In order to find out we have spoken to two very different food business founders to hear their experiences and advice for entrepreneurs looking to set up a new food startup.
First up we have insights from Katie McDermott and Jane Whitehead, the Co-Founders of Not Dogs. Not Dogs was created by a meat eater and vegetarian who wanted to create a tasty vegetarian alternative at festivals, gigs and outdoor events. The company now travels to various UK events including BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend and V Festival with their food truck.
What made you decide to start your own business?
Four years ago we met across a desk at work and whenever we could we would get together and start dreaming up new inventions and ideas. We were very hard-working young professionals, each heading up PR and social media departments for an advertising agency, but however hard we worked and passionate we were about doing a great job we were always left feeling dissatisfied. We felt we could do more and create something that made a difference and that we could be proud of so, in January 2013, we decided to start out in the world of business together! Following our motto ‘do what you know to do what you love’ we used our years of experience in the PR and social media field to start our first social media training consultancy ‘Katie & Jane’ and after winning a few contracts we were able to focus on our passions and start-up our vegetarian fast-food brand Not Dogs in March 2014.
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced?
We quickly formed a plan to test the market at festivals and events all around the country so we could gather a wide spread of feedback and reach as many people as we possibly could. This meant that we had to quickly transform from social media consultants into food truck traders in less than two months (we don’t do long deadlines!). This has been our biggest challenge so far; stepping into the world of event catering, pulling our food truck around the country, devising cooking processes in a small truck serving hundreds of Not Dogs for 18 hours a day! Thankfully we aren’t scared of a challenge, in fact we thrive off it and our first season of festivals in 2014 was one of the most extraordinary times of our lives and it culminated in being awarded runner up as ‘Tastiest Startup’ at the 2014 Virgin Food Entrepreneur awards and being named one of DEFRA’s 50 UK Food Stars for 2015.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned?
It’s simple: keep going. It’s easy to get swarmed with questions about the future of our business; is this the right direction? Are we making a mistake? Does anyone else believe in this like we do? But we block all of that out to force ourselves to think clearly and we always find this question shuts down all the noise…could we leave it all now and not see Not Dogs grow into the brand we want it to be in the future? The answer is always no! We count ourselves very lucky to have each other on this adventure, we keep each other sane, motivated and positive, plus we always go to our Pinterest board which we set up together four years ago which is full of amazing, inspirational quotes that we love!
What do you differently to your competitors?
Not Dogs began with the tagline of ‘Meaty Dogs Without the Meat’ and we are now planning to expand under that idea with other fast-food offerings such as meat-free burgers and chicken nuggets. From personal experience we know that the meat-free market is expanding and we create fast-food that is tasty and satisfying for vegetarians without compromising on what meat-eaters enjoy and are happy to say that a third of our customers are meat-eaters who can’t get enough of our tasty dogs. What ultimately sets us apart is that we are so passionate about our customers. Every decision we make truly does have them in mind and we constantly put ourselves in their shoes. We are passionate about building Not Dogs into a brand that people love, and as well as the positive press attention and awards we have received so far, the highlight has to be our growing community of Not Dogs fans that communicate with us on social media, in fact they are the reason we couldn’t ever give up!
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs looking to start a new business?
Absolutely go for it, life is too short not to try any of your ideas out. Just realise that everything you dream of will take time, and you must relentlessly keep moving forward despite setbacks. Always keep evaluating, learning and adapting in the short-term while not losing sight of your long-term business goals. Start a business you are really excited about as, if you’re going to make it a success, it will consume your whole life! Also, if you can find a business partner who shares the same dreams as you, never let them get away! Having someone to support you during the hard times and celebrate the successes makes the adventure even more worthwhile.
Next up we have advice from Charlie Bingham, the Founder of Charlie Bingham’s who offer a range of luxury ready meals that focus on providing people who don’t have time to cook with tasty and nutritious meals. Their products are available to buy at Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Ocado.
What made you decide to start your own business?
First of all, I love food! As well as my passion for food I always knew that I was suited to working for myself. When it came to the creation of the business I had lots of inspiration. I had travelled and eaten amazing food all over the world. The food was always fresh and quick and easy to prepare. My experiences made me realise that the convenience food in the UK was quick, but it wasn’t fresh. As a consumer I love to cook but I don’t always have the time, so I set up the business in order to address this problem.
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced?
The perpetual challenge faced by any business is ongoing. How do you make your business great? This is something we are consistently pushing forward.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned?
In the same way that we are always moving forward with making the business great, we never stop learning. Over the 19 years we have been in business we have been on a perpetual learning curve, but the one take away I can share is stick to your beliefs. As a startup you may find that there are people or situations that make you feel that you need to move away from your beliefs. Trust your instincts. Make sure that you surround yourself with a great team of people who share your vision.
What do you differently to your competitors?
We don’t spend a lot of time looking at our competitors. As we have mentioned, if you don’t stay true to your beliefs you are never going to be able to achieve something amazing in your business. The most important thing to remember is to always focus on doing the best of what you want to do.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs looking to start a new business?
Do it now! There is no perfect time to start a business, you can always find an excuse not to do it. I’ve met people before who have been in a state of perpetual procrastination. Don’t fall into this trap and follow your dream.
We hope that these successful food business have given you the advice and inspiration you need to start the next big UK food venture!
Tom Mercer is the Founder and MD of MOMA Foods Ltd. MOMA specialise in creating nutritious breakfast and snack foods from oats.
