FIREBELLY Marketing: helps founders of small and medium sized; mission driven, food and beverage brands tell their story and create sales velocity
- KLS
- 22 minutes ago
- 14 min read
For the 257th feature of our "Together Talks" campaign, we collaborated with FIREBLLY Marketing and Leader, Duncan Alney. Firebelly is a top-ranked, highly rated, award-winning social media marketing agency with a single mission: creating meaningful social connections.
"Together Talks" feature 257: FIREBLLY MARKETING presented by KLS - Your Trusted Shipping Solutions In The USA
What have you learned since becoming an entrepreneur? What aspect of entrepreneurship do you appreciate the most? Share a decision that you made that was detrimental?
Story of how it was created?
I'm the founder of FIREBELLY, and it's actually crazy because I started FIREBELLY 25 years ago.
It's been quite a journey—from being a marketing resource to becoming an agency, then a social media marketing agency, and eventually going all in on food and beverage. Today, we're really a growth partner for food and beverage clients who want to build something very specific and very interesting.
I spend most of my time these days talking to founders, marketers, retailers, creators, investors, and industry leaders. Usually, we're trying to answer one question: What actually helps food and beverage brands grow?
FIREBELLY is really the product of everything we've learned along the way. People have known us as a social media agency, and social media is still important.
But we've really come to the understanding that brands don't actually have social media problems—they have growth problems.
Sometimes the answer is storytelling. Sometimes it's creators. Sometimes it's retail media. Sometimes it's Amazon. Sometimes it's helping a founder become the face of the company.
So we don't focus as much on channels anymore. We focus on growth. I'm pretty proud of what FIREBELLY has become.
When I started, I was determined to do my own thing. I picked the name FIREBELLY because it represented my courage and inner fire.
What have been the biggest challenges?
In my case, I didn't want to commit to a corporate entity. I wanted the freedom to jump around and do my own thing.
That's what the first few years looked like. I was an early adopter of working with global teams, even before the collaboration tools we have today really existed.
Then, in 2007, I thought, "Boy, my life will be a lot better if I start hiring people."
Little did I know what I was getting into.
We made an early play to become a digital agency, doing all kinds of interesting things with digital marketing and becoming early adopters of social media back in 2007.
Around 2015, I realized that social media was what we were best at, so we went all in on social.
Then, after the pandemic, we shifted our focus to food and beverage. We've loved working in the food and beverage space so much that we've continued adding services to better support food and beverage companies on their growth journey.
Some of the major inflection points have been moving from a solo approach to a team approach, specializing our services, specializing in an industry, and really drilling down into a niche.
Over the last year, we've also been in the final stages of building out our leadership team.
For a long time, the business was driven by me, and then by me alongside my colleague, Lauren Johnson.
Over the past year, we've added a Head of Operations, a Head of Strategy, a fractional Controller, a fractional CFO, expanded our account team, and recently completed the hiring of a Head of Content based in Los Angeles.
Watching the business mature and prepare for scaling has been a lot of fun—and a lot of stress at the same time.
To follow up on something you asked earlier, the food and beverage industry is such an exciting space to be in.
We originally got into it because we simply loved eating and drinking great products and telling the stories behind them.
That's still at the heart of what we do. Every brand has a story. Whether it's a farmer, a founder, a family recipe, someone whose child had an eating disorder and wanted to create a better product, or a story rooted in culture or sustainability—it all matters.
The industry is incredibly competitive, and yet great products don't automatically become great brands.
It's been an interesting journey.
I also think the biggest shift we're seeing today is that it's all about trust.
That's one of the reasons I love what you're doing with this show. You're helping founders tell their stories, and those stories help build trust.
What types of companies are a good fit to work with you?
I'll answer that with a little vulnerability.
As we've become more established in the food and beverage space, we've really embraced serving the industry.
We've worked with enterprise clients, emerging brands, small brands, and medium-sized brands. We can help all of them in different ways.
That said, I think we're the best fit for small to medium-sized brands where there are fewer layers of approval, there's more agility, and there are stable marketing budgets.
That's not to say we can't help emerging brands—we absolutely do.
But I think we're best positioned for organizations where the founder is still actively driving the business alongside a VP or Director of Marketing who has a lean team and is looking for a partner that's passionate about the industry, understands the space, knows how to tell their story, and can truly become an extension of their marketing department.
