Concepts from the kitchen table

Why did you first decide to set up Candy Kittens?

"When I was six years old, I was scared of the dark so to help me sleep, my brother would tell me a story of ‘Jamie in Sweet Land’ and from that day I had an obsession with having my own sweet business."

"I don't understand the concept of making someone else a success. If you want to do something, do it yourself. I knew if I was interested in something I could give it a good go at making it work."

Who has been most helpful?

"My stepfather, Jonathan. He saw a potential in the business and very much took me under his wing and has mentored me since then."

How did you set up your business from a financial perspective?

"My business partner and I were 21 and 22 years old, starting a confectionary business with no experience. Friends and family weren't too keen to invest in our idea, understandably, so we had to finance it ourselves in the beginning. We sold T-shirts at the start with our logo and slogans branded on them. That generated some revenue that we then injected into our business."

Why did you decide to start Candy Kittens from home?

"Because we couldn't afford an office. We had to keep our overheads low so setting up from home was the obvious place to begin."

What advice would you give to an entrepreneur looking to start their own business?

"Know exactly what you want to do and where you're going. Plus, naivety is your biggest weapon. The fact that you don't really know what you're doing is powerful because you won't follow logic and end up at a place where everyone is – that's a place you don't want to be. Be naive and go against the grain."

How has your home environment helped shape your business?

"I was constantly surrounded by individuals who were successful in their own right, which really made me determined to do something successful in my own right. If you surround yourself with people you admire, you want them to admire you back. I was lucky to have that environment."

Name your biggest challenge you encountered when it came to setting up Candy Kittens?

"I think many people can agree when I say this: cash flow was the biggest challenge. Money is oxygen when it comes to running a business, especially when it's a start-up. Understanding when to spend and when not to spend cash we had to learn fast because we made many mistakes in that area."

How do you see Candy Kittens evolving over the next five years?

"We are currently the 12th largest confectionary company in the UK and in the next five years we want to get to the top five. From, there we want to spread out to other countries, starting with the USA as it seems like the most suitable migration. We constantly want to innovate and be one step ahead of the field."

Why did you decide to set up Fred & Noah?

"I was at the end of my maternity leave and wanted to use my skills and be creative again. I made a small collection of baby leggings for my son, Freddie, and very quickly friends were ordering them. I soon realised that this could become a successful business idea. I started by opening an Esty shop and orders came flooding in."

How long did it take for you to take it full time?

"It was a very organic process. We never intended or set out to start a business, this was just an opportunity to be creative again. We had no expectations and as we still had our day jobs. I worked as a full-time lecturer in fashion design at Essex University and Dan owned his own building company. We felt very little pressure.

"Within nine months of starting the business and selling the first product, both Dan and I handed our notice to work from home full time."

Did you have a financial strategy?

"We worked to our means, so we only bought fabric from money we had made from sold products. With regular small quantities, we didn't take risks with buying lots of stock. We didn't need a bank loan as we funded the business purely from our takings."

What's it like working from home?

"Our home environment is all about having fun and that shapes how we run our business. It's also our family home, filled with love, and this also translates into our products."

What's the biggest challenge you've faced?

"Probably the juggle we have during school holidays, we work form our family home so throwing two children into the mix causes additional stress. We try to work more evenings to allow us more family time but it is very stressful."

What achievements are you most proud of?

"Winning the Not on the High Street customer choice award, and when the Duchess of Cambridge was photographed with a child wearing our clothes."

Why did you decide to set up your own business?

"Not wanting to go back to full-time employment after having my children was the initial driver. However, ever since I was a child, I have wanted to run my own business. It wasn't until I had my own children that the focus and drive came in to play. I became much more conscious about the food I was cooking for them."

"Whenever I cooked a curry, my friends and family invited themselves round to partake. They had been going on at me for years to sell my curries. It was a combination of this, my growing awareness about the food we ingest, and the lack of awareness that people had in the UK about how truly amazing Sri Lankan food is, that led to the idea of Hari Hari."

How long did it take to set up Hari Hari?

"From that initial idea of my spice business, it took me about a year to get up and running. I had no background or knowledge on setting up a food business. I spent a lot of time researching, studying, and learning about business set-up, food regulations, and restrictions. I also spent months searching for a spice supplier in Sri Lanka that was able and willing to conform to the strict food regulations in the UK."

How has the kitchen table shaped your business?

