I haven't written in a while. For two reasons: one is that my catering business has picked up and two is because I am just plain lazy. Anyway, I am back now and I think I will try and make at least a couple of posts a month. I think a post a fortnight is not a bad idea and won't kill me. Lots has happened since I last posted,but I will concentrate on a couple of biggies.
I met one of the possible suppliers earlier this week. It was a wonderful and productive meeting. We spoke for three hours with me telling him about what I wanted to achieve and him giving me advice on how best to proceed. It did require me going back to the drawing board on some counts but I am pleased about the changes he proposed.
I also know now that I will need about £35,000 a month for the amount of stock I want to buy and for warehousing and salary costs.
I am also starting an African food magazine, so that people who currently don't know much about African food will have a portal where they can download recipes and also read fabulous travel reports. It is a good way for me to introduce people to African food and also my products. It isn't up yet, but when it is (which I hope will happen later on this month)you will find it at http://www.safaramagazine.com.
Let me know what you think about the magazine.
I'll write soon.
Amiexx
Thursday 8 November 2007
Friday 10 August 2007
Networking
I having posted in over a month and I don't even have a good enough excuse as to why I haven't done so. I have been busy is just not good enough as I am always busy and it just requires me setting aside time to do the things which matter. I am learning so much about business and how juggling, especially at this early stage, is one of the techniques to master.
Yesterday, I went on a fantastic marketing course put on by Business Link in London. It was also a wonderful place to meet different types of people some who have already started trading and who have been trading for a while and others who are just at the ideas stage. As you get to talking to people you realise that you are the same in some things and different in others. Funnily, I have never met anyone who wants to do the same thing I want to do since I have been going on these courses.
One of the things I learnt at this course was the importance of networking. Your success or failure in life and business can be influenced by who you choose to associate yourself with. When we talk about networking people suddenly think of the best way to meet customers. But networking events can also be good places to meet suppliers, new friends or just someone who can lead you into another business. Talking to some of the people at this course, I realised that there a few other businesses I could try and get into once I have got this one up and running.
I also learnt yesterday to make use of all these email addresses I get. I work with a couple of charities as a volunteer and I know that some of these people I have met will be able and willing to either give their time or effort to these charities.
I used to think that networking was a cheesy thing but I am learning that networking is a useful thing and the more you go to these events, the better. One caveat - there are now a number of organistaions that charge you to go to these networking events. Go easy, if you are a start up with very little money. Business Link and GLE oneLondon and people like that will bring you together with even more contacts for free. Try them first.
Amiex
Yesterday, I went on a fantastic marketing course put on by Business Link in London. It was also a wonderful place to meet different types of people some who have already started trading and who have been trading for a while and others who are just at the ideas stage. As you get to talking to people you realise that you are the same in some things and different in others. Funnily, I have never met anyone who wants to do the same thing I want to do since I have been going on these courses.
One of the things I learnt at this course was the importance of networking. Your success or failure in life and business can be influenced by who you choose to associate yourself with. When we talk about networking people suddenly think of the best way to meet customers. But networking events can also be good places to meet suppliers, new friends or just someone who can lead you into another business. Talking to some of the people at this course, I realised that there a few other businesses I could try and get into once I have got this one up and running.
I also learnt yesterday to make use of all these email addresses I get. I work with a couple of charities as a volunteer and I know that some of these people I have met will be able and willing to either give their time or effort to these charities.
I used to think that networking was a cheesy thing but I am learning that networking is a useful thing and the more you go to these events, the better. One caveat - there are now a number of organistaions that charge you to go to these networking events. Go easy, if you are a start up with very little money. Business Link and GLE oneLondon and people like that will bring you together with even more contacts for free. Try them first.
Amiex
Saturday 21 July 2007
Bookkeeping and Accounting
Do you know the difference between bookkeeping and accounting? Do you know what depreciation is? As an NES scholar, I am lucky to have a number of free business courses available to me. I spent this week at a marketing and finance course and the finance part was just brilliant. Firstly, I learnt that bookkeeping is the day to day log of money coming in and going out of the business and accounting is the year end look at how much money was spent and how much money was made. In short, bookeeping deals with the minutiae and accounting deals with the big picture. So the accountant can show that the business is profitable whilst the bookkeeper knows that there is no money to pay anyone.
