148. Motivation + Discipline: A Mindset Shift for Sustainable Food Business Growth
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
Release Date: 09/03/2025
169. Can you say yes to help? How the right help can lead us to our goals
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
As entrepreneurs many of us are quick to offer help—but far slower to ask for it. Can you relate? But why NOT ask people who have been there or have the right tools to help us unlock the next level of success we’re working towards?
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168. What is a Brand Strategist, Anyway? Plus, Marketing vs Branding vs Brand Strategy
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
Clint puts Katie in the hot seat to ask a question many food business owners are wondering: what is a brand strategist, anyway?
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167. From Transaction to Tradition: How Food Brands Can Become the Go-To Choice
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
How food brands earn a place in everyday routines, go-to gifting, and meaningful traditions — and what it really takes to move from a transaction to a trusted, automatic choice.
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166. Profit, Margins and Cash Flow...OH MY! A Mini Masterclass in Food Business Financials with Sarah Delevan
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
A mini masterclass in food business finances with Sarah Delevan. We're covering margins, growth scenarios, and why "scale" isn’t a financial strategy.
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165. Choosing Your Word of the Year: Lean Into Who You’re Becoming as a Leader
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
How choosing your Word of the Year can help you lean into who you were meant to be....a benefit to your brand, your business, and beyond!
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164. Curating Holiday Traditions & Year-Round Food Rituals
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
In this fun episode, Katie & Clint swap stories about holiday traditions—and close with a simple idea about how brands become part of year-round rituals.
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163. Brand Pillars: The Backbone of Your Brand That Makes a Major Impact
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
A simple framework to help you review where you’ve been, regroup your resources, and refocus your next 12 months anytime you want more clarity and alignment. Great for year-end, or any time of year to reset!
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162. Review, Regroup & Refocus to Align With Your BHAG
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
A simple framework to help you review where you’ve been, regroup your resources, and refocus your next 12 months anytime you want more clarity and alignment. Great for year-end, or any time of year to reset!
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161. Should You Go? Choosing Events & Shows That Will Move Your Food Brand Forward
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
If your message feels messy, it’s likely not that you’re bad at writing...it’s because your brand strategy needs more structure. In ep 159, Katie shows how a strong foundation makes your messaging clearer + more consistent everywhere.
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160. Are You Using “Expedited Cautiousness”? Smart Growth for Food Brands
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
If your message feels messy, it’s likely not that you’re bad at writing...it’s because your brand strategy needs more structure. In ep 159, Katie shows how a strong foundation makes your messaging clearer + more consistent everywhere.
info_outlineMotivation feels exciting. It’s the spark that gets you moving, whether that’s launching a new product, pursuing a dream retailer, or setting up at a big show. But if you’ve ever felt your motivation fade, you know it isn’t enough on its own.
That’s where discipline comes in. Discipline is the steady commitment to your food brand’s vision and purpose that helps you stay consistent, even when the spark of motivation wears off. And as we've talked about in past episodes, consistency is what builds trust with your stakeholders like buyers, suppliers, influencers, investors, and importantly...your team!
In Episode 148 of the Food Business Marketing Podcast, food brand strategist Katie Mleziva and food business owner Clint Matthews unpack the difference between motivation and discipline and discuss why BOTH are essential for food brand growth.
You’ll hear real-life examples and stories that highlight how motivation sparks energy while discipline sustains momentum — especially when the challenges of entrepreneurship set in.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
- Why motivation is important, but fleeting — and why relying on motivation can be risky.
- The role of discipline in creating trust and consistency with your customers
- How to root your discipline in your brand vision and purpose so you don’t get knocked off track
- Why combining motivation + discipline is the secret to sustainable food brand growth
Katie also shares how her Define–Align–Activate process helps food business owners take all that motivation and channel it into disciplined, aligned action. That’s the mindset shift that turns ideas into impact and fuels sustainable growth for your food brand.
🎧 Listen now to discover the mindset shift that will fuel your brand for the long haul — and help you shake up shopping carts!
🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗
✓ Subscribe to my weekly newsletter to get weekly worksheets to turn your ideas into action (scroll down and sign up for the Brand Review Guide).
✓ FREE Brand Review Guide – realfoodbrands.com
✓ Request an Intro Call to discuss how we can work together
✓ Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable (Free Facebook Community to follow up on episode questions or ideas)
✓ Say hi on Instagram: @realfoodbrands
✓ Start Right Foods - the brand Clint co-founded with his business partner
Thanks for listening – let’s go shake up shopping carts!
Katie Mleziva
Host & Food Brand Strategist | Real Food Brands