That's what makes the best client relationship for us.
What were your concerns to transition to starting your own business?
I worked in the agency world before I started my own company.
I worked for three different agencies, and even in the early days of FIREBELLY, I spent time embedded within other agencies. Today, I even run an agency mastermind, so I've had a tremendous amount of experience in the agency world.
I started my company when I was 32, and I think what had prevented me from doing it sooner was that I had a stable job and a predictable income.
As hard as it may be to believe, I could actually check out at the end of the day. I didn't bring my job home with me all the time.
The thought of being completely reliant on myself instead of having a boss—that was definitely a deterrent.
At the time, I was essentially cashing in my savings and betting on myself.
Looking back, I don't think I had enough belief in my own abilities.
If someone commits to building something and gives it everything they've got, it doesn't guarantee success, but it gives them a very strong chance.
At the time, I didn't fully recognize my own personal power.
I think that's a struggle for a lot of entrepreneurs. You're constantly asking yourself whether you're making the right decisions.
Ironically, my job wasn't going the way I wanted it to, and eventually I got laid off.
That became the moment of truth.
I asked myself, "Do I go work for another big company? Do I go to a smaller company? Or do I finally start my own thing?"
Then I realized, "Well, I've already got the name."
Maybe this thing is already real.
What have you learned since becoming an entrepreneur?
I'll go from the big picture to the specifics.
I think America is built on the backs of small companies. Large companies receive much of the attention, but entrepreneurship and small businesses remain essential drivers of the American economy.
For years, I believed I needed big-name clients—that if I landed those recognizable brands, it would somehow give me and my work more credibility.
So we were always willing to do backflips to win those names.
What I've learned is that solid work is solid work.
When you can consistently deliver results, that's what matters. Whether it's in your world—getting a product there on time, in perfect condition, and on budget—or in my world, helping brands tell stories that people actually respond to, delivering on your promises is what makes the difference.
I've also learned that people don't necessarily buy all the features. They buy the why. Why do you do what you do? Do they have confidence in you as a person?
There have definitely been times when we landed clients that really stretched us…
I think they knew that too.
But they believed in Duncan. They believed in Lauren. They believed in our team because they'd seen what we were capable of doing.
I didn't fully recognize the value of agility early on.
Agility is everything.
Believing you can figure things out—even when other people are failing—is incredibly important. Trust your instincts, trust your abilities, and trust the resources you can bring together.
We've built a company that employs several people. We contribute to the economy and the tax base.
We’ve grown without outside investment and maintained the financial flexibility to pursue much bigger opportunities.
One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that the limits placed on FIREBELLY are often the limits I've placed on myself.
Those thoughts of, "You can't grow beyond this," or, "You can't handle that," or, "You can't pivot into something new."
Most of those limitations exist in our own minds.
Whenever we make plans now, we actually create three versions.
One plan is: What happens if we fail completely?
The second is: What happens if we're moderately successful?
And the third is: What happens if we're wildly successful?
Thinking through all three scenarios has been incredibly valuable.
I've also learned the importance of surrounding yourself with people who are smarter and more capable than you.
Another lesson I didn't fully appreciate was just how much one person can impact company culture.
After nearly twenty years of having employees, I’ve learned that every person has an outsized impact on company culture. That makes hiring, accountability and alignment incredibly important. You have to pay attention to that.
I also don't believe in keeping secrets. We give away what we know. We teach people exactly how we do things. Especially today, Sean, we're living in an unprecedented time. Never in the history of humanity have we had this much access to information. And yet people still can't execute. So why worry about protecting secrets? Give everything away.
Execution is still where the real value lies.
I've also learned that whatever energy you put out into the world—good or bad—eventually comes back to you.
That's why I'm relentless about making introductions. I'm relentless about recommending people to other people. That mindset has been incredibly good for our business.
Another lesson is that you never stop marketing. You never stop thinking about what's next.
One thing I believe differently than a lot of people is this: you'll hear people say all the time that revenue solves all problems. I don't believe that. Profitability solves all problems.
I remember my dad telling me during a frustrating period in my career that the best response to criticism is success. He reminded me not to become distracted by people who didn’t believe in me.
If I could give advice to my younger self, it would simply be this: "Duncan, stop worrying so much." If you make a plan, play your cards well, and stay flexible enough to pivot when necessary, it's going to work out. Worrying doesn't actually help in any way, shape, or form.
