You started small…Today you have converted it into a multi million dollar business. What do you think is your point of difference ?

Some people thought I was crazy at age 18 to buy a business. But I felt at the time, what others saw as a risk, I saw as an opportunity. I believe it’s that same “can do” attitude that has led to the company’s success today.

The main differentiator is Carman’s commitment to using healthy, good quality Australian ingredients in our products. I think these days more than ever people want to buy Australian grown and made. Carman’s appeals to the ever-growing health conscious market, whilst it’s good for you it’s also delicious!

I also like to travel overseas for ideas for the business, such as new ingredients to test out or ways in which to market the product differently.

If you had your time again, is there anything in business that you would do differently ?

Yes there are a few things I would have done differently, such as trying to take on too much and not hiring staff early enough to help with the growth of the company. However, I believe that mistakes made along the way have made me stronger.

What drives you to succeed ?

Customer satisfaction! My aim is to have the best quality product in the supermarket, yet affordable for our target market.

I constantly seek to improve the business through new and innovative product development.

Based on your experience, can you share with us a couple of tips/advice for mums who are struggling to get their products into super market shelves?

Don’t get overwhelmed by the tasks ahead, just take things step by step. Break things down one by one and you’ll find before you know it you’re halfway there.

What is one business tool you cannot live without?

My hands free car kit, when driving to and from work I use that time to speak to people who are starting out their business and give advice, answer any questions they may have and act as a mentor to them.

What do you believe is your greatest business achievement so far ?

Winning the 2007 Ernst and Young – Australian Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Finally, your five keys to success?

1. Think of the people you work with as another family, delight your customers constantly and your business will quickly thrive.
2. Have a crystal clear vision of where your business is heading and refer to it every day when decision making.
3. Write lists, prioritize and clear your inbox every day. Learn to say ‘no’ to things that are not important, so you can ‘work smarter’ rather than ‘harder’.
4. ‘Drive it like you stole it’ – Sometimes you just have to trust your instincts, dive into the deep end and go for it!
5. Love what you do! Your passion, drive and enthusiasm will determine your business’ success.

Sites Of Interest

http://www.carmansfinefoods.com.au

This interview was published on 15th March 2009


Visit Carolyn’s website to get more information about her business


To read more stories about women in the food industry click Idea Home Based Service Business

The menu is a healthy alternative to many traditional fast food restaurants. No wonder her story has been picked up by numerous television channels and print media. Indian Bread Co was even chosen to cater for the welcome party for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

Nandini’s approach of working on the business not just in the business is also probably one of the reasons for her rapid growth. I have a feeling that in a few years time we might see many more of her restaurants across the globe. Read and be inspired by this business success interview…

What makes your restaurant different from the other Indian restaurants? Can you also tell us a bit about your most popular items in the restaurant ?

Our niche is that of a fast-casual Indian café – the only one of its kind. Though India has a wide variety of distinctive breads, in most Indian restaurants, breads are relegated to being add-ons to the main meal.

Indian Bread Co. gives Indian bread the center stage – making it the main performer in a sandwich filled with Indian fillings.

We bring the joy of freshly baked Indian bread to people, and serve it with a global perspective – as the universally accepted and much loved sandwich.Our most popular items are the Aloo Paratha (potato stuffed Indian flatbread), Egg Chicken Kathi Roll (egg & tandoori chicken wrap) & Saag Chicken Naanini (Naan Panini).

Did you do some kind of market research before starting out ?

I’d come to New York armed with a degree in architecture and an offer from Columbia University to pursue M.S in Architecture & Urban Design. However, an avid interest in lighting made me defer my admission to Columbia University, and join the Lighting Design program at Parsons School of Design.

While at Parsons, I enjoyed some great meals from all over the globe in NYC. But Indian food left me disappointed. The choice was between two-day old curry at prices I could afford; or formal, sit-down delicious meals I’d spent days saving for.

I realized that there was a market gap for fresh, flavorful, portable Indian food at a reasonable price. That led to the germination of an idea which eventually took shape as Indian Bread Co.I knew there was a market for Indian food in NYC as I had experienced it from a consumers’ perspective first. Since I wanted portable & hassle-free food, I thought of using Indian Breads filled with popular Indian fillings to form a “Curry-on-the-go” sandwich meal.After graduating from Parsons, the next year was spent working in lighting design firms, peppered with short courses at the Institute of Culinary Education & seminars at the French Culinary Institute.

