“I do think as a founder of a small business, if you can get face to face with someone, you sell them on the story, not the product”.

On this episode of eCom@One, host Richard Hill sits down with Fran Gresswell, the dynamic founder of Riviera Iced Tea, a premium drinks brand she launched while still at university. Fran’s journey is nothing short of inspiring: from bootstrapping her business and overcoming a devastating £12,000 loss to a manufacturer, to landing her product in over 400 independent retailers and major venues, including the Co-op and prestigious spots like Chatsworth and Holcombe Hall.

This conversation dives into the realities of building a brand in the tough world of physical products without the cushion of huge funding or sugarcoating the setbacks. Fran shares her honest experiences hustling for retail listings; literally walking into cafes and stores, selling her story face-to-face, and building relationships with buyers through persistence and timing.

We hear how Riviera repositioned itself as a premium non-alcoholic alternative, leveraging TikTok and personal branding to drive growth and turn viral moments into wholesale success. Fran opens up about navigating tight margins in food and drink, the impact of rising costs, and the strategies she’s using to stay resilient as a founder including email campaigns, guerrilla marketing, and adapting to changing consumer habits.

If you’re a founder or marketer navigating retail, D2C, or just curious about what it takes to build a brand from scratch in today’s market, this episode brings grounded advice, practical insights, and a hefty dose of real talk from someone who’s living it every day.

00:00 Local Spotlight: Riviera Iced Tea

04:15 Lessons from a Costly Mistake

06:29 "Overcoming Doubt in Business"

11:45 "Flavors Drive Iced Tea Success"

13:24 "Securing Retail Listings Journey"

16:16 "Festival Sales Strategy Insights"

21:06 "Expanding into Ideal Venues"

23:57 TikTok Boosted My Business

28:26 "Rewarding Loyal Customers First"

29:46 "Subscription Plan Discussion Insights"

33:10 Small Business Challenges Persist

35:57 "What Keeps You Up?"

39:09 Learn from Business Failures

In this episode recorded live at our Live Uncut event, Richard Hill sits down with Lucie , founder of Hair Syrup, to unpack one of the most inspiring eCommerce success stories of the past five years. What started as a personal solution to hair problems in a Warwick University student kitchen has exploded into an 8-figure business that became the most viral hair care brand on TikTok globally.

Lucie walks us through the moment she realized Hair Syrup was going to be massive, her unconventional journey from mixing oils with measuring spoons to managing 7 hours of meetings daily while staying creative, and why her Dragons' Den rejection turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to her business. She explains how she reduced TikTok Shop revenue from 49% to less than 23% through strategic diversification, her unconventional hiring philosophy of not hiring people who've had traditional jobs, and why content creation should come naturally if you're in the right role.

This episode covers the untold story of what really happened on Dragons' Den including footage that never aired, why Steven Bartlett's concerns about platform dependency were valid but the exposure was priceless, going viral for three consecutive weeks after the show and turning down 60 investors who reached out, shifting TikTok from revenue driver to brand awareness touchpoint, the power of Meta ads, email marketing, SMS campaigns, gift with purchase strategies, and in-person events for building a DTC brand, managing the balance between operational meetings and creative work as a founder, and why the Goldman Sachs 10KSB program transformed her business more than any book could.

Lucie's story proves that sometimes the best businesses aren't meticulously planned, they find you. With no formal business training, no business books read, and starting with just a few hundred pounds, she's built a beauty empire that rivals established brands globally. Whether you're in eCommerce, building a DTC brand, managing social media strategy, or fascinated by modern entrepreneurship, this episode is packed with tactical insights on platform diversification, content creation at scale, viral marketing, and building a brand that resonates deeply with customers.

Listen to the full episode now, and don't forget to hit subscribe.

Listen to the full episode now, and don't forget to hit subscribe.

Topics Covered:

00:00 Introduction and angel number synchronicity

01:14 How Hair Syrup started in a student kitchen

04:33 The viral TikTok that changed everything

08:11 Scaling from 10 bottles to 8 figures

14:36 Dragons' Den: the untold story

21:55 Going viral for 3 weeks and rejecting 60 investors

25:50 Unconventional hiring philosophy

32:15 Content creation strategy: 25 posts per day

39:57 Diversifying revenue beyond TikTok

41:37 Meta ads, email marketing and event strategy

43:50 Why Lucy's never read a business book

44:23 Goldman Sachs 10KSB program recommendation

In this solo episode, Richard Hill breaks down the one thing that keeps coming up with every successful eCommerce founder he's interviewed over the past five years. It's not marketing strategy, tech stack, or hiring process. It's something simpler, but most founders get it completely wrong.

Richard explains why sharing your vision consistently, clearly, and with your entire team is the difference between teams that move fast and make smart decisions, versus teams that feel disconnected from the bigger picture. He walks through the exact framework he uses in his own business: creating a one-year picture and three-year vision, working with senior leadership to define measurable outcomes, and most importantly, re-sharing that vision every three months in all-hands meetings.

This isn't about fancy mission statements on the wall. It's about giving your team ownership, showing them how their work contributes to the bigger picture, and creating a culture where people want to stay because they can see a future for themselves in your vision. Richard shares why some team members will buy in immediately, why others will self-select out, and why that's actually a good thing.

He also covers the practical side: what success looks like in your business one year from now versus three years from now, how to bridge the gap between current revenue and ambitious targets with measurable KPIs, why re-sharing your vision quarterly is non-negotiable, and the importance of off-site all-hands meetings to make vision updates feel like events, not tasks.

If you're a founder or leader who's ever wondered why your team doesn't seem as fired up about the business as you are, this episode will change how you think about communication, alignment, and growth. The shift from keeping your vision in your head to making it visible to everyone is the unlock.

Listen to the full episode now, and don't forget to hit subscribe.

Topics Covered

00:00 Introduction: The one thing successful founders do differently

01:22 Why your team can't help you build what they can't see

02:36 Giving team members ownership through shared vision

03:21 The one-year picture vs three-year vision framework

05:52 Personal vision for founders: creating time and space

07:10 Sharing your vision with the whole company for the first time

08:28 The biggest mistake: set it and forget it

09:12 Quarterly all-hands meetings: making vision updates an event

10:30 Book recommendation: Traction by Gino Wickman

11:20 Core focus and purpose: what drives outstanding culture

12:23 Final thoughts and where to subscribe