Sunday Service posts (and yes I’m aware, that does sound pretty self-indulgent)

Here’s the first ep,

and I did a Substack Live this week - I haven’t done one for a while,

if you missed it, we talked about Shelley Waldman’s () new initiative, The Visibility Project - to “help you stop hiding and get in front of people that can hire you”.

These videos aren’t necessarily the key to my future success.

But I see them as part of the jigsaw, part of the process of building exciting future chapters.

I don’t want to have a ‘regular job’, I want to remain freelance and I always want to have some level of portfolio career.

And I do want WOW Studio Live to become my main chapter for quite some time.

These things become more possible by doing.

And with that in mind, I want to create more, just to see what happens.

What doors get opened, which paths become apparent, what lights me up, what partnerships emerge.

I’ve been part of the and Garth Dew “Conscious Soup” social experiment - to give you a flavour, have a quick watch of the video they put together for it, you can view it here.

Where you’re encouraged to just create, without fear of being judged by others - and that’s such an important part of it.

Think how much we don’t create because we’re worried about what others will think of it.

So with that spirit, I’m working on some more ideas, mostly based around Substack, some are more video, others more written.

I’m not wildly creative and my execution skills aren’t great but I know for sure that only good things can happen through the act of creation.

I also believe that in order to have a successful social commerce agency where I’m encouraging founders to get in front of camera then I should be able to at least point to having done it - however badly.

And I’ve got this long term vision of doing something around food and drink shows and brand worlds - I eventually opened a restaurant having been inspired by the likes of the Rick Stein TV series, so deep down there’s always a desire to try and add something to this space, something that will inspire others to go and make things and start businesses.

So whilst these videos aren’t in the slightest bit close to a Rick Stein style show (should also point out that I don’t intend to be the host), maybe they get me a little closer.

They’ll certainly get me closer than just staying in my silo.

And being confined by one story.

For a while my story was restaurateur, who like so many, went bust.

One that had to go back to working for others.

One that was lower in confidence and more than a bit miserable.

But that’s changed again.

I’m now back to having more fun and doing more interesting things.

And of late, each day I’m starting to realise that I can push towards even more intriguing chapters and stories.

What’s your story?

And what would you like that story to actually be?

Please do share in the comments or drop me a DM, I’d love to know and I’m always up for chatting through challenges.

I also think this leads nicely to the next part of this week’s post…

Naivety is your superpower.

A few weeks ago I was at Bonnie Chung’s panel talk, “Why the Hottest Brands Are Found in the Fridge.”

As well as Bonnie, there were 4 amazing founders, Riya Patel (All The Aunties), Olly Hiscocks (Olly’s Olives & Snacks), Tom Walker (Holy Moly) and Emily Tout (Mighty Slice) - you can catch a recording here.

What really struck me was the naivety.

They’ve all started these companies which we put on a pedestal but none of the successful founders had experience in their now chosen industry.

They had an idea and followed it through.

I had no experience in restaurants before Ben’s Canteen.

I had no experience in drinks before Bloody Bens

I had no experience in being freelance or setting up a social commerce agency or and yet I made them all happen.

Would they have started if they had known what lay ahead?

Would their enthusiasm have been dampened by shelf life worries and warehousing and logistics and margins?

I’ll wager yes.

But you don’t know those details. You know you’ve got an idea and you’re excited and you’re committed.

Now you’ll pay for your naivety and you’ll make mistakes along the way, that’s unavoidable but don’t let that put you off.

The aim is not to stay naive. It is to let your enthusiasm get you started, then learn quickly, ask for help and keep evolving and adapting.

Remember, that in most cases, the brands and people you admire didn’t know what they were doing, they didn’t have it all figured out - they likely still don’t.

So if you’re in a place where you’ve got an idea and are wondering “am I allowed to do this?”.

You’ve got permission.

Don’t overthink it, if it’s lighting you up, don’t think, next year I’ll start.

Start now.

Yep, go for it!

And remember you don’t need to blow up your life.

You can side hustle it, you could work for a brand in the space to learn more and get helpful contacts, you can go meet manufacturers, you can commission packaging, you can learn more about the numbers, you don’t need to quit your entire day to day before embarking on your next chapter.

Just remember, you don’t need to know it all before you start - you never will - don’t hold back waiting for that mythical ‘right moment’.

That first step doesn’t need to define an entire business, to be the full blueprint. It just needs to be something that creates momentum and creates learnings.

What are you sitting on?

What could you begin if you let go of the notion that the timing isn’t right?

