In this episode of Checkout, we chat with Keira Rumble, founder of Krumbled Foods and the driving force behind multiple successful wellness brands, including Beauty Bites, Mini + Me, and Habitual Beauty. Keira shares her journey through the highs and challenges of running multiple brands, from the wildest purchase she’s made for content creation, to the tools that help her stay on top of her game. She also chats about the evolution of leadership, the importance of managing time and how hands-on strategy has transformed her business for the better.
In the Name of Content: Why Keira Bought Toddler’s Forklift
In the world of e-commerce, you sometimes need to make strange purchases to create compelling content. For Keira Rumble, her weirdest online buy was a child-sized forklift to create some content. While providing an awesome addition to her content toolbox, the mini fork-lift turned out to be more than she bargained for.
What was supposed to be a playful photoshoot prop quickly turned into a mini-disaster. “We didn’t realise that it actually drove,” she laughed. “My toddler pressed the accelerator button and nearly ran over my daughter who is one.” As Keira puts it, “The things that we buy for content are very questionable sometimes.”
It’s a reminder that when you’re building a brand, you have to be prepared for the unexpected—whether that’s a toddler nearly running someone over, or a shoot taking an entirely different direction. Flexibility and a sense of humour are just as important as the content itself, and sometimes the behind-the-scenes moments are the ones that resonate the most with your audience.
Goldie + Ace: Lessons in Partnerships and Licensing
Even as a successful business owner, Keira continues to look to other brands for inspiration, and one that recently caught her eye is Goldie + Ace, an Australian children’s clothing brand known for its clever use of licensing. “They do really good licensing of clothing, and I’ve been suckered in massively,” Keira said with admiration. Licensing is something she’s exploring for her own brands, and watching Goldie + Ace has opened her eyes to its potential.
Goldie + Ace uses licensing to not only expand their product range but also grow their social presence.
They’ve just grown their social following so much lately, and the ability to drop so many new launches has…hooked me every single time.
Keira finds it fascinating how they’ve been able to build a loyal customer base by consistently offering fresh, unique products.
We need to remember that creativity and smart partnerships can take a brand to the next level. Whether through licensing or collaboration, there’s always an opportunity to attract new customers by offering something new and exciting.
Milanote: The Visual Tool That Powers Krumbled
When juggling three brands and a lean team organisation is critical. For Keira, the tool that keeps everything on track is Milanote, a visual project management platform. “It’s a web-based app, and because I’m very much a visual learner, you can create your own boards,” Keira explained. She uses Milanote to organise everything from upcoming sales campaigns to photoshoot plans. A perfect solution for those visual organisers out there.
Whether it’s planning a product launch or briefing the team on new content, Milanote helps Keira turn her ideas into actionable plans.
It’s like a mood board meets Pinterest, but you can add notes next to it.
This functionality allows her to not only create visually compelling briefs but also ensure her team is clear on each project’s details. For those managing multiple brands, Milanote empowers creativity, while ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
Buy Back Time: The Book Helping Keira Find Balance
Keira’s go-to book at the moment is Buy Back Your Time, a guide designed to help entrepreneurs reclaim control over their schedules and improve efficiency. “It’s a really good book… ironically, I haven’t finished it because I am trying to find the time,” Keira said with a laugh. In the fast-paced world of e-commerce, time management can make or break your ability to scale, and this book is packed with practical strategies to help business owners prioritise their time and focus on what truly matters.
For Keira, it’s about learning how to delegate and free up her schedule to focus on the big-picture tasks that will drive her brands forward. “I keep saying I don’t have enough time, but I do have enough time. It’s just about trying to be smarter in terms of how I prioritise my day,” she reflected. It’s a reminder for any entrepreneur that taking a step back and reassessing how you spend your time can lead to better outcomes—both professionally and personally.
Becoming a Better Leader: The Importance of Team Management
Even though Keira has built a thriving business empire, one of her biggest challenges has been learning how to manage a growing team. “I’m trying to understand how to be a leader and how to be a boss,” she admitted, revealing that this part of her journey is still a work in progress. To help navigate the complexities of leadership, Keira turned to the HBDI brain analysis, a tool that helps her understand her team’s strengths and working styles.
Keira herself scored highly in creativity, but she discovered that her ability to quickly implement tasks is lower, “My output in terms of what I can and can’t do quickly and efficiently is quite low”. This insight has helped her better understand her own role within the company and has allowed her to make smarter decisions when delegating tasks.
Keira’s insights remind us that becoming a great leader doesn’t happen overnight. It’s about constantly learning, understanding your team and figuring out how to best support them as they grow alongside your business.
Scaling with Purpose and Adaptability
Keira’s journey illustrates the power of staying flexible while scaling a business. From managing her ads to understanding her team’s dynamics, her hands-on approach highlights the importance of always on learning. Whether through experimenting with new tools or finding balance in her leadership style, Keira’s willingness to adapt shows us that growth is about more than just scaling quickly—it’s about doing so with purpose. To succeed in scaling, entrepreneurs must stay open to new ideas, take control where needed and remain laser-focused on long-term goals.
The Checkout is a short snippet of our conversations.
