Podcast Summary: How Leaders Lead with David Novak

Episode #270: Allison Ellsworth, Founder & Lead Creative, poppi – Build Your Brand

Release Date: December 18, 2025

Episode Overview

In this lively and insightful episode, David Novak sits down with Allison Ellsworth, founder and creative force behind poppi, the brand that reimagined soda and became a cultural phenomenon. From its humble beginnings at farmers’ markets, through Shark Tank fame, viral TikTok campaigns, and a $2 billion acquisition by Pepsi, Allison details her unique, fast-moving approach to brand-building. The conversation covers keeping a brand culturally relevant, the importance of community, learning from failure, and leading with authenticity. This is an essential listen for entrepreneurs, marketers, and anyone interested in disruptive brand strategy.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Embracing Change and Becoming a Disruptor

• [00:41] Allison opens with:

  “Change is the only constant in life. Right. Things are always changing. And those that can embrace change as a leader, I think are going to be way more successful.”

• Building for the “next generation of soda drinkers” became poppi’s North Star, guiding everything from flavors to marketing partnerships.
  [02:17] Allison:
  “If it doesn’t fit within that, we’re not going to do it... Is it soda for the next generation?"

2. The Power of Brand Over Product

• Allison’s belief: Long-term brand building beats short-term marketing hits.
• [15:12]

  “We have a fantastic product... but I think really where it can set you apart is talking about the brand... Hey, we’re Poppy. We’re fun. Oh, and by the way, we’re better for you is a way better way to market to people.”

• Developing a vertical called the “culture team” to focus exclusively on cultural relevance, not HR.

3. The Shark Tank Effect

• Poppy (originally "Mother Beverage") was struggling financially pre-Shark Tank – the experience was a make-or-break moment.
• [06:32]

  “Yeah, we’re the biggest exit ever. 1.95 billion to Pepsi. And I’m the only shark to have come back..."

• [07:15]

  “If we didn’t get the deal, we probably would have gone out of business and there would have never been a Poppy.”

4. Differentiated Marketing Tactics

• Leaning into digital-first strategies out of necessity during COVID.
• Early adoption of TikTok, rejecting industry advice.
  • [14:01]

    “I got a lot of pushback on the TikTok piece.... And I was like, why not?”

• Developing poppi apparel as both a marketing tool and community builder.
• [14:01]

  “Now we have 350,000 people walking around with Poppy billboards on their back... that to me is the definition of long term brand building.”

5. Community, Creativity, and Speed of Culture – The Three Cs

• [02:17]

  “Community first, Is it creative and disruptive, and does it move at the speed of culture?”

• Empowering a young, primarily female marketing team who live and breathe current trends.
• Launching “black ops budgets” – flexible marketing dollars reserved for moving quickly on new trends.
  • [24:36]

    “The only way to do that is to not really plan... you’ve missed the boat if it takes two weeks to get approval.”

6. Building Story and Authentic Voice

• Emphasizes being real and having founder-driven storytelling.
• [21:04]

  “Build the story before you scale, and that’s where the big companies get it wrong.”

• Super Bowl ad strategy: Lead with the brand story (“soda without the baggage”), not celebrities or production gimmicks.
  • [23:37]

    “If everyone is doing celebrity Soup, you’re not unique... we stayed true to who we are.”

7. Learning from Failure and Staying Humble

• Public misstep: Perception of gifting expensive vending machines to influencers backfired – highlighted need to stay true to roots & community.
  • [50:16]

    “It was a good lesson for us to remember where we came from.”

8. Leadership, Team, and Culture

• Humility about not always knowing best, especially in hiring a CEO.
  • [39:17]

    “Stepping back and... not just doing it my way. Because at the time I thought my way was best. I’ve learned it’s not always best.”

• Work environment: Fun as the antidote to burnout.
  • [40:37]

    “My biggest thing to prevent burnout is to have fun... Giggling in meetings, being funny, not taking yourself so serious.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Brand Philosophy:
  [15:12] Allison Ellsworth:
  “Hey, we’re Poppy. We’re fun. Oh, and by the way, we’re better for you is a way better way to market to people.”

• On Shark Tank life-or-death:
  [07:15] Allison Ellsworth:
  “If we didn’t get the deal, we probably would have gone out of business and there would have never been a Poppy.”

• On TikTok:
  [13:50] Allison Ellsworth:
  “We were probably one of the first hundred brands on TikTok... now, we have over 3 billion views on TikTok with Poppy.”