Share a decision that you made that was detrimental?
Most people in my position don't like talking about this, but this is a people business.
I naturally tend to expect the best from people. I assume they're going to do everything they can to succeed. The reality is that people are motivated by different things, and not everyone is motivated the same way.
I remember a situation where we had always dreamed of working with a particular brand.
We absolutely loved the brand, and we thought, "If we ever get the opportunity to work with this company, we'd love it." Eventually, that opportunity came. What I didn't realize going into the relationship was that there wasn't real alignment within the leadership team.
Instead of addressing that immediately, I convinced myself that the work itself would create alignment.
It didn't.
Ultimately, the relationship didn’t produce the outcome either side wanted, and I had to take responsibility for the decisions that brought us there. The lesson was simple: trust your instincts. Read the signs. Most importantly, make sure there's alignment. What does success actually look like? Where are we trying to go? What are we promising one another?
Alignment is absolutely critical.
It was especially disappointing because we genuinely believed in the opportunity.
Ironically, just within the last few weeks we had another opportunity come our way where it was immediately obvious there wasn't alignment. This time, we said, "No thanks." We referred the opportunity to someone else because we knew it wasn't the right fit. That was a hard lesson to learn. I beat myself up over it. Several people on our team beat themselves up over it too. We kept asking ourselves, "How did we miss the signs?" The truth is we were so excited about the opportunity that we ignored the weather. We ignored the warning signs. We could have avoided it. Sometimes it's difficult to think big enough to realize that both parties have to be fully committed to winning.
Marketing can only do so much when there are fundamental challenges with the product, reputation, distribution or customer experience. We’ve learned to evaluate those factors honestly before entering a relationship. It’s like hiring a tax accountant without giving them all the necessary information. Successful partnerships require transparency, access and shared accountability from the beginning. That's why, as relationship builders and business development people, we have to pay close attention to the yellow flags.
Not all business is good business.
Do you have a moment that brings you the most joy?
One thing I don't think founders and leaders do very well is celebrate. We don't stop long enough to recognize that the glass is already 70% full. I'm guilty of this. I'll walk into a room and immediately think, "There's a cobweb over there. We need to fix this. We need to improve that. Once we solve these things, everything will be better." The reality is that's a fallacy.
Today is all we really have.
Tomorrow isn't here yet.
Yesterday is already gone.
So we have to celebrate constantly. There have been so many accomplishments along the way. I remember winning a small local award and thinking, "This is incredible."
Then we were nominated for a Shorty Award, which in the social media world is like being nominated for an Academy Award. I thought, "This is amazing." We've celebrated referrals, successful campaigns, great hires, and all kinds of milestones over the years. Those moments absolutely matter.
But today, I think my greatest joy is simply that we get to do this every single day.
We're doing the work. My role is different now. I often joke that I'm the Chief Curiosity Officer.
My job is to keep learning, to keep looking ahead, and to figure out where the company needs to go next. A few years ago, I experienced a serious health event that made me uncertain about what my future would look like. It fundamentally changed how I think about work, health and gratitude.
I remember telling myself that if I got through it, I'd never look at life the same way again. Then one day I was able to drive again. I remember thinking, "Oh my God, I'm driving."
Then I was able to go to meetings again. When you get sick, you realize how incredible life really is. You realize how much we take for granted. We're constantly running around, building businesses, maintaining relationships, beating the odds. But it's also fragile.
Suddenly you can't take that meeting. You can't go to that event. Someone else has to step in. As entrepreneurs, that's a sobering realization. One thing I'm especially proud of today is the leadership team we've built. I'm grateful to be surrounded by people who are smarter than I am and more capable than I am.
I'm grateful for the relationships we've built throughout this industry.
Knowing you.
Knowing Eric Martindale
Knowing John Facenda at Root2Sales
Knowing Samuel Anderson.
There are so many incredible people around us. If you ever hit a tough moment, Sean, you've got people you can call and say, "I'm having a rough day." That's a gift. Maybe that's what I'm happiest about today. I get to do work that genuinely fires me up, and I'm surrounded by great people.
At this point, I don’t measure a better life solely by making more money. The work, relationships and experiences matter just as much.
FIREBELLY Marketing Podcast?
We're in an interesting place right now. FIREBELLY is becoming much more of an ecosystem.
