Every great chef burns something once. Every great founder does too.

At HEXPO 2025, Sean Grealy, founder of SellAnything.io, took the stage for his session “Burnt TOFU” , a talk that was part growth masterclass, part therapy session, and entirely hilarious.

And no, TOFU wasn’t about lunch. It stood for Top of Funnel, that critical stage in marketing and sales where attention becomes opportunity. But Sean didn’t just talk funnels; he talked failure, frustration, and what happens when your big plans end up charred around the edges.

The Setup

Sean walked on stage in true founder fashion, a mix of caffeine, candor, and charisma.

He opened with the story behind Burnt TOFU: the campaign that didn’t land, the launch that underperformed, and the moments every entrepreneur pretends don’t happen. The message was simple, even the best ideas can burn if you don’t know your heat.

And that’s where the metaphor took off.

Building a brand is like cooking. You need timing, experimentation, and the guts to admit when something’s overcooked.

What’s Cooking

Sean broke down the anatomy of modern growth into three simple, honest ingredients:

1. Content – The flavour that draws people in.
   
   
2. Conversation – The sizzle that keeps them interested.
   
   
3. Community – The dish that keeps them coming back.
   
   

He called this the “3C Framework”, proof that success doesn’t come from hacks or hype, but from connecting with humans in a way that feels real.

Sean’s slides were a rollercoaster of insight and humour. One moment, he’s showing X-rays of a broken shoulder. The next, he’s talking about social selling, brand authenticity, and how not every post needs to go viral, it just needs to start a conversation.

From TOFU to MOFO

As the crowd quickly learned, Burnt TOFU wasn’t just about marketing, it was about mindset.

Sean coined the term TOFU MOFO, short for Top of Funnel, Master of Focused Output. It’s his way of reminding founders that growth doesn’t start with scale, it starts with clarity.

Forget followers. Forget vanity metrics. Focus on building trust, one conversation at a time.

“Life’s too short for bad TOFU,” he joked, holding up a fork on stage. “And life’s too short for bad strategy, too.”

That line landed, and stuck.

The Founder Behind the Fork

Beyond the slides and one-liners, Sean’s story hit home because it was real.
He spoke about breaking bones (literally), burning out, and bouncing back. He didn’t sugarcoat the founder journey. Instead, he served it the HEX way, honest, a little messy, but always full of flavour.

It wasn’t a talk about perfect marketing. It was a reminder that progress comes from showing up, experimenting, and embracing the mess until it works.

The Aftertaste

When the lights dimmed, you could feel the collective buzz of founders taking notes, smiling, and maybe forgiving themselves a little.

Sean Grealy didn’t teach growth like a playbook, he taught it like a meal. Something to be shared, savoured, and sometimes burned before it’s perfected.

At HEXPO 2025, Burnt TOFU reminded us that the best brands, and the best people, aren’t afraid to get a little crispy in the pursuit of greatness.

Because in the startup kitchen, failure isn’t fatal. It’s just part of the recipe.