This week Jo sits down with Vivien Wong, co-founder of Little Moons, to discuss how the brand introduced mochi ice cream to the UK in 2010, grew from restaurants into FMCG, and scaled after going viral on TikTok during the pandemic with user-generated “Tesco adventure” videos that drove immediate purchase. Vivien shares the operational strain of a sudden “hockey stick” demand surge—COVID hiring constraints, machinery limits, and supply shortages—plus lessons on maintaining quality, retailer relationships, and culture while expanding into more supermarkets and selling in over 38 countries. She explains how her father’s cancer diagnosis prompted her to leave a city finance career, why she self-funded through five years of restaurant sales, and how she and her brother managed a sibling partnership. Vivien reflects on burnout, the impact of private equity bringing in a CEO, investments in coaching/therapy/training, and announces Mini Moons launching exclusively in Sainsbury’s.
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
01:43 TikTok Viral Breakthrough
03:47 Scaling in a Pandemic
06:56 Pivotal Leap from Corporate
09:08 Building with a Sibling
12:21 Perfecting Mochi from Scratch
14:39 Landing Yo Sushi Deal
16:42 From Restaurants to Retail
19:51 Hiring and Letting Go
22:30 Burnout and Better Boundaries
25:07 Learning to Slow Down
25:26 Working On Business
25:42 Flavor Trend Hunting
26:36 Stepping Back With CEO
27:43 Trusting Leadership Team
28:47 Favorite Flavors Origins
29:47 Three Two One Segment
30:45 Coach Versus Therapy
32:54 Dog As Investment
35:06 Working Mum Lessons
37:44 Hiring Mistakes Regrets
38:48 Questions For Dad
40:03 Thanking Key Advisor
42:00 Networking And AI Tools
43:14 Mini Moons Launch
44:22 Closing And Farewell
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Edited and produced by Jo Glynn-Smith 2025.
Recorded at Eight Works Podcast Studios, 1 Dysart Street, London, EC2A 2BX
For bookings: eightworks@eightclub.co.uk
Jo Glynn-Smith is an entrepreneur, professional coach, writer, and speaker from London, she is an expert in career transformation and change.
Instagram @jojoglynnsmith and @themidlifeentrepreneur
Contact: enquiries@joglynnsmith.com
www.joglynnsmith.com
MUSIC CREDIT Easy Money by REX BANNER licensed by Artlist.io
PHOTOGRAPHY by JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH www.jonathanglynnsmith.com
