Lewis Alexander Baxter's Linkedin Analytics

Life at a bootstrapped startup... It’s been a few weeks since I shared a FUNC update. A LOT has happened behind the scenes. Some big wins. Some hard lessons. This post is a pretty unfiltered look at both. What's gone well:👇 1/ We now have a FUNC HQ. We’ve got a proper base - and we’ve locked in an incredible fulfilment partner who’ll be handling our pick and packing at FUNC. They’ve got deep experience in 3PL, customer service, and eComm - plus access to economies of scale we simply couldn’t reach solo! (More on this soon 👀 ) - 2/ Our launch partner list is now final. We’ve onboarded the last few functional drinks brands for Day 1. Some are well-known names, others are new and emerging brands. We've got a seriously strong range across 'good for gut', focus, chill and performance. - 3/ We’ve brought on a Paid Ads partner. Kicking off with Google Ads in the next month or two. In the meantime, I'm learning what I can through Google Skillshop. We haven’t pressed go yet - but the prep’s happening now so we’re ready to launch with a clear plan. - 4/ One more IRL announcement coming soon. It’s around the corner. Literally. More on that tomorrow. - The harder bits:👇 1/ We had to switch dev partners mid-build. Our original Shopify agency are extremely good at what they do. But the scope and expectations needed to be clearer from the start. Things just didn't work out, so we went our separate ways. No hard feelings. Lesson learned: align everything upfront. We’ve now found a dev who’s making great progress on the final bits. - 2/ We’ve been quieter than we’d like online. Most of our energy has been going into backend setup. That’s meant minimal social content, and no email sent yet to our (growing) waitlist. Welcome flows are written, and we’re now building abandon cart + customer winback in the next 7–10 days. Almost there. - 3/ Stock issues caught us off guard. We worked hard to onboard 35+ brands. However, due to delays, a few products SKUs we’d planned to feature are now out of stock or discontinued. It’s frustrating. But it's meant we can onboard some 'day 2' partners, earlier. We move. - 4/ We scaled back our summer events plan. We originally had 4 festivals and activations locked in. We’re now doing 2. One fell through because we couldn’t secure a mobile bar in time. And for another, we couldn’t make the commercials work. Not ideal. But these were the right calls for where we’re at. - May has been full-on. Solid progress in some areas. And, a few bumps, turbulence, ups-and-downs (and insert others clichés) We're getting closer. The online store is taking shape. It's time to dial up marketing, partnerships, and raise more awareness for what we're building. Let's av it, June! -- PS. Hey, I'm Lewis. COO at Kurogo and Co-Founder at FUNC. I talk about operations, scaling smart and human leadership. Here's a sneak peek behind the curtain of building the go-to platform for functional drinks.

I used to spend every weekend working - essays, revision, deadlines. Now? My weekends are for something completely different. My weekends are a reset. Two years ago, I’d spend my May Bank Holiday weekend writing my dissertation on counter terrorism legislation. Or revising for my final year law exams. Or squeezing in study time around a full-time job. Back then, weekends (and Bank Hols) weren’t mine. They never really felt like mine. Today, my weekends look very different. They’re slower. More intentional. I still work some weekends - sometimes a full day, sometimes just an hour here and there. But it’s on my terms. I sit with a coffee. I pause and reflect. I love to write. And I often plan the week ahead. In 2023, I was working every hour of the weekend. Now, I’m lucky to have more control. And I don’t take that for granted. Weekends and Bank Holidays don’t need to be productive to be worthwhile. Sometimes they just need to remind you who’s in charge of the pace. -- ♻️ Please repost if you agree. PS. Hey, I'm Lewis. COO at Kurogo and Co-Founder at FUNC. I talk about operations, scaling smart and human leadership.