It is a funny thing when your father is an accountant and your brother is also and you cannot do a cashflow forecast to save your life. Actually, I can do a cashflow forecast, I just don't like doing it. I am a trained scientist and we like precision. There is no such thing as guessing. When you guess as a scientist, it is called a hypothesis and people do not take it as gospel. What you do with that hypothesis is continue to work on it until you can prove that it is correct. What I have been told by many people is that when you do a cashflow forecast, you are guessing pretty much everything especially if you have never had a similar business and there isn't someone close by who is doing what you do. The guessing is not as bad as people telling you that whatever your forecast, remember that it will cost a third more, and you will sell a third less and it will take a third longer. Well why don't we just put those assumptions into the cashflow forecast? Well if you do the proposition might not look so good for a bank or an investor. Anyway, I'd given up with the whole thing.
Now, however, I know the difference between a balance sheet and a profit and loss statement. I also know not to buy any equipment which depreciates, i.e. loses it value. So if you can lease things like kitchen equipment, photocopiers, printers, computers, pretty much everything. Not only is there a tax benefit to doing it but you can avoid the depreciation which can be up to 40% of the initial value in 3-5 years. I know how the difference between costing and pricing and how my competitors price their products. So now I am ready to roll. All I need to do now is to find out how much everything costs!
Amiex
It is a funny thing when your father is an accountant and your brother is also and you cannot do a cashflow forecast to save your life. Actually, I can do a cashflow forecast, I just don't like doing it. I am a trained scientist and we like precision. There is no such thing as guessing. When you guess as a scientist, it is called a hypothesis and people do not take it as gospel. What you do with that hypothesis is continue to work on it until you can prove that it is correct. What I have been told by many people is that when you do a cashflow forecast, you are guessing pretty much everything especially if you have never had a similar business and there isn't someone close by who is doing what you do. The guessing is not as bad as people telling you that whatever your forecast, remember that it will cost a third more, and you will sell a third less and it will take a third longer. Well why don't we just put those assumptions into the cashflow forecast? Well if you do the proposition might not look so good for a bank or an investor. Anyway, I'd given up with the whole thing.
Now, however, I know the difference between a balance sheet and a profit and loss statement. I also know not to buy any equipment which depreciates, i.e. loses it value. So if you can lease things like kitchen equipment, photocopiers, printers, computers, pretty much everything. Not only is there a tax benefit to doing it but you can avoid the depreciation which can be up to 40% of the initial value in 3-5 years. I know how the difference between costing and pricing and how my competitors price their products. So now I am ready to roll. All I need to do now is to find out how much everything costs!
Amiex
Saturday 30 June 2007
Finding Premises
Like many small businesses, Azizzi was started in my kitchen. This means that I am currently working from home. So far it has worked well because I have managed to establish a routine and create boundaries. For example, I make sure I have got my day's exercise out of the way before I turn the computer on. I also make sure my Blackberry is turned off at 10pm and is turned back on at 7am. This means that I am not answering calls and emails late into the night. However,it is now time for me to get a 'real' office.
Having decided that I needed an office outside my home, it now seems that finding an office with low rent and overheads is a near impossible task in London. As I currently own a business which has not produced anything and has therefore, not made any sales, it is important that I don't get myself tied into a very expensive space. Of course, I would like Azizzi to own its premises if it could afford to.
It seems equipping the office is also another expensive venture. I made the mistake of visiting a photocopier sales room. Leasing a photocopier will cost over a thousand pounds every year and I am scared when I even consider it. I certainly have to sit and think about what would be the best (buying or leasing) when one takes into account the tax benefits and so on.
So what does a small business owner do when she is faced with all these issues? She seeks advice from all those who are in the know. If you are running your own business, make sure you have a good accountant and a very good lawyer and together they will save you a lot more money than they cost.
Good luck!