"Life at home centres around the dining table and kitchen. From eating and drinking, to preparing, planning, typing, reading, laundry and more – life happens on our kitchen table and that to me is very much what family is about."

Why did you decide to start a business from home?

"With three young children and not much financial backing, it was the only viable option. Renting premises was too much of an outlay and would take me away from the kids, which I didn't want."

"Working from home means I can now snatch time as and when needed, I can attend school events when they are on without worrying about the premises being empty – paying for time and space when not in use. And because my business is so centred about food it made sense to have it run from home as that is where I do all my cooking and entertaining."

Who has been your biggest supporter?

"Fellow entrepreneurs I met at networking events were amazing support systems. Not only did they help with advice about their own experiences, but they also offered new contacts and connections with people that I needed, to help me with the business."

"Because my kitchen is so small, some also offered me their kitchens to run cookery sessions from, to do curry pop-up nights and more. All of this led to some amazing collaborations with other small business owners and helped us to cross-advertise and promote our businesses."

What's the best thing about being your own boss?

"I love the flexibility of being my own boss. I control how much time I put in and balance it with the needs of my family. Don't get me wrong, being your own boss is one of the hardest jobs ever – you can't close the door on the job at 5pm and go home. It's with you 24/7 and I do find it quite hard to step back, but I love what I do!"

How do you see your business evolving?

"The plan is to keep growing and expanding the business, while continuing to promote and highlight the wonders of Sri Lanka."

"With my business being primarily focused on food, I am asked a lot to run cookery classes. The plan in the next five years is to expand my kitchen so that I can run those classes from home, offering customers a homely and relaxed environment. I am going to expand the 'private chef' facet of my business."

Why did you set up your own business?

"I first set up my business when my marriage broke up. I was on social welfare and my dad had just died, so I was in the whole ‘what have I done with my life' headspace. I decided I didn't want to be on social welfare anymore and switched to being a social media leader instead."

What risks did you have to take?

"I borrowed money from family not knowing if it would work or not. Going for it in the first place took courage."

Did you do it alone?

"Yes, all on my own. It was lonely, a bit isolating to be honest. I was in a rural area but I knew that I could reach a global audience through social media. I've overcome this by creating a network of like-minded female business owners around me and I just keep learning as much as I can in order to become the best."

What did you set out to achieve?

"My primary goal was to be able to come off social welfare and to be independent, which I have done. I also wanted to give my daughters better opportunities, and I have done this too. My 19-year-old daughter is actually a bit of an influencer herself on Instagram and she is a brand ambassador for Face the Fear."

What advice would you give someone looking to start their own business?

"Get advice and surround yourself with good people, especially other people who are starting their own business, just like you. Join a network like mine (womensinspirenetwork.com)."

How has your home environment helped shape your business?

"It's warmer than an office and my office has more knick-knacks like scented candles and fairy lights!"

How do you see your business evolving over the next five years?

"I will be speaking more globally and will probably have a podcast or TV show… That's the dream anyway! I'm speaking in London at the Jan Murray event in June and my Women's Inspire Network conference is on October 22nd."

Why did you decide to set up Progressive Property & Unlimited Success?

"When I started in property, I was almost £50k in consumer debt. I'd tried my hand at a few businesses – art, architecture, and pub landlording – but none of them were a real passion for me."

"A gallery owner who was hanging my work invited me to a property networking event. I kept turning him down because I said, 'I don't have any money,' and, 'I don't know anything about property.' He said, 'Every master was once a disaster.' And that most people on the ‘rich list' are in property."

"That was good enough for me. At my first event I met my business partner, Mark Homer. He had experience and money and I had time, enthusiasm, and a desire to learn and work hard. We bought 20 properties together in our first year, using his deposits. We now have over 700 properties we own, co‐own, or manage."

So, why start from home?

"Money. Or lack of it. I was drowning in debt, and the next best place to start a business was from the kitchen table. We couldn't afford to hire any offices and our business model, although it had been proven to ourselves, hadn't been tested to the market. There was always a risk it could fail, so we improvised with existing resources."

How long did it take to set up your company?

"Probably around two to three months into our current jobs. In January 2007, we incorporated Progressive Property and started it in my tiny two-bed house literally on the kitchen table. I don't think I really believed I could be successful, so I do often pinch myself."

Who has been your biggest supporter?

