The simplest idea can make the best business
The simplest idea can make the best business
Babylicious is the first brand of frozen babyfood to launch in the UK and is now the latest producer in Europe. The idea behind Babylicious was simple, as a mother of 2 small children I wanted to give me babies the best possible food, no salt, additive or fillers, just good quality food. I discovered the only way to do this was to make it myself as jars and cans were very heavily processed and tasted terrible. I had no time to make my own baby food and then discovered I was not alone, there was huge market opportunity to provide quality frozen food for babies, so did it myself!
I then launched Kiddylicious in summer 2005 after receiving loads of requests from mums saying, what do I do now, I have fed my baby Babylicious, they are now over 1 year old what do I give them? Kiddylicious follows exactly the same principles as Babylicious, no salt, additives or fillers, just good food snap frozen to lock in all the flavour and nutrients.
2. What prompted you to start up in business?
I started the business because it was a product I wanted to buy for my young children.
3. What was the market situation when you started up?
There was 1 small company producing frozen cubs of fruit and vegetable, but only sold in health food shops and was very amateur, I have created a brand new food sector, few can claim this!
4. Do you have a vision for your business and if so, what is it?
My vision is very clear, I want to revolutionize the way we feed our babies and young children. Jars and cans are out of date and old fashioned; it is not necessary to sterilize food to make it safe. Frozen babyfood is the next generation, it tastes and looks like real food, and surly our kids deserve edible, nutritious food?!
I want mums to automatically go to the freezer section to buy food do their babies.
5. What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome and how did you do it?
We have had numerous obstacles along the way.
A ‘stolen’ brand name resulting in changing name just prior to launch.
A hoax caller claiming to work for the ASA and trying to discredit me, my company and my products. This cost a lot in time and money to prove we were legitimate.
The frustration of getting retailers to take the concept seriously, and then arguing that it could never take as much money as ice-cream, but it was what mums want.
6. How did you find the finance to get started?
Initial I remortgaged my home for £50k, and then borrowed from my parent an additional £25k.
After 2 years I raised £1m investment money from private investors and then a year later raised another £1m for further growth.
7. What are your personal qualities that have that have helped you to succeed in business?
Being able to behave like a weeble, you need to keep bouncing back time and time again. Passion that there is a real need for your product and the market genuinely exists despite all the set backs.
8. How do you keep going when things get tough?
Drink plenty of wine with your mates! Seriously it is really important to loose touch with reality, you do need to make an effort to go out and stay in touch with family and friends. They are a great support mechanism. Also, my partner, Tony, is my rock. He has supported me unwaveringly
9. How do you measure success?
When I do not need to keep answering the telephone to mums saying,’ where can I buy Babylicious / Kiddylicious?’ When mums write or phone with unsolicited compliment about how it has changed their lives, they can now spend more time with their babies /kids without the hassle of trying to cook and they know the kids love the food and it is nutritious – this is fantastic.
10. If you had one piece of advice for a woman starting out in business, what would it be?
It is tough, so keep going, even in dark moments – there will be some! Make sure you have family and friends who will support you all the way. I also think you need to be 100% confident there is a market for your product /service, there is nothing more soul destroying than believing in something without checking, just do some very basis market research (e.g., ask some trusted friends), this will tell you the answer – listen to the answer and take note if it tells you something you do not want to hear!
The simplest idea can make the best business - To learn more about this author, visit Sue Stockdale's Website.
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1 What is your business?
Babylicious is the first brand of frozen babyfood to launch in the UK and is now the latest producer in Europe. The idea behind Babylicious was simple, as a mother of 2 small children I wanted to give me babies the best possible food, no salt, additive or fillers, just good quality food. I discovered the only way to do this was to make it myself as jars and cans were very heavily processed and tasted terrible. I had no time to make my own baby food and then discovered I was not alone, there was huge market opportunity to provide quality frozen food for babies, so did it myself!
I then launched Kiddylicious in summer 2005 after receiving loads of requests from mums saying, what do I do now, I have fed my baby Babylicious, they are now over 1 year old what do I give them? Kiddylicious follows exactly the same principles as Babylicious, no salt, additives or fillers, just good food snap frozen to lock in all the flavour and nutrients.
2. What prompted you to start up in business?
I started the business because it was a product I wanted to buy for my young children.
3. What was the market situation when you started up?
There was 1 small company producing frozen cubs of fruit and vegetable, but only sold in health food shops and was very amateur, I have created a brand new food sector, few can claim this!
4. Do you have a vision for your business and if so, what is it?
My vision is very clear, I want to revolutionize the way we feed our babies and young children. Jars and cans are out of date and old fashioned; it is not necessary to sterilize food to make it safe. Frozen babyfood is the next generation, it tastes and looks like real food, and surly our kids deserve edible, nutritious food?!
I want mums to automatically go to the freezer section to buy food do their babies.
5. What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome and how did you do it?
We have had numerous obstacles along the way.
A ‘stolen’ brand name resulting in changing name just prior to launch.
A hoax caller claiming to work for the ASA and trying to discredit me, my company and my products. This cost a lot in time and money to prove we were legitimate.
The frustration of getting retailers to take the concept seriously, and then arguing that it could never take as much money as ice-cream, but it was what mums want.
6. How did you find the finance to get started?
Initial I remortgaged my home for £50k, and then borrowed from my parent an additional £25k.
After 2 years I raised £1m investment money from private investors and then a year later raised another £1m for further growth.
7. What are your personal qualities that have that have helped you to succeed in business?
Being able to behave like a weeble, you need to keep bouncing back time and time again. Passion that there is a real need for your product and the market genuinely exists despite all the set backs.
8. How do you keep going when things get tough?
Drink plenty of wine with your mates! Seriously it is really important to loose touch with reality, you do need to make an effort to go out and stay in touch with family and friends. They are a great support mechanism. Also, my partner, Tony, is my rock. He has supported me unwaveringly
9. How do you measure success?
When I do not need to keep answering the telephone to mums saying,’ where can I buy Babylicious / Kiddylicious?’ When mums write or phone with unsolicited compliment about how it has changed their lives, they can now spend more time with their babies /kids without the hassle of trying to cook and they know the kids love the food and it is nutritious – this is fantastic.
10. If you had one piece of advice for a woman starting out in business, what would it be?
It is tough, so keep going, even in dark moments – there will be some! Make sure you have family and friends who will support you all the way. I also think you need to be 100% confident there is a market for your product /service, there is nothing more soul destroying than believing in something without checking, just do some very basis market research (e.g., ask some trusted friends), this will tell you the answer – listen to the answer and take note if it tells you something you do not want to hear!
The simplest idea can make the best business - To learn more about this author, visit Sue Stockdale's Website.
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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