Amiex
Having decided that I needed an office outside my home, it now seems that finding an office with low rent and overheads is a near impossible task in London. As I currently own a business which has not produced anything and has therefore, not made any sales, it is important that I don't get myself tied into a very expensive space. Of course, I would like Azizzi to own its premises if it could afford to.
It seems equipping the office is also another expensive venture. I made the mistake of visiting a photocopier sales room. Leasing a photocopier will cost over a thousand pounds every year and I am scared when I even consider it. I certainly have to sit and think about what would be the best (buying or leasing) when one takes into account the tax benefits and so on.
So what does a small business owner do when she is faced with all these issues? She seeks advice from all those who are in the know. If you are running your own business, make sure you have a good accountant and a very good lawyer and together they will save you a lot more money than they cost.
Good luck!
Amiex
Tuesday 19 June 2007
Suppliers Supply
Yippee!!! I am truly happy today. Things seem to be moving after a few weeks of just doing paper-based exercises. I had a really nice meeting last week with one of my many mentors. I am just beginning to realise that people are a lot nicer than I thought. And I always think people are nice. OK. Maybe it should read that there is a lot of help available out there if you ask. I am now an NES Scholar. "What is that?" I hear you ask. Well it is the New Entrepreneurship Scholarship programme which helps people in disadvantaged areas start businesses. It is funded by the Learning and Skills Council and it involves getting proper business training from business schools. So I am now a member of the University of Westminster. Never thought I would be going back to uni and sitting at a desk in a classroom. It was a little weird, I must admit. Another nice thing about this scholarship is that you get 12 hours of one-to-one mentoring with a business adviser. This is important for me because my mentor is an ace with accounts, something I am not very good at. He will also help me fine tune my business plan, which can be submitted to a panel who will let you have £1500 towards your start-up costs. It is not a lot of money but it will help towards travel costs.
Also last week, I had a life-changing meeting. The meeting led me to make big decisions as to which of my proposed products were more important, which ones I would launch with and where I will get them made. I decided to speak to some spice blenders and such in South Africa and Swaziland. I was a bit worried about using factories that far away but I can now see the benefits. Firstly, Britain (that's me) will be doing trade with Africa (that's them). Trade Not Aid - that's something I believe in. Then there is also the benefit of knowing that these people are already making similar products and they are already producing them to some British regulations and the packaging they use is top-class. So really I am killing two birds with one stone. In case you hadn't noticed, that is my new phrase. I have even been known to kill four birds with one stone. Fantastic or what! What hunter, bird-killer (actually what do you call people who kill birds for a living?) would say that they have killed four birds with one stone?
Back to business...I had a call from the first supplier in Swaziland. Lovely woman and they are doing a brilliant job, employing women (yeah!!!) in the local surrounds and their factory benefits the whole community (another yeah!!!). She will send me some samples of the recipes I am interested in, I will taste and test and then I will get back to her. But we have both decided to do all that we can so that we can work together. I am still waiting to hear from the guys in South Africa, but I am also hoping it is positive. Next thing will be to organise a trip to the Southern Hemisphere, back to Africa (the motherland or if you are German, the fatherland).
The excitement is already too much to bear. I'll be back soon.
Love, Amiexx
Also last week, I had a life-changing meeting. The meeting led me to make big decisions as to which of my proposed products were more important, which ones I would launch with and where I will get them made. I decided to speak to some spice blenders and such in South Africa and Swaziland. I was a bit worried about using factories that far away but I can now see the benefits. Firstly, Britain (that's me) will be doing trade with Africa (that's them). Trade Not Aid - that's something I believe in. Then there is also the benefit of knowing that these people are already making similar products and they are already producing them to some British regulations and the packaging they use is top-class. So really I am killing two birds with one stone. In case you hadn't noticed, that is my new phrase. I have even been known to kill four birds with one stone. Fantastic or what! What hunter, bird-killer (actually what do you call people who kill birds for a living?) would say that they have killed four birds with one stone?
