Listen "The Butcher Who Wants You to Eat Less Meat - Andrew Nel, Frankie Fenner Meat Merchants"
Episode Synopsis
How do you scale a business without selling out its soul?In this episode of The Founder Files, we sit down with Andrew Nel, co-owner of Frankie Fenner Meat Merchant, the Cape Town butchery redefining what ethical meat means in South Africa. From leaving a stable career in finance to leading one of the country’s most respected food brands, Andrew shares the raw realities of building a purpose-driven business in an industry known for its shortcuts.He opens up about how Frankie Fenner survived the chaos of COVID, what it takes to grow without losing quality, and the personal cost of entrepreneurship; from ownership transitions and burnout to rediscovering purpose. This is a masterclass in building with integrity, resilience, and heart.We dive into: • How Frankie Fenner redefined South Africa’s meat industry • The leap from finance to food and finding meaning in work • Surviving COVID through innovation and community support • The realities of co-founder transitions and leadership trust • Balancing growth, guilt, and the grind of entrepreneurshipThis episode is packed with lessons for founders on scaling sustainably, protecting your values, and leading with purpose.---------- This episode is brought to you by Metavolve.Metavolve is a team of focused experts committed to helping entrepreneurs like you scale their businesses successfully. Reach out to our team to learn more: https://metavolve.co/---------- To support The Founder Files:🔔 Subscribe and turn post notifications on⭐ Leave a comment to let us know your thoughts💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts🔗 Connect with Andrew:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-nel-57434813a/🔗 Connect with Cameron:Instagram: / thefounderfilespodcast LinkedIn: / cameron-metavolve ---------- Chapters:00:00 Introduction04:00 The mission behind Frankie Fenner Meat Merchant09:01 Scaling ethically and staying Cape Town-focused14:13 From finance to food: Andrew’s personal journey25:18 How they survived COVID through community28:17 Becoming a co-owner and leading with trust51:32 The chaos of growth and saying “yes” to everything59:09 Working on vs in the business01:14:13 Founder guilt and burnout01:27:46 Finding happiness and doing business the right way
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