What might happen if you started taking steps towards it? So maybe it’s not the thing but it’s things that could be the catalyst?

Maybe it’s making that recipe and taking it to a farmer’s market? Maybe it’s hosting a supper club.

Day 25 In The Land Of Possibility

So, as mentioned, I’m taking part in a social experiment.

I get into the detail here,

But basically every day for 30 days, I post on Substack, outlining a possible live show for TikTok Shop.

Not the classic sell to camera but something more entertaining.

Shoppertainment as we call it at WOW Studio Live.

This is Day 25 and, as I’ve spent a bit of time with retired rugby players of late, for this one we’re going live from Twickers.

Maybe we’ll start off in the West Car Park (seems to be now called the Cardinal Vaughan Car Park, was this always the case?) for a picnic.

Then we’ll head through the gates, stopping off at a Guinness bar (just as an unnecessary FYI, whilst I’m not big on non-alc beers - Bunta beer being the notable exception - I do like a Guinness Zero).

Whose selling for this TikTok live show?

Rather than booze, perhaps it’s snacks, like the Serious Pig range.

We’ll get George the founder along to tell his tale and how he outgrew a railway arch in Peckham.

We’ll get former players to share stories and share what kind of snacks they like.

Every time there’s a try in the game, a flash sale would be triggered.

You start to see the possibility right?

This would keep you logged on for longer.

This would get you talking.

This is shoppertainment.

A driver of sales and brand recall.

And this is the land of possibility.

So, what would you create in 30 days? What could you work on that might go from an idea to a reality, if you dedicated the time to it.

On making time for things, don’t forget Rose Radtke and I have created SIDE PROJECT, to help inspire you to rediscover your creativity - more here.

SMALL WINS SUNDAY

Small wins are the best way I know to keep showing up for the long haul.

They’re the things that give you fuel and momentum and by recognising them, you’re more likely to keep on the journey.

Most brands succeed through longevity, most aren’t an overnight success.

Most grow through endless small wins, all adding up.

I always used to struggle with celebrating them but Small Wins Sunday is my way to pause for a moment, to zoom out and see what has been achieved.

Small wins are proof you’re building something that fits.

Here’s some from this week:

• New proposals for On A Plate

Whilst a lot of energy is going into building WOW Studio Live, it’s nice to see interest remains in what one might call my bread and butter which is email, CRM and mentoring services through On A Plate Growth.

Had a couple of proposals go out this week which felt pretty cool.

• More WOW inbounds

I know I keep mentioning it in these Small Wins Sunday updates but it’s because it keeps happening for WOW Studio Live.

So, I’m writing about it for continued self pats on the back but also to inspire you to keep showing up - often it will feel like you’re shouting into the void but good things can and will come from it.

• More Cringe On Camera

I did my second Cringe On Camera this week,

And someone kindly reached out and said:

“does a lovely job of humanising you and making you seem v approachable”.

If we think back up to the opening of this post and how we hold back because we’re worried about others judging us… well here’s the flip-side, if you make things, you can elicit lovely feel good vibes.

Thanks Laura!

• Approached to do a live

Are you following, or better yet, subscribing to ’s Becoming Without Burnout Substack?

Well a) you should be and b) she very kindly reached out to ask if I’d be up for doing a Substack live.

Absolutely yes I would.

On the 30th July, at 7pm, we’ll be chatting about the fear of sharing your work and what meaningful work looks like, amongst other things.

• The Chilli Trail

On Friday, on my way to meet Lizzy for a spot of Best Before Event 6 planning, I bumped into Theo of The Chilli Trail…

“we were just talking about Best Before and we’re off to Patio with samples to talk about doing a collab.”

How amazing is that - when we created Best Before, this is exactly the sort of outcomes we wanted. Businesses coming together to do fun things and to help one another grow.

BTW, in order for Best Before 6 to happen, we need a sponsor. This event will be an FMCG one, rather than a hospo one like event 5 was. Please DM or email ben@onaplategrowth.com if you know of someone who might be keen.

Want to build your own small win momentum stack? Try this:

Grab a pen or open Notes and list three small wins from your week:

1. Something you started this week - however small

2. Someone you helped.

3. Something you moved from idea → action.

Then tell someone about them - your team, your audience, your partner or here in the comments (I’ll read every single one).

You’ll feel better, remind yourself why you’re doing it and give yourself fuel to do more.

Keep stacking. Keep showing up.

The small wins always add up.

I’m Ben - living a portfolio career and figuring it out in public, one week at a time.

I believe staying in the game matters more than having it all figured out.