I've done 1000+ sales calls (in the last 3.5 years) Here are 5 ways your prospects say “no”, without actually saying “no”. 👀 1/ "Please send the deck over. You’ll hear from me next week." Translation: "You will never hear from me again. Ever." 2/ "We just need to get sign-off from finance." Translation: "We’re going to use this as an excuse until you forget we exist." 3/ "This all sounds amazing. We just need to find the right time." Translation: "This will never be the right time. Not next week. Not next quarter. Not even in Q4 of 2029." 4/ "We’re currently reviewing our H2 strategy and OKRs at the moment." Translation: "I genuinely have no idea what our strategy is and nobody knows what we're doing. Least of all us." 5/ "Let’s keep the conversation going and circle back next week." Translation: "This conversation is now over." Any others? LMK below The subtle art of saying no…they should teach this at school!

Scaling doesn’t mean adding complexity. But that’s where most businesses go wrong. Complex systems and SOPs. More tools. More dashboards. I firmly believe that complexity kills speed. And more often than not - that 'complexity' wasn’t even needed. Kurogo scaled from 2 to 17 people over the last 3.5 years. And honestly - the temptation to “professionalise” everything with extra layers is always there. That’s why I run a monthly SOP audit. (I review what we’ve built, what’s still useful, and what’s, quite frankly, getting in the way.) Right now, we’re streamlining a few clunky processes. Some were overbuilt. Others just weren’t clear enough (feedback from our bi-annual reviews made that obvious!) Heading into June, we’re fixing those gaps. Clarity > Complexity Here’s what simplifying operations can actually look like:👇 1/ Audit your tools and software. What are you actually using? What’s just noise? Ask your team for their insights on this. 2/ Shrink and clarify your SOPs. Processes should guide, not strangle. Cut the bloat. If an SOP hasn't been opened in 3-6 months, question if it's needed. 3/ Design for functionality, not perfection. Build SOPs and processes that work. Iterate over time. In short, don't wait for the perfect version to get started. The best operators (and businesses) keep things lean - at every level. -- ♻️ Feel free to share if this resonates. PS. Hey, I'm Lewis. COO at Kurogo and Co-Founder at FUNC. I talk about operations, scaling smart and human leadership.

I got my driving licence in 2017. That same year, my mum fell ill for the first time. And I found myself using the car for something more than just getting from A to B. It became a kind of escape. Not constant driving - but heading out, finding a quiet spot, parking up. Somewhere in the middle of nowhere. No calls. No notifications. Just stillness. Sometimes I’d sit in silence. Other times it’d be a podcast, or 80s and 90s tunes playing low in the background. But mostly, it was about being alone with my thoughts - without needing to explain them to anyone. And then in 2020, it happened all over again. Mum's cancer returned for the second time. Her health deteriorated. Home life felt heavy. And with lockdown, the walls felt like they were closing in a little. Even essential trips - picking up prescriptions, driving her to hospital - became small pockets of headspace. Afterwards, I’d take a small detour and park up somewhere quiet. Fifteen minutes here. Half an hour there. Just enough time to catch my breath. Even now, when I’m back in the North of England and borrowing my grandma’s car. I’ll sometimes drive to one of those familiar places. (Somewhere my mum and I used to park up and chat) Switch off the engine. And sit. Just to be still, again. It’s never really been about driving. It’s about what that little bit of space gave me. A moment to feel grounded, when everything else felt like it was falling apart.

B2B has changed. Most brands haven’t... They’re still marketing like it’s 2015 - and wondering why no one’s listening. Kurogo has just launched something that can really help. The B2B Authority Guide. A 40+ page guide for founders, marketers and B2B leaders trying to grow in 2025 (without shouting louder or throwing more money at ads that don’t land) We brought together 14 of the sharpest minds in B2B marketing. And we asked one simple question: What does it really take to build authority and trust today? The old playbook doesn't cut it anymore. Not when buyers are more sceptical. And not when decision cycles are longer. Inside the guide, you'll discover: 1/ Tactical strategies for building trust with buyers 2/ Data from 100+ B2B buyers on what actually drives purchase decisions 3/ How to position yourself as the expert in your space 4/ What PwC's ‘Trust Gap’ research means for your brand 5/ And why personal branding is the most powerful tool in B2B marketing I learnt a LOT from this guide. This is the blueprint on what's actually working for some of the most respected brands in B2B. So if you’re trying to: → Land better-fit clients → Charge more for what you do → Build a brand that attracts opportunities Start here. Would love to hear your thoughts: what does authority mean to you in 2025? Link in comments.👇