According to National Restaurant News, 18-34 year olds are especially attracted to the fast casual segment. So, it made sense for us to be located near a university. That’s how we came to be located on Bleecker Street near New York University.

Looking back, what would you do differently in the start-up phase and why ?

The first challenge that my partner & I faced in moving towards our goal was to raise the capital required. A day before signing the lease, our then investor placed a condition before us – either we increase his stakes, or he bails out. Pushed into a corner, we pooled together our savings and were suddenly faced with a situation where we had to re-work our financials and slash our budget by a significant amount. With the budget squeezed, our plan of hiring 2 cooks and 1 front end staff had to morph into 1 cook, with both of us working full time at the café.

IBC opened its doors in November 2003. For 1 year, we cooked, cleaned, managed the front end and worked 14 hour days. When I look back now, I should have not squeezed the budget and looked for other investment; as what I saved in terms of money I paid in time.

Have you ever experienced an epiphany that changed the direction of your life ?

I don’t know if I can call it an epiphany, but whenever I used to read the Dining section of the New York Times, I would get a strong f3eeling that I’d be in it someday, and I did land up being in it !!

Did you come up with the recipes yourself? Do you come from a ‘cooking’ background?

Yes, I worked in my kitchen experimenting and concocting dishes, and once they were finalized I taught my cooks. The space experienced many food trial-cum-work parties!I come from a family where cooking was considered at par with any other art form, so I grew up being exposed to the sights, smells & tastes of various cuisines.

We were also encouraged to experiment, and I’ve been cooking since I was 8 years old!! Along the way, I’ve taken courses on subjects like various cuisines, recipe writing, restaurant management etc. But it’s not been my line of work.

I am assuming that your line of your work requires you to be onsite most of the time. This must be very hard. How do you balance work and home life ?

I have worked hard to set up organizational systems at the café, so that it can run smoothly even when I’m not present. The café is monitored by a camera that I can view on my laptop. I can also sign on to the café POS screen and look at the sales etc.Earlier, I used to be there full-time. Now, I’m there 3 times a week. The rest of the time, I’m looking at growing my business.

Finally, your five keys to business success?

1. Believe in your dreams, and have the confidence in your ability to make them come true.
2. State your priorities on a regular basis. Break down your goal into smaller deliverables that will track your progress, and give you the pleasure of achievement along the way.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. I have often hesitatingly approached renowned names in my field, and have been pleasantly surprised to find out that most of them are willingly to help.
4. There are many organizations geared towards the needs of women entrepreneurs. Find out more about the ones active in your area, and become a member. You will be able to meet similar minded individuals, who are either going through or have experienced similar situations that you can learn from; not to mention get invaluable support.
5. Take time out for YOU to avoid frustration and burn-out

Sites Of Interest

http://www.indianbreadco.com/




This interview was published on 16th November 2007

To read more stories about women in the food industry click home-based-business-food.



Visit Nandini’s business website to get more information about her high quality fast food Indian cafe style restaurant…

Apart from this Annette has won numerous other national and state level awards.Annette’s story is truly inspirational. Her business had very humble beginnings. She used an ironing board as one of her tables. And today she is one of the most successful business owners in Australia. The only thing that hasn’t changed since she first began her business is the fact that she stills runs her business from home. Read and get inspired.

How did you come up with the idea for your business ?

Having struggled with obesity for most of my life I knew first hand how hard it was to stick to a diet and also how horrible it was to live of ‘diet food’. During the time I was losing weight I devised all these fabulous recipes that not only helped me lose 35 kilos but made the journey easy. It seemed a good idea to put the recipes into a book and publish it. I felt there may be others out there just like me who would value what I do and thank goodness I was right.

How do you plan your day? What are your time management tips for mothers with businesses who are trying to juggle work and home lives?

I live by my diary. Even to the point where I write in my exercise time so that I have no excuses. When I first started my business back 9 years ago my 3 daughters were 17,15 and 11 so they were able to look after themselves a bit so that helped. I found that what worked best for me was to learn how to delegate.One of the first things I did when I started my business was to get a cleaning lady and an ironing lady. This meant that when I did get some spare time I could dedicate it to my children. Sometimes there is guilt associated with working mums and so for me I felt that it was better to work on quality not quantity.

I actually sat down and had a ‘meeting’ with my girls and explained to them how excited I was about writing the cookbooks and how much it meant to me to do this and that they may find that mum just wouldn’t be there sometimes.