Back to business...I had a call from the first supplier in Swaziland. Lovely woman and they are doing a brilliant job, employing women (yeah!!!) in the local surrounds and their factory benefits the whole community (another yeah!!!). She will send me some samples of the recipes I am interested in, I will taste and test and then I will get back to her. But we have both decided to do all that we can so that we can work together. I am still waiting to hear from the guys in South Africa, but I am also hoping it is positive. Next thing will be to organise a trip to the Southern Hemisphere, back to Africa (the motherland or if you are German, the fatherland).
The excitement is already too much to bear. I'll be back soon.
Love, Amiexx
Friday 15 June 2007
It all begins now...
I am a little annoyed with myself for not posting anything for two weeks. I have to say that although I have been busy, I think it is partly due to laziness.
I was away for most of last week and when I came back I had a bad back which laid me low for a couple of days. In the Netherlands, I managed to kill two birds with one stone. I looked at the Dutch spice and condiment market and I spent some time with a really good friend of mine. He is actually an expert in sales and he was able to advice me about the Dutch market and we were also able to have a good laugh, which we hadn't done in a while. I found out that there really is a lack of good spices in the Dutch market and the products which I aim to sell would most likely do well there. The question was whether there really is a gap in the market or whether as the research suggests, the Dutch may not need these spice blends as less food is now being cooked in the home. It seems the Dutch are now keen on ready-prepared foods and so the cooking sauce and spice market has kind of flattened in the past few years. Having said that, there is less choice in the Dutch market and maybe just maybe, if more fabulous choice was available they would make use of it.
Also this week, I made the final list of the first products which will be available at launch, I contacted two factories which I may use for the production and I am now looking at where and how I will raise investment. I am also putting together the marketing and media plan, because the most important thing right now is too prepare people for the launch of these products and also to convince them to try it. I could make the best products but if nobody knows about them or wants to try them, I have failed.
My aim was to launch in September of this year but I think that will be cutting it fine and will now aim to launch in April of next year. I can't wait!
Amiex
I was away for most of last week and when I came back I had a bad back which laid me low for a couple of days. In the Netherlands, I managed to kill two birds with one stone. I looked at the Dutch spice and condiment market and I spent some time with a really good friend of mine. He is actually an expert in sales and he was able to advice me about the Dutch market and we were also able to have a good laugh, which we hadn't done in a while. I found out that there really is a lack of good spices in the Dutch market and the products which I aim to sell would most likely do well there. The question was whether there really is a gap in the market or whether as the research suggests, the Dutch may not need these spice blends as less food is now being cooked in the home. It seems the Dutch are now keen on ready-prepared foods and so the cooking sauce and spice market has kind of flattened in the past few years. Having said that, there is less choice in the Dutch market and maybe just maybe, if more fabulous choice was available they would make use of it.
Also this week, I made the final list of the first products which will be available at launch, I contacted two factories which I may use for the production and I am now looking at where and how I will raise investment. I am also putting together the marketing and media plan, because the most important thing right now is too prepare people for the launch of these products and also to convince them to try it. I could make the best products but if nobody knows about them or wants to try them, I have failed.
My aim was to launch in September of this year but I think that will be cutting it fine and will now aim to launch in April of next year. I can't wait!
Amiex
Thursday 31 May 2007
Hmmm! Foooood!
Today's post will be short and sweet. I am going to let you have a recipe for a bread which people in Sierra Leone and Liberia love to eat. It is called Rice Bread and it is made with rice flour, bananas and sugar.
Bananas are cultivated in West Africa, they produce fruit year round and are a staple of the West African diet. They fry, boil and bake bananas and people can sometimes get sick of them.
Bananas start off with a lot of starch and very little sugar. As they ripen, the starch turns to sugar. As the sugar starts to increase in the fruit, it shows up as dark spots on the skin. So the darker the banana, the sweeter it is. This is why with this recipe, you add the sugar to your taste. The bananas themselves contain a lot of sugar; the riper the bananas are, the less sugar you should add.
Because there are always a lot of bananas available and it is hot, they tend to become overripe very quickly. And also because it is plentiful, very few people eat the overripe bananas. In Sierra Leone, the fruit traders in the market will give away the fruit at the end of the day because no one in their right mind will buy overripe bananas. Even now I still won't eat overripe bananas (I find them far to sweet). I will, however, eat them baked or fried or in fritters. This recipe is one of my favourite ways of using them.