I’ve learned to stack the small wins, protect my energy, and say yes to being in rooms where things happen.

If you’re trying to build a life that feels like yours - without running out of road before it gets good… You’re in the right place. Even on the wobbly days.

And if any of this landed, I’d love to know. Reply, comment, DM - whatever works. This stuff is better done together.

PS

Studio Soiree!

To help more people discover the absolute gem of a studio & private dining space she has, Eleni, aka Drink The Dressing put on a little soiree for Studio Soiree in Hove.

Look how lovely it is, do book it yourself or spread the word.

The game is simple:

For thirty days straight, I’m going to come up with one TikTok Live show idea a day, aimed at food, drink and wellness brands.

Actual show concepts.

There will still be live shopping involved but not like you’ll currently find on TikTok. This is “shoppertainment”.

But why Ben?

This all came out of the Conscious Soup Living Experiment, where we were challenged to create something that felt cool and see if we could make it feel a little more real.

You can find out more on my Day One post,

Live Show Twenty Four

Today we’re going to go live from a campsite.

I’m not much of a camper (understatement!) but you could just about get me along to Wowo which is about 30 mins out from Brighton.

Anyway, as we’re now officially into the school summer hols, this feels a good spot for a live TikTok show.

You’ve got families.

You’ve got some people effortlessly putting up tents, others labouring over it.

You’ve got glamping.

The onsite shop with local treats and plenty of bakes.

Visiting food trucks (you can see why Wowo is so popular).

Fire pits and BBQs being lit.

Morning brews and late afternoon beers.

So much potential for a live TikTok show, so many moments to engage with.

You can see can’t you, this isn’t like doing a hard sell to camera from a booth or in the warehouse.

This has depth.

Especially when you layer in different guests, alongside key members of whichever brand it is that’s doing their TikTok Live Shop from location.

It might be nice for a butchers, I’m going to give a shoutout to Rachel from Trenchmore Farm and their British Wagyu.

Whoever is presenting, this would be a show to remember, especially if you did stories from around the fire, maybe some singing too.

This is Shoppertainment.

A driver of both sales and brand recall.

What would you build in the Land of Possibility?

It can be anything, some in the experiment are dedicating the 30 days to find a new dream home, another to create children’s books and someone is going to learn how to play the drums.

Remember anything is possible and you might just turn it into reality.

Hi, I’m Ben. I’m building a portfolio career, figuring a lot of it out in public, and trying to stay in the game long enough for the good stuff to happen.

Right now, that includes WOW Studio Live - a social commerce agency, specialising in TikTok.

The game is simple:

For thirty days straight, I’m going to come up with one TikTok Live show idea a day, aimed at food, drink and wellness brands.

Actual show concepts.

There will still be live shopping involved but not like you’ll currently find on TikTok. This is “shoppertainment”.

But why Ben?

This all came out of the Conscious Soup Living Experiment, where we were challenged to create something that felt cool and see if we could make it feel a little more real.

You can find out more on my Day One post,

Live Show Twenty Three

Today we’re going to go live from the cheesemongers.

Now I’ve thought of the location, I’m having flashbacks to the Neals Yard Dairy by Borough Market.

One of the great shops and one I always used to hit up for the Christmas Cheeseboard… bit of Lincolnshire Poacher? Yes please!

I’m thinking that this live show is perfect for a wine brand - TikTok Shop have just opened up for alcohol brands (for now you have to get onboarded by an official TikTik Shop agency - WOW Studio Live is here for you!).

Maybe Warwick of Renegade Wine is popping in for this one.

We’d ask what cheese means to him, happy memories and any favourite cheeses.

We’d ask the onsite cheesemongers to try the wines.

If customers came in and ordered a nominated cheese then that would trigger a flash sale.

We’d invite in some Borough Market characters for local tales and also to try the wine.

With the hustle and bustle of the nearby market and the queue of customers, we’d have a sense of energy for this show.

A perk of going to Neals Yard is all the samples they give out and this would create additional engagement for the viewer.

Peering at their phones that little bit harder to see what people were trying and wishing they were there.

Instantly you can feel how this live shopping session is different to what you currently see on TikTok - instead of straight up hard sell to camera from a booth, this is a rich environment.

There’s always something happening to keep you tuned in and to keep you interested.

It’s also memorable, you’re going to mention it to your friends and family.

It’s shoppertainment.

A driver of both sales and brand recall.

What would you build in the Land of Possibility?

It can be anything, some in the experiment are dedicating the 30 days to find a new dream home, another to create children’s books and someone is going to learn how to play the drums.

