What does it take to turn an idea into a successful business? Fiona Connor chats to business owners about the challenges and the successes.

He’s the hilarious comedian and TV producer known for entertaining New Zealand audiences with his quick wit and effortless anecdotes – but Leigh Hart is also a businessman whose products have grown to be adored by Kiwis. Hart is behind the Wakachangi beer and Snackachangi chip range found in supermarkets around the country. Here he discusses how he brought his ideas to life, the challenges he overcame along the way and gives his best tips for business success.

When did the idea to enter the snack and beverage industry come about and what were the first steps you took to make that happen?

I started with Wakachangi beer first. This was a very spontaneous decision back in 2016. I was literally between TV shows in my office with a couple of people who normally would have been working on whatever project we had next. I think I was literally bored so I put a post on Facebook saying I was considering launching a beer brand called ‘Wakachangi’ – a name I had used to describe the Waikato River years earlier on a SportsCafe show. The post went off with thousands of positive comments etc, so I had no choice but to call my own bluff. I rang around a few breweries until one agreed to make the beer for us.

Cutting a long story short a year or so later we partnered with a different brewery McCashins in Nelson. This was a more formal arrangement with us being 50% owners each in the beer. The chips came about in a similar way. To help marketing the beer I thought it would be good to get a snack like a nut or potato chip to accompany the beer. I approached Griffins and after a series of amusing meetings we settled on the Snackachangi Chip range.

What action plan did you put in place to take the chips and beer from an idea to sitting on the shelves?

The action plan for both brands could be considered a ‘hit the ground running’ kind of approach. My main concern is the marketing of both brands and McCashins and Griffins do a great job of distribution. It’s a self contained model, the money I use for marketing and concept design comes directly from sales. This approach meant I didn’t really need to get any investors on board. It’s a lean model but as we have a very small team at my end it’s very efficient. Much like my approach to TV, I like using people who are multi-skilled and I try to see everything first and foremost from a consumer’s perspective. We can all go and get marketing degrees, but I think we need to remember that we are consumers first and foremost and the average person on the street can have a great idea the same as an ad agency or marketing firm.

Was it daunting to put something out there for people to decide if it was worth spending money on?

In many ways it was daunting, but we tended to launch with a soft sell approach. That way we could gauge whether it was working or not. We didn’t use third party media/PR companies to tell the story for us, it was a matter of tipping my toe in the water and gauging from that how much more energy to put it.

How much teamwork goes into getting something into people’s homes?

My main concern is ensuring that the ’tone’ of both brands remains constant and in line with what I think would work best. I like the idea of them being ‘every man’ kind of products. With the beer I collaborate with the brewery on taste, flavour profile, etc. If we want to bring a new line out we will discuss what the product is in depth before I begin any real ‘fun’ marketing to it. But there is an element of sticking to your knitting a little. They are experts at beer so best leave a lot of that to them. Likewise with the chips.

Interestingly, Griffin’s assumed originally that I would want to launch with wacky flavours, perhaps even a beer flavoured chip, but to me that sounded horrendous. I was more interested in making NZ’s most popular flavours – BBQ, salt and vinegar. But that doesn’t mean you can’t put your own twist on it, rather salt and vinegar we ran with vinegar and salt. This way we get quirky, but on a popular flavour. You can overthink and try too hard when comedy or irreverence is involved, sometimes less is more and I suppose it’s my job to address that balance.

The Snackchangi chip packet imagery on the front is a point of difference on its own, what was the idea behind getting creative here?

The imagery on the chip packets is directly inspired by retro ‘pulp’ novels of the ’40s and ’50s. I have always loved that style of art. So, in house, myself and Brent Spillane will conceive some ‘fantastic’ imagery, lay it out and I will write the copy that’s on the packets. Then we get a couple of top graphic artists familiar in that style to bring it to life. It’s here that we make final changes and in some cases have to tone it down slightly after a brief discussion with Griffin’s legal team. Normally any changes improve it anyway. The colours really make the chips stand out and we are very proud of the look of the packets and I am sure it means first time customers gravitate toward them, however if they didn’t taste so good, thanks to Griffin’s, they wouldn’t buy them again and again. It’s a great collaboration in that sense.

What do you think were the factors that contributed to the success of the chips’ launch?

I think the success of the launch was due to doing something original, colourful, unique but in a common sense manner. We chose the right flavours, the design, i.e. the chip profile hadn’t really been done before. We felt we were putting the ‘fun’ back into the chip market and back in the day with Wakachangi beer, that’s what we aimed to do. As far as me personally having an impact on launch, I would like to think it made a slight difference, it enabled me to get a foot in the door, but had the products not been good, that impact wouldn’t have lasted long. I am more excited now when I see someone enjoying the chips who have no idea who the hell I am. That means the product itself is successful. Hanging a product on somebody’s personality can be a little fickle.

What did you set out to create and do you feel like you achieved that?

In addition to good products we set out to offer a fun experience – putting the fun back into a business that can perhaps take itself a little seriously sometimes.

What unexpected challenges have arisen on your business journey and how did you tackle them?

Most of the challenges along the way have been more at the manufacturing end. Supply issues, CO2 shortages, bottle shortages and of course Covid. These issues affected me indirectly but they affected McCashins and Griffin’s a lot more. I am thankful that often I just need to focus on the fun end by and large!

What can others take away from your experience in business?

I think what other people might be able to take away from my experience is a give it a go attitude. At the risk of using a thousand cliches I take a ‘what’s the worst that can happen?’ kind of attitude. You are not going to get it right every time, but that doesn’t mean you can’t adjust things as you go and as you learn. It’s like dead reckoning navigation on a boat, you know what direction you want to go in, but you tack left and right to get there. Have fun and trust your own instincts, like I said earlier, think of yourself as a consumer first and foremost. We have all been consumers well before we pretended to be marketing gurus.