Mr Bug - From music to mealworms

Founded & Grounded

Meet Conal Cunningham, a music industry veteran turned pet food innovator, and discover his remarkable business journey of perseverance and innovation.

We deep-dive into the origins of Mr Bug, a company redefining pet nutrition through sustainably bred insect protein.
This startup story has everything from kitchen experiments to funding struggles and scaling triumphs.
Whether you're a founder, an eco-conscious individual, or simply curious about the intersection of sustainability and business, this episode is a must-listen.
Key Takeaways:
- Understand how starting small and bootstrapping can be leveraged as a strategic advantage for learning, evolving, and growing your business
- How to engage with your customers early on and how this can lead to immediate sales and traction when you launch your startup
- The framework for building a stand-out brand in a crowded marketplace
- The potential of insect protein to contribute to food security and the circular economy.
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Support the Show.

Proudly sponsored by our wonderful partners:
National Protective Security Authority - NSPA: The Secure Innovation campaign helps you take steps to protect your business from hostile threats. Don’t leave it too late. Use the link to download the quick-start guide now:
NPSA.gov.uk/innovation
Hexa Finance: Hexa provides business finance to help you grow from start-up to success. To access your free consultation, simply go to:
hexafinance.co.uk/contact
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Rozdziały

1. Introduction with hosts Ollie Collard and Becky Sage (00:00:00)

2. Guest Introduction: Conal Cunningham, founder of Mr Bug (00:02:14)

3. The inception and growth of Mr Bug (00:06:21)

4. The value of circular economics and sustainability in business (00:13:42)

5. Co-founder dynamics and understanding market needs in a startup (00:28:30)

6. The role of timing, creating opportunities, and expansion plans in business (00:33:02)

7. Sponsors: National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) and Hexa Finance (00:42:02)

8. Co-founder roles and commercial aspects of Mr. Bug (00:45:17)

9. Getting to know Conal Cunningham and Mr. Bug's future plans (00:50:15)

10. Listener question and feedback discussion (00:55:04)

11. Introduction of the next guest, John Williams (00:57:10)