Remember anything is possible and you might just turn it into reality.

Hi, I’m Ben. I’m building a portfolio career, figuring a lot of it out in public, and trying to stay in the game long enough for the good stuff to happen.

Right now, that includes WOW Studio Live - a social commerce agency, specialising in TikTok.

And for those who missed it, here’s the replay… and a bit of background on why I wanted to do this chat with Shelley…

The purpose of this Substack is to

a) help inspire people to take the leap and start the idea they’ve been sitting on. b) for those who have started doing a thing, to keep at it, to stay in the game long enough to get their rewards.

It might be a side hustle, it might be a portfolio career (like mine) or it could be a full blown business.

And one thing you’ll always need is customers.

Which means you need to put yourself out there.

Creatives in particular aren’t great at this.

I’m not great at it either, in fact I always shied away from it, but over the last couple of years of being freelance, I’ve learnt the importance.

But I’m always on the lookout for more tips and more inspiration so when Shelley shared her new thing, The Visibility Project, I wanted to know more and I wanted others to know about it - particularly creatives.

Funnily enough, Shelley and I are a bit of a case study for the whole thing ourselves. I'd left a comment on someone's post in the food and drink world, she saw it, liked it enough to DM me, and we ended up grabbing coffee.

Then she came down to Brighton for and now here we are doing a Live together. None of that happens if either of us stays quiet.

In our chat, as well as The Visibility Project, we cover a bunch of things, so have a listen and let us know what resonated with you.

And just as we were wrapping up, I got a text from my wife saying she was stood at the front door with the dog on the loose, about to make a break for it the second the door opened. So that's how we ended things - classic first day of school holiday, juggling life chaos and still finding a way to make things happen!

PS, if you want to learn more about Shelley and her work, head over to her LinkedIn here.

The game is simple:

For thirty days straight, I’m going to come up with one TikTok Live show idea a day, aimed at food, drink and wellness brands.

Actual show concepts.

There will still be live shopping involved but not like you’ll currently find on TikTok. This is “shoppertainment”.

But why Ben?

This all came out of the Conscious Soup Living Experiment, where we were challenged to create something that felt cool and see if we could make it feel a little more real.

You can find out more on my Day One post,

Live Show Twenty Two

Today is the first day of the school summer hols for my kids, so I’m thinking of films, the summer blockbuster.

I’m thinking this TikTok live shopping show is from the foyer of the cinema.

A dash of Hollywood glitz.

Excitement in the air.

And people looking for snacks.

Or, if it’s an Everyman cinema, then a great drink to go with - I’m going to suggest Laylo canned wine for this one.

Maybe an emerging ice cream brand? I’m going to volunteer a Nonna’s Gelato pop-up.

Everyone has got a favourite movie.

I’m not sure why but Any Given Sunday has just popped into my head,

My friends and I used to love watching this when we younger -

“the inches we need are all around us”.

Also just realised this came out in 1999, whoa!

Anyway, I digress…

This is a TikTok Live Show…

We’ll ask cinema goers about their favourite films and their food & drink rituals.

We’ll ask the founder about why their product is so cinema friendly and why people deserve an upgrade to something more delicious.

We’ll ask people what are they going to go and watch.

We’ll ask staff about some of the weirdest things they’ve seen in the cinema - thinking more the customers than the films!

We’ll get a film critic along to tell us about up and coming movies.

We’d run a flash sale for the duration of the summer blockbuster and we’d get people to vote on the it - depending on their score, it would unlock a different exclusive TikTok Shop bundle.

Cinemas are all about entertainment and treats and discovering something new.

So doing a live TikTok Shop doesn’t have to fight the setting, it fits right in.

And it gives the live show a natural ticking clock.

Treats chosen.

Film starts and then we rate it.

That is so much more interesting than selling direct to camera.

It’s shoppertainment.

A driver of both sales and brand recall.

What would you build in the Land of Possibility?

It can be anything, some in the experiment are dedicating the 30 days to find a new dream home, another to create children’s books and someone is going to learn how to play the drums.

Remember anything is possible and you might just turn it into reality.

Hi, I’m Ben. I’m building a portfolio career, figuring a lot of it out in public, and trying to stay in the game long enough for the good stuff to happen.

Right now, that includes WOW Studio Live - a social commerce agency, specialising in TikTok.

The game is simple:

For thirty days straight, I’m going to come up with one TikTok Live show idea a day, aimed at food, drink and wellness brands.

Actual show concepts.