People talk about losing a parent. But no one really prepares you for losing your best friend too. I was 21 when my mum died. She raised me. She taught me right from wrong. She put me first - taking me to football training (and matches) for over 15 years. She was at every parents' evening and helped me revise for GCSEs and A-Levels. And, as a mother, she shaped how I treat people. She gave me values that I still carry into every part of my life: my work, my relationships, the way I lead. But she was also my best friend. We’d chat for hours over a coffee. We went on runs together. We’d watch quiz shows like it was a team sport. We'd laugh about nonsense. And we had our little quirks (random routines that probably made no sense to anyone else!) And when she died - I didn’t just grieve her as my mum. I grieved our friendship. It’s a strange thing, that double grief. Last week, I caught up with a friend. We’re the same age, and their mum also died in 2020. And we talked about this exact feeling. That when someone close to you dies, especially a parent or a sibling - you often grieve twice. The role they played in your life. And the relationship you had with them as a human being. It’s a loss that sits in two places at once. And sometimes, it takes years to realise you were grieving both. Grief is layered, and its full weight reveals itself slowly. -- ♻️ If this post resonates, please repost. PS. Hey, I'm Lewis. COO at Kurogo and Co-Founder at FUNC. I talk about human leadership, grief, operations and scaling smart.

FUNC is going IRL. With a converted horse trailer and thousands of functional drinks... In 10 days, we’re doing something we’ve never done before: Our first-ever festival pop-up. Wellnergy✨ 2025 A 2-day feel-good festival rooted in health, fitness, mindfulness and great vibes. Thousands of people, plus: Yoga. Live music. Breathwork. Wellness talks. Cold plunge pools. And now? Functional drinks. FUNC is running the Functional & Non-Alcoholic Drinks Bar. Serving a range of good-for-gut, chill, focus and performance drinks. (Drinks that taste good and do good) We're the home of functional. With our online store coming (very!) soon, now is the time to get on the road... We've locked in the pop-up bar. A very FUNKY converted horse trailer (thanks to Emily Hughes for helping here!) And we're lining up our drinks partners for the festival. BUT...we've still got a VERY long list to sort: 👀 Hire a van Insurance Buy chalkboards Tray for roaming drinks 1500+ (recyclable) cups Ice boxes (and ice, obviously) Tonic water, oat milk, lemons, garnish Oh, and an ice scoop and a chopping board. This is exciting. It’s slightly chaotic. Lots to do and not much time! And it’s exactly what building FUNC looks like right now. Coming to Wellnergy? Come say hi, grab a drink and chill with us. I'm genuinely so excited for this one. Stay funky! ✌️ -- PS. Hey, I'm Lewis. COO at Kurogo and Co-Founder at FUNC. I talk about human leadership, operations and scaling smart.

We call it the Ramble for Ruth. Every May, for the past five years, friends and family have walked a few miles in memory of my mum. Mum (Ruth) died from breast cancer in July 2020. This Saturday just gone, we walked again - through one of the parks in Blackburn (my mum’s hometown, and mine too). It’s not a fancy event. Just a few miles. A big loop around the park. Stories being shared. And often, the chance to catch up with people I haven’t spoken to in a while. It felt different this year, too. Early last year, one of my mum’s closest colleagues passed away. So we walked for both of them. 40 people turned up (plus 5 dogs!) And we raised £350 raised for the UK Charity for Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Grief stays with you. Moments like this remind you that you're not walking alone. Thank you to everyone who joined us. -- PS. Hey, I'm Lewis. COO at Kurogo and Co-Founder at FUNC. I talk about human leadership, grief, operations and scaling smart.