Here we have a recipe which will give you enough mix to bake a loaf of about 20cm x 10cm x 5cm (8in x 4 in x 2in).
A Recipe for Rice Bread
You will need:
6 large overripe bananas
1.5 cup rice flour
3/4 - 1 cup sugar (depending on the ripeness of the bananas)
1 whole nutmeg (grated)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
90ml vegetable oil
What to do
1. Mash or blend the bananas into a smooth paste.
2. Mix in the flour slowly to avoid bumps.
3. Mix in the sugar slowly. Add enough sugar to your taste.
4. Add in the grated nutmeg, cinnamon and oil.
5. Make sure everything is mixed in properly and pour the mixture into a non-stick loaf tin. If you are using a loaf tin that sticks, rub in a drop of vegetable oil.
6. Bake for 45-60mins at 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. You can put a skewer in to check for doneness.
7. Leave on a wire rack to cool.
Now go off and make some rice bread. This is your time to try something new. Enjoy a slice or two of rice bread with a nice hot cup of lemongrass tea or with very cold ginger beer (I'll show you how to make a good ginger beer soon).
Amiexx
Bananas are cultivated in West Africa, they produce fruit year round and are a staple of the West African diet. They fry, boil and bake bananas and people can sometimes get sick of them.
Bananas start off with a lot of starch and very little sugar. As they ripen, the starch turns to sugar. As the sugar starts to increase in the fruit, it shows up as dark spots on the skin. So the darker the banana, the sweeter it is. This is why with this recipe, you add the sugar to your taste. The bananas themselves contain a lot of sugar; the riper the bananas are, the less sugar you should add.
Because there are always a lot of bananas available and it is hot, they tend to become overripe very quickly. And also because it is plentiful, very few people eat the overripe bananas. In Sierra Leone, the fruit traders in the market will give away the fruit at the end of the day because no one in their right mind will buy overripe bananas. Even now I still won't eat overripe bananas (I find them far to sweet). I will, however, eat them baked or fried or in fritters. This recipe is one of my favourite ways of using them.
Here we have a recipe which will give you enough mix to bake a loaf of about 20cm x 10cm x 5cm (8in x 4 in x 2in).
A Recipe for Rice Bread
You will need:
6 large overripe bananas
1.5 cup rice flour
3/4 - 1 cup sugar (depending on the ripeness of the bananas)
1 whole nutmeg (grated)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
90ml vegetable oil
What to do
1. Mash or blend the bananas into a smooth paste.
2. Mix in the flour slowly to avoid bumps.
3. Mix in the sugar slowly. Add enough sugar to your taste.
4. Add in the grated nutmeg, cinnamon and oil.
5. Make sure everything is mixed in properly and pour the mixture into a non-stick loaf tin. If you are using a loaf tin that sticks, rub in a drop of vegetable oil.
6. Bake for 45-60mins at 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. You can put a skewer in to check for doneness.
7. Leave on a wire rack to cool.
Now go off and make some rice bread. This is your time to try something new. Enjoy a slice or two of rice bread with a nice hot cup of lemongrass tea or with very cold ginger beer (I'll show you how to make a good ginger beer soon).
Amiexx
Saturday 26 May 2007
Thank God for Weekends!
Phew! It's the weekend and it is a long one! Well when I say long I don't really mean long. What I really mean is that we have one extra day of rest should we wish to take it. A long weekend for me would probably be something like five days but I think that is called a Work Week.
I love weekends because you can avoid people if you so choose, that is if you live alone. During the week, people expect you to get things done and if you don't, they'll think you are lazy. You also feel you should be getting things done because most people are only available to work Monday to Friday.
This week has been quite busy as I moved from one meeting to the next, getting advice from this person or the other. Even for someone like me who loves learning, it can all get a bit too much. I had planned to write this earlier but I was so tired that I couldn't even bring myself to turn the computer on.