There will still be live shopping involved but not like you’ll currently find on TikTok. This is “shoppertainment”.

But why Ben?

This all came out of the Conscious Soup Living Experiment, where we were challenged to create something that felt cool and see if we could make it feel a little more real.

You can find out more on my Day One post,

Live Show Twenty One

For today’s show, we’re live from the farm shop.

Alongside garden centres, farm shops have become brilliant spots for food and drink brands.

(Don’t underestimate how much that is linked to parking and a bigger footprint.)

They’re a great spot to discover something new.

For this show, I’m thinking of Macknade out in Faversham, Kent.

It’s got great footfall and has been going for 175 years.

The shelves are heaving, there’s a cafe, baked goods, a butchery, a large wine shop, a deli counter, plenty of fresh veg and on a good day, you might even find a bottle of Bloody Bens Bloody Mary Mix.

We’d interview Stefano, the MD, to find out more of his family’s history.

The farm shop buyer would share what customers like to pick up and how that might differ midweek to weekend.

We’d talk to customers and take a look at what’s in their baskets.

The cafe chef would come and put together a dish or two, using whatever product is being featured in our live - thinking some kind of condiment, maybe Spiced Sussex have crossed the county border for this one or a ferment, like Savvy’s Ferments.

This show would be watchable because you’d have people coming and going, doing their shopping.

But also because farm shops are discovery places.

People would already be curious, peering closer to their phone to see what they can spot on the shelves.

And because a farm shop offers a sense of abundance and feels a bit of a treat, there’s a comfort to that.

This isn’t selling from a cold warehouse, direct to camera.

It’s putting the product in the place people naturally go to discover, taste and reward themselves.

It’s a show.

It’s shoppertainment.

A driver of both sales and brand recall.

What would you build in the Land of Possibility?

It can be anything, some in the experiment are dedicating the 30 days to find a new dream home, another to create children’s books and someone is going to learn how to play the drums.

Remember anything is possible and you might just turn it into reality.

Hi, I’m Ben. I’m building a portfolio career, figuring a lot of it out in public, and trying to stay in the game long enough for the good stuff to happen.

Right now, that includes WOW Studio Live - a social commerce agency, specialising in TikTok.

And yet it helps create trust and it’s algorithm friendly - generally a video will be pushed to more people.

Being on camera makes it more likely I will get the things I want, such as making WOW Studio Live a successful TikTok agency or Bloody Bens Bloody Mary Mix being in thousands of pubs (including Young’s!) or building Best Before or just generally doing more fun projects and meeting more fun people along the way.

So, I started doing little videos each week to preview my latest Sunday Service Substack posts.

The first one I was almost too shy to speak and there were quite a few takes.

I think I’ve done like 8 or 9 now and you can sense I’m more confident although I will still do them early in the morning to avoid anyone in the street overhearing me talk to camera as I walk Alfie the dog.

But I’ve realised I find it hard to monologue to camera.

It’s just not a current strength.

That got me thinking, how could I do more on camera?

I realised I’m better in a conversation.

But to set up a weekly conversation or vodcast with a guest would take lots of work and I am short on time.

So how could I find a solution and one that involved the least friction?

And then it occurred to me.

Claude could help.

It could ask me questions about my latest Substack, to get under the skin of whatever I was writing and ask questions that hopefully some readers were pondering or to give the post a bit more depth.

The sort of thing I just can’t seem to access on a monologue to camera.

So here we are.

And yes it feels pretty self indulgent.

Answer AI generated questions about your own post.

And talking to camera still feels cringe.

But what I know from building in public for the last couple of years is that the things you want are on the other side of cringe.

I launched episode 1 last week and it was actually kinda fun and I found myself looking forward to doing this second ep.

So here it is!

Oh and for reference, Claude is asking me about this Sunday Service post,

Also, in the spirit of just doing it and just getting started, I’m ignoring the cold sore I’ve got.

I thought if I waited for the bastard to disappear, I wouldn’t end up doing this… so I decided to crack on, lip mutation and all.

Would love to know what you think of this format and whether it may inspire you to find a way to do more on camera.

Oh, and if you have any questions about the post or anything else, do feel free to drop me a DM or leave a comment and I’ll get back to you.

I’m Ben - living a portfolio career and figuring it out in public, one week at a time.

I believe staying in the game matters more than having it all figured out.

I’ve learned to stack the small wins, protect my energy, and say yes to being in rooms where things happen.

If you’re trying to build a life that feels like yours - without running out of road before it gets good… You’re in the right place. Even on the wobbly days.