"My business partner, Mark Homer. It was this partnership that changed the game for me in business. Whilst you could say I am 'self‐made' in that I had no money handed to me to start, in fact I am not self‐made at all because without my business partner – and the rest of my team, partners, and staff – I'd still be a one‐man band."

What's it like to run a business in Peterborough?

"I get noticed and recognised a lot now! I think if you have something positive to give to the world, have a product you believe in and are passionate for, and are solving problems for your end clients and customers, then setting up any business can be rewarding."

"We help house tenants, we help local letting agents, we help contractors, estate agents, and the economy in general. By helping others, we've been able to donate over hundreds of thousand pounds to our local charity and other worthy causes. I think it's very important to give back to your local community."

What's the best thing about being your own boss?

"I love 'work' that makes me smile and helps make a big difference to other people's lives. No day is ever the same, and the world is my office. There's no long commute, I have ultimate autonomy, get to meet the most fascinating people in the world through my podcast, and love hiring and giving back."

What achievements are you most proud of?

1. One of the UK's top non‐fiction authors – eight books, published by Hachette.
2. Became a millionaire at 30 having been an artist £50k in debt five years before.
3. Built the UK's largest property training company: Progressive Property.

Why did you decide to set up MYLKPLUS?

"I set up MYLKPLUS because I'd always struggled to find a grab-and-go dairy-free drink that had more than 2% nuts and didn't contain a list full of ingredients I couldn't pronounce. I wanted something with personality that made dairy-free exciting, but I couldn't find it! I've always been of the mindset that if something doesn't exist, then why not create it? And that's exactly what I did!"

How did you start the business from a financial perspective?

"I worked on a cow farm in Australia for three months. Two hours from the nearest town, though, I had nowhere to spend the money I earned! So, I started by putting around £300 into the business, which I spent on traditional milk cartons, labels, nuts, blenders and stripy paper bags! I created an Instagram page, and within a week the business was up and running."

Did going on The Apprentice affect or change the way you ran your business?

"Yes! Before The Apprentice, I was delivering 300 units per week, working in my kitchen alongside my full-time job. Although this was a fab, low-cost starting place for MYLKPLUS, I knew I needed to make the product available in major retailers. This meant I had to take the business out of my kitchen and scale-up fast! I knew The Apprentice would be a great opportunity to showcase my new product, so I worked very hard behind the scenes to ensure we were retail ready before the final episode."

What would you say were the biggest challenges/obstacles of starting MYLKPLUS?

"The biggest challenge was centred around the scaling-up process and finding a supplier that would make the product to my exact specifications. I had to ensure it tasted as good as when I made it in my kitchen! I also think that finding the right people to bring onto the MYLKPLUS team was a difficult process. At school, you're taught Pythagoras' theorem, but they don't teach you anything about how to employ people or PAYE!"

What made you start your business from your parent's kitchen?

"Starting my business in my parent's kitchen meant I could work until 6pm at my day job and quickly transition into a nut milk extraordinaire by night! Because I didn't have to travel to external premises, I was using my time more efficiently and could quickly jump on opportunities when trying out new, seasonal flavours. Now the process takes months of product development and testing!"

What advice would you give to an entrepreneur wanting to start their own business?

"I would advise aspiring entrepreneurs to go for it! If you're passionate about a product or service and feel you have the resilience it takes, then don't waste any time. Say yes now and figure out how to do things later - I do this all the time! My last nugget of advice is to be patient. Results don't happen overnight, so be disciplined and resist egotistical impulses. Choose what you want most over what you want now."

What would you say are the most valuable skills to hone when running your own business, and why?

"Resilience. Nobody talks about how difficult it really is. Running your own business is often glamourised, but you'll need to be a tough cookie to make it work! You'll also need to be quick thinking, as markets change overnight, and you'll need to be able to make quick decisions based on what's happening there and then. Finally, you need to be able to communicate effectively with suppliers, employees, designers and investors if you want to see business growth."

What has The Apprentice taught you when it comes to running a business?

"I learnt that people buy people, so be gregarious and approachable. I also learnt that you should always back yourself; you can achieve anything if you believe."

Where do you see yourself and MYLKPLUS in five years' time?

"I want to be a leader in the free-from market. To do this, I plan to increase the flavours and products we offer, increase stockists and take on more MYLKPLUS team members. I want MYLKPLUS to be a household name. As much as I loved going through the process of The Apprentice, I want the business to be successful and well known it its own right."