We have the FIREBELLY Social Show podcast, which you've been a guest on. We have our founder network, a growing community of creators we work with, and we're about to launch our own emerging creator initiative where we'll continually identify and support up-and-coming creators. I also run an agency mastermind. We're doing more and more in retail media, along with more work with Eric Martindale and Elite Commerce. There's a paid media component, a messaging and strategy component, and a content component—but it's all connected.
That's really what drives me. I'm constantly looking for patterns and trying to bring everything together so we can better serve our clients. One of the reasons I was excited to talk with you is because it gives me the opportunity to tell people what really drives us. Consumers don't buy because they understand every detail of what you do. They buy because they understand why it matters. Part of my hope is that the work I do as a leader—and the work our leadership team does—actually makes a difference.
Getting that story out there isn't about telling people we're a successful agency.
It's about becoming an organization that genuinely helps food and beverage leaders.
If we can tell their stories better and help their brands grow faster, then we've accomplished something that's much bigger than ourselves. To me, that's living the right professional life—making other people's lives better.
Food and Bev insight?
Specific to food and beverage, this may not be the wisest thing to say, but I think brands sometimes celebrate the wrong milestones. The win isn't getting on the shelf.
The win isn't launching your e-commerce website. The win is when people actually buy the product—and then buy it again and again. That comes from creating demand.
As excited as I am about FIREBELLY, if nobody wanted to work with FIREBELLY, then none of it would really matter. It's the same with KLS. If nobody trusted you to handle their business, then what are you really building? That's the piece so many brands miss.
You might have the most delicious potato chip in the world, but if nobody has heard of it and nobody has tried it, then the product alone isn't enough.
Innovation matters too. One advantage that small and medium-sized brands have is that they can innovate much faster than large enterprise brands. That's one of the reasons larger companies end up acquiring smaller brands—they're often the ones pushing innovation forward. Innovation has to be continuous. It's like Kaizen—continuous improvement.
Someone on my team once told me, "You're such a positive person, but you never seem satisfied with the status quo." I told them, "How can I be satisfied with the status quo?" The competition is fierce. The economic environment always feels like it's on fire. If you look back thirty years in the agency world, everyone thought computers were going to take their jobs. Today it's AI. Tomorrow it'll be something else.
All you can really do is show up and do your best.
But the biggest takeaway for food and beverage brands is this: You can't start generating demand once you're already on the shelf. Demand has to come first.
Piece of Advice
From my perspective, there are a few things.
First, take care of yourself. You have to take care of yourself so that you can take care of other people. I'm not saying to put yourself above everyone else, but you do have to prioritize your own well-being so you can be there for your family, your significant other, your team, and your friends. I think that's critical.
The second thing is boundaries. As entrepreneurs, we're willing to die for the cause.
But the reality is, if we stopped working at six o'clock, cooked dinner with our family or friends, listened to some music, and gave ourselves a couple of hours to disconnect, we'd probably be better for it. Taking breaks is essential. By the time you're in your seventies, it's too late to realize you should have taken that vacation. In your thirties, forties, and fifties, you have to make time for rest. You have to protect that downtime.
Looking back, I didn't do a very good job of that during my forties. I actually did a much better job in my twenties and thirties. Now, in my fifties, I'm doing a much better job again.
People will sometimes say, "Man, you're living the life." I tell them it's really about priorities. It's about budgeting—not just money, but your time and your energy. You have to decide what's important to you.
For me, I want to travel somewhere interesting. I want to experience life. And for a little while, I want to stop thinking about FIREBELLY. That's easier said than done, Sean. But it's another form of accountability. It's recognizing that taking care of yourself isn't selfish—it's part of being able to lead well.
Community Callout
Eric Martindale - Elite Commerce: He gives away, you know, carefully puts together and gives away so much educational content. And I think he's always ready to help people.
John Facenda: He's always genuinely helping people.
JIll Frechtenstein: She is another person that builds up people. You know, she's built up brands, but she builds people.
Trevor Shibonda: My new friend, storyteller from Toronto.
Tal Soshan - Five Star Gourmet: Doing some amazing work there.
Sean Klimson: Give a shout out to my boy, who is giving other people a platform to speak their story and tell their stories. That's your advocacy work.
In Closing
KLS wants to thank FIREBLLY Marketing and Leader, Duncan Alney, for today's "Together Talks" feature. Follow along for their journey with their social handles below!
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