I did achieve quite a bit this week. I have decide on the name of the brand. I have secured help with all the food development work that needs to be done and we (myself and the brand guy) have finalised what the logo will look like including the shape and colour. Of course, it is all going to cost money which I currently don't have enough of. I have also managed to put together a PR plan and a market research plan based on advice I got from some very nice people on Tuesday. I then spent most of yesterday (Friday) at the British Library putting together my media list. I love being at the British Library especially now that they have really developed the Business and IP centre. There are always workshops going on which are really useful for new businesses.
Next week will certainly be a lot busier than this week has been because I have to put together a presentation which I will be giving in Rotterdam, prepare some food samples to take with me on my trip and talk to people about things which will happen later on in the year. I also need to do a last edit of a cookbook I've written and must attend a couple of useful seminars; problem is, it is a shorter week.
I have found this one of the 'joys' of working on my own. If there are twenty-two things which need to be done in a day, I am responsible for doing all of them. When I was a child, my parents told me that I could do anything I wanted to. I am beginning to believe them now.
Amiexx
I love weekends because you can avoid people if you so choose, that is if you live alone. During the week, people expect you to get things done and if you don't, they'll think you are lazy. You also feel you should be getting things done because most people are only available to work Monday to Friday.
This week has been quite busy as I moved from one meeting to the next, getting advice from this person or the other. Even for someone like me who loves learning, it can all get a bit too much. I had planned to write this earlier but I was so tired that I couldn't even bring myself to turn the computer on.
I did achieve quite a bit this week. I have decide on the name of the brand. I have secured help with all the food development work that needs to be done and we (myself and the brand guy) have finalised what the logo will look like including the shape and colour. Of course, it is all going to cost money which I currently don't have enough of. I have also managed to put together a PR plan and a market research plan based on advice I got from some very nice people on Tuesday. I then spent most of yesterday (Friday) at the British Library putting together my media list. I love being at the British Library especially now that they have really developed the Business and IP centre. There are always workshops going on which are really useful for new businesses.
Next week will certainly be a lot busier than this week has been because I have to put together a presentation which I will be giving in Rotterdam, prepare some food samples to take with me on my trip and talk to people about things which will happen later on in the year. I also need to do a last edit of a cookbook I've written and must attend a couple of useful seminars; problem is, it is a shorter week.
I have found this one of the 'joys' of working on my own. If there are twenty-two things which need to be done in a day, I am responsible for doing all of them. When I was a child, my parents told me that I could do anything I wanted to. I am beginning to believe them now.
Amiexx
Tuesday 22 May 2007
My New Life
I was talking to one of my many mentors today and she suggested I start a blog. Apparently, my story is interesting and she reckons there are some of you out there who would love to read it and may even get inspired by it.
"What is this story?" I hear you ask. Well, I am currently working on a new food range based completely on African recipes. I am trying to make sure Africa is known for much more than debt and poverty. What is so special about what I am doing is that I started making these sauces and biscuits, and catering for people in my kitchen. It has now been transformed into a full-blown food business (www.simplyafrican.co.uk).
Starting a business is not easy and starting a food business seems to be a lot harder. Did you know that there are about nineteen different legislations that food businesses have to comply with? Then there is the branding, development, getting money and just getting people interested. As Beverley Sills, the famous American opera singer once said, “there are no short cuts to any place worth going.”
Bear with me as I find my blog voice and bring you the best and worst of my business life.
Amiexx
"What is this story?" I hear you ask. Well, I am currently working on a new food range based completely on African recipes. I am trying to make sure Africa is known for much more than debt and poverty. What is so special about what I am doing is that I started making these sauces and biscuits, and catering for people in my kitchen. It has now been transformed into a full-blown food business (www.simplyafrican.co.uk).
Starting a business is not easy and starting a food business seems to be a lot harder. Did you know that there are about nineteen different legislations that food businesses have to comply with? Then there is the branding, development, getting money and just getting people interested. As Beverley Sills, the famous American opera singer once said, “there are no short cuts to any place worth going.”
Bear with me as I find my blog voice and bring you the best and worst of my business life.
Amiexx
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