Founder Voices: Shared Strengths, Collective Solutions with Ola Ogunyemi of Shepherd Food Ministries
At Cottage Factory, Founder Voices is where stories of ambition, impact, and resilience come to life.
In Episode 1, Clement Akran sits down with Ola Ogunyemi, Founder and CEO of Shepherd Food Ministries (SFM) — a dynamic grassroots organisation working to transform how charities and social ventures collaborate.
In this honest and eye-opening conversation, Ola shares how his lived experience led to the creation of SFM’s shared operational services model, designed to lighten the load for overstretched community organisations.
From food insecurity to organisational burnout, we explore why building shared infrastructure and collective power is the next frontier for sustainable social impact.
The podcast took place on Saturday, 29 March 2025.
🎙️ Listen to the full episode to hear about:
The early struggles that inspired Shepherd Food Ministries
How shared back-office services can help charities thrive
What local collaboration looks like in practice
Why founders need both vision and structure to grow
Lessons on humility, faith, and staying mission-aligned
🌍 Whether you're leading a grassroots initiative, working in the third sector, or building something with community at its core, Ola’s story will leave you both grounded and inspired.
👉 An audio version of the podcast:
👉 A video version of the podcast:
Founder Voices: A Platform Amplifying Underserved Entrepreneurs
Sponsorship Opportunity | 2025–2026
About Founder Voices
Founder Voices is a podcast and storytelling platform powered by Cottage Factory, spotlighting grassroots founders, builders, and changemakers often overlooked by mainstream media.
Through honest, reflective conversations, we explore their journeys, challenges, and bold visions — helping early-stage ventures feel seen, supported, and inspired.
💬 “Real, relatable and necessary. This is the kind of content our ecosystem needs more of.” – Listener feedback
Our Audience
Early-stage founders, social entrepreneurs, and creatives
Ecosystem enablers – accelerators, funders, community builders
Values-driven professionals – purpose-led innovators, mentors, and investors
Listeners across the UK, West Africa, and the diaspora
📈 Audience growing steadily through word of mouth, events, and targeted campaigns
Why Sponsor Founder Voices?
Align your brand with a values-driven platform that champions inclusion, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
Sponsorship Benefits:
🎧 In-Episode Mentions – “This episode is brought to you by…”
📰 Logo placement on visuals, episode graphics, and Cottage Factory newsletter
📲 Social media tags on multi-channel promotion (LinkedIn, IG, Twitter)
👥 Invites to Founder Voices Live – upcoming event series with panel discussions, networking, and local founder showcases
🗣️ Featured guest opportunity (select partners)
📦 Sponsorship Tiers
Tier Investment Benefits:
Supporter £250/month Mention in 1 episode, logo on 1 graphic, 2 social posts
Partner £750/month 2+ episodes, logo + link, event invite, optional guest spot
Series Sponsor £2,000 Full season branding (6 episodes), co-branded graphics, premium placement across all assets
Custom packages and local authority partnerships available on request.
What’s Next?
We’re growing the platform and looking for aligned sponsors to help us scale storytelling that matters.
To partner with us or request further information send an email today to: cakran@cottagefactory.co.uk
