Industry Insiders- Jo Densley, Co-Founder of Relish Food Marketing Club

At Kitchen Table Projects, we understand that whilst starting a business can be the most exciting adventure you'll ever go on, getting there can sometimes be a hard, scary journey. We don't want it to be this way- we want to give artisans the support and advice they need to help them realise their dreams. This week at Kitchen Table Projects HQ, we've been chatting to Jo, co-founder of Relish Marketing, who told us her hints, tricks and tips for starting out in the foodie world. Like us, she loves foodie start ups- read on for her foodie words of wisdom

Tell us about yourself – who you are and what you do?

‘My name is Jo Densley, co-founder of Relish Food Marketing Club, an online subscription club set up in 2011 to provide resources, marketing and retail advice to smaller food & drink producers  in a budget-friendly way.

What is your business mantra?

‘Helping small food producers get from recipe to retail.’

How important is a good business plan?

‘A business plan doesn’t have to be a lengthy document but it is critical to have one for many reasons. Firstly if you are seeking any investment or looking to work with contract manufacturers they will want to see your business plan. Secondly it enables you to have clear targets and growth plans. Plus it helps partners and staff buy into the same vision and goals and strategies.’

What do you think are the three things that make a good food brand?

‘Really understanding your consumers, getting under their skin and targeting your brand directly to them; Focus on one key message- build a story that creates an emotional link with your audience; Consistency– and by this I mean consistency of your key message (don’t try to communicate too much) and consistency of your brand personality and story throughout (on pack, social media etc)’

How do you think small artisan food producers should be supported?

‘From what Relish members tell me it is often the loneliness and not having a network or team of people around you to check out your ideas on that is hardest, especially when you are starting up. So I think providing network groups, both online and face to face are really important.  I find most food producers are more than willing to help out and offer their advice; everyone has benefited from advice at some stage so are generally willing to pass that on. Plus a mentoring service where people can just pick up the phone to someone to ask for their advice and support is invaluable.’

What do you think is the toughest part of starting a small business?

‘Knowing where to start!   Plus it’s sometimes tempting to want to run before you can walk– but I always recommend creating a sound business plan, and carrying out sufficient research and testing your idea before you progress any further. Also knowing where to turn to for advice and support can be tricky.’

What are your words of wisdom for anyone starting a new business?

‘Don’t expect it to be easy!  Make sure you have the determination and motivation to carry on even when you are faced with setbacks.  People have the tendency to think successful brands had it easy- they didn’t!  You need to work hard and have bags of persistence to grow a successful brand. Then I would say don’t be afraid to ask other people for advice – the worst thing that can happen is they say no!  Finally, I can’t stress how important it is to start looking at your costings early on.  It’s all very well to have a fantastic product and brand – but if you haven’t done accurate costings factoring in everything at the beginning, it might be that you have a business that doesn’t make any money!’

What do you think of our big idea?

‘I love the idea of Kitchen Table Projects. Bringing artisan food producers together in a community is so important and giving them a space on the high street to sell their products is critical as this is often the stage that they struggle with. It is vital to start selling to consumers as soon as possible – not only to make money – but to start hearing feedback about your products so you can develop your brand and product range.’

If you’re interested in Relish Marketing, you can find their website here, or you can follow them on twitter here.   

Are you an Industry Insider who wants to be featured on our blog? We'd love to hear all your foodie insider tips and tricks- drop us a Tweet @KitchTablePro with the hashtag #IndustryInsiders or send us a message to hello@kitchentableprojects.com