• On Staying Culturally Relevant:
  [24:36] Allison Ellsworth:
  “The only way to... move at the speed of culture is to not really plan. That’s really scary for big companies... So we always had this like, fun little budget...”

• On Celebrity vs. Community:
  [27:54] Allison Ellsworth:
  “People don’t really care about what celebrities are doing anymore... We actually never worked with Kylie Jenner or Hailey Bieber. We just sent them product for free and they ended up posting us for free, which was way more authentic.”

• On TikTok Success:
  [29:57] Allison Ellsworth:
  “At one time we had like seven people had logins to our TikTok and you didn’t even need to get approval to post something. Like if you thought it was cute and it’s trending, go for it.”

• On Healthy Partnership with Pepsi:
  [26:54] Allison Ellsworth:
  “Their number one motto is like, let poppy be poppy... we're doing sessions, having the best time, being collaborative.”

• On Leadership and Team-Building:
  [39:17] Allison Ellsworth:
  “Stepping back and not just... having the final say or not just doing it my way... That was a really big growth opportunity for me and I think it made me an incredible leader today because of it.”

• On Advice for Aspiring Leaders:
  [53:56] Allison Ellsworth:
  “Be comfortable with being uncomfortable if you want to scale and grow quick and don't let your ego get in the way of growth.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Topic | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------------------|---------------| | Embracing change as a leader | 00:41 | | Next-gen soda north star and brand values | 02:17 | | Transition from “Mother Beverage” and COVID pivots | 03:19 | | Learning from her entrepreneurial father | 05:03 | | Shark Tank’s pivotal role | 06:32–08:54 | | Brand building advice from Rohan Oza | 11:23 | | Name change to Poppy and TikTok breakthrough | 12:40–13:50 | | Challenging mainstream marketing norms | 15:12–16:50 | | Building community, not just customers | 17:08 | | Social channel approaches (IG, TikTok, YouTube, X) | 19:02 | | Storytelling and Super Bowl ad lessons | 21:04–24:29 | | Black ops budget to move at “speed of culture” | 24:36 | | Creators vs. celebrities in influencer marketing | 27:54 | | The engine of TikTok success at poppi | 29:57 | | AI’s creative role and internal team use | 31:42–33:48 | | Building the right cultural team and pulse-testing | 35:00–36:36 | | Letting go and hiring a CEO as a founder | 39:17 | | Creating a fun workplace culture | 40:37 | | Operating as a founder couple when business booms | 43:34 | | The big argument: Sweetening the product | 44:54 | | Behind the Pepsi acquisition | 46:02–47:32 | | Avoiding big-company brand mistakes | 48:26–49:42 | | Balancing broad appeal with community | 50:16 | | Lightning round: rapid, personal-fire questions | 51:32–53:48 | | Parting leadership advice | 53:49 |

Actionable Takeaways for Listeners

• Lead with Brand, Not Just Product: Founders should obsess over how their brand feels and what it stands for beyond features.
• Build Community, Not Just Customer Lists: Leverage real people, not just celebrities, to create authentic connection and advocacy.
• Move Fast & Keep a Black Ops Budget: Reserve resources so your team can seize cultural moments quickly, without bureaucratic delays.
• Foster Creativity and Fun: A playful, collaborative environment can prevent burnout and unlock breakthrough ideas.
• Stay Humble & Coachable: Even as a founder, know when to bring in outside management talent—ego can’t get in the way of scale.
• Stay Close to Culture: Hire young, diverse talent; let them lead trend adoption. Empower them with autonomy and guardrails (steer clear of toxic topics but foster creative risk).
• Leverage AI & Modern Channels: Use AI for both operational efficiency and creative ideation. Meet your audiences in emerging channels early.
• Tell Your Story Early and Often: Don’t wait for scale; let your evolving story guide and inspire both your internal team and fans from day one.

Allison’s Final Advice on Leadership

[53:56]

“Be comfortable with being uncomfortable if you want to scale and grow quick and don't let your ego get in the way of growth.” – Allison Ellsworth

Episode Tone

• Energetic, candid, authentic.
• Allison is direct, warm, passionate, but humble about her success.
• Host David Novak is effusive and curious, often emphasizing actionable advice and the unique combination of confidence and humility in leadership.

For anyone building a brand, seeking to disrupt a staid industry, or cultivating a winning team, this episode is a blueprint on the power of culture, speed, and authentic leadership.