If I was interstate or speaking at a function or on the phone all day it meant that they had to wait to talk to me. Sometimes this is hard for kids to grasp but I also explained to them that if this business was successful than they may get a nice holiday out of it and also we may be able to afford the things such as new shoes, cds etc. that at the time we couldn’t afford. I think that the best thing was explaining to them how much it meant to me to do what I do and how much it was going to help people and from this they understood it better. I can be obsessed with my business so it really is about giving to your family when they really need you and validating them. If you do this then they won’t mind the other little inconveniences that come along.

My daughters are proud of me and tell me this often, I showed them what you can achieve if you dare to dream and that women in Australia can achieve amazing success. As long as your children (and husband) know that you are there for them and that they are your number 1 priority then things work out.

You have launched 5 books so far – all of them best sellers. All the five books have very interesting menus. In the books, you show us the low fat way of making these mouth watering dishes. How do you come up with these menus and their recipes ?

Good question…..I just play in the kitchen. I get ingredients and think “now what can I do with this”. Often I adapt favourites such as lasagna or sticky date pudding and put a healthy swing to them but many of the recipes I have created. I love the flavour of pizza so I have used this in various ways such as my PIZZA PASTA BAKE in book 4, I use the ingredients such as onion, capsicum, mushrooms, ham, tomato and cheese and fold this with pasta and a tomato sauce and ‘viola’ a fabulous tasting recipe for the family to enjoy is created.

Do you set ‘Goals’? Are ‘Goals’ important ?

I am the goal queen. I love making lists and having goals gives me a clear focus on what I want to achieve and where I am going. For example I do ‘goal poster’ and have it in my office. I have written what I want to achieve in the next 3 years and as I achieve them I cross them off. I have this looking at me every day so it keeps me thinking about my goals all the time.I also use this type of poster when I write a cookbook. For example when I wrote book 5 I had each of the categories listed and numbered e.g. CHICKEN and numbered 1-10 and I would write in pencil ideas that I had for each section.

As they were completed they would be written in with a thick red texture. This way I could quickly and clearly see how much I had done and also it was very exciting to see the poster fill up with lots of red writing.I say “Goals are a dream with a deadline”. And if you are not clear on what your goals are in your business then how can you climb the ladder of success ?

Your product ‘CD-Rom Menu Planner’ is very impressive and can definitely make the lives of business mothers a bit easier. Can you tell us a bit more about this product ?

Many times people say they know what they should do when it comes to losing weight but just don’t do it which is why I created my Cd-rom menu planner so that it helps people to have a clear plan of what they are to eat and how much to have. I also did a 28 day weight loss plan in book 5 which has been a huge success for many people. Mums are so busy that it really helps if you can check out a list and know what you are to prepare and eat for the day.

It does mean that you have to shop and spend time in the kitchen but it will organise you and help you shed those unwanted kilos easily. My cd-rom menu planner is like having your own personal weight loss club at home. For those who haven’t got the time to go to weight loss meetings or can’t afford it then my menu planner will solve this problem.

Can you tell us the most effective bit of marketing you have ever done?

I think creating the life size statue of myself in the swimming costume at 100 kilos. It is a great before and after and shows that I was once an obese lady and so I know how it feels to be overweight. I think it gives people hope to know that I was able to lose 35 kilos and have also been able to stay in my healthy weight range for over 14 years.

I also think that having recipe books that have a picture of each recipe, easy to prepare and ingredients readily available in supermarkets was a bonus as well.

Finally, your five keys to success?

1. Believe in what you do. Your business must be your passion otherwise you will resent the long hours. For me when I am at work I am at play, I love every minute of it and don’t feel like I am working.
2. Research all areas of the business before you commence. Make sure it is a viable business that the public will want, need and desire.
3. Take baby steps, don’t rush things.
4. Eat a healthy diet and exercise, it will keep you alert and energized to work long hours and think smart. If you get sick or are unwell all the time I ask you how long will your business survive if you can’t get your head of the pillow? Your healthy should be your top priority.
5. Don’t make decisions based on fear. When in doubt listen to your gut feeling, it will never let you down.

Sites Of Interest

http://www.simplytoogood.com



This interview was published on 20th May 2007

To read more stories about women in the food industry click home-based-business-food.

Visit Annette’s website to get more information about her easy low fat recipes / cookbooks