After meeting Jo at a recent Joined Up Food event, we were immediately keen to get in touch and pick her brains about her wide and varied experience in the food industry. Having worked for a whole host of different companies across a range of sectors, Jo is now director of her own PR consultancy business dealing mostly with food businesses. It was so great to speak to her and learn more about her fascinating career. Read on for her industry insights, as well as her hints and tips for small startup food businesses.
Tell us a bit about yourself! Who are you and what do you do?
Tell us a bit about yourself! Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Jo Lynn and I am a public relations consultant with (gasp!) over 35 years of experience working in the media. I started work on two news desks, so was trained in the hard-hitting end of journalism. I then worked on a features desk [as well as] for several magazines. I have a degree in what is called Biological Life Sciences (yup, Home Economics), so I know a lot about Food Science, Cooking and ergonomics in home design.
I was headhunted into PR and as a result my career direction changed. My Fleet Street experience means I have been involved on a lot of Crisis Issues work as well as food and ingredient work. I obviously have a good grasp of media, traditional and social. As I progressed through my career, I worked as an Account Director at Ruth Felber (fashion and Tesco’s home and wear), [at] Good Relations, [where] my teams worked on Canderel, WeightWatchers and more; [I became] head of Food and Drink at Lynne Franks, set up a PR division for an ad agency, Director of RPPR running AIR MILES, Columbus Travel, the crisis division, Brandon Bayes, Tony Robinson and more. I then set up Splash Press Agency (with the help of EMR radio) and ran that for 12 years before morphing into Jo Lynn Consultancy. With my seniority and experience I realised I had actually become more of a consultant and wise person and re-branded to reflect that.
What do you do to help small businesses?
I have represented hundreds of restaurants and food companies from the very small to the very large. As a result, I help small companies and startups, giving them my knowledge, helping them with copywriting, mentoring them and just providing general encouragement. For instance: what is the main reason why restaurants fail? How do you increase a customer’s spend? Has your product got legs? Does your packaging work? Who, actually are you? What do you say about yourself? What are your messages?
What does your typical day look like?
I don’t have a typical day. Clients are varied. I am a Corporate Relations manager for a large Business School Group – so I meet a range of companies every week, from banks to FinTec entrepreneurs; I have consumer clients such as a stylish Marylebone hairdresser; I write copy; I write and give lectures; I train board directors of PR companies and am about to e-tail my training text books, and I [also] act as a consultant for J.U.F (joined up food) providing consultancy to entrepreneurs setting up food businesses and also creating the J.U.F book club. Phew! This all sounds very busy but it’s not really. I am wise enough to pace myself, take breaks, walk my dog Tilly. Frankly, when you have the experience that I have, a lot can be done in an hour! An example of this recently was a one hour consultation with Zest, which included my drafting a press release and instructions. The result? This.
Why do you like working with small food businesses?
I am very keen on Artisan producers. My first client when I set up Splash Press Agency was a pioneering delicatessen, Mortimer and Bennet in Turnham Green who were very good at sourcing interesting and original suppliers. I feel very strongly that multiples should pay for these people’s expertise rather than just stealing their idea and suppliers, meanly cutting the cost of Artisan producers products on shelf so that the original sourcers are forced to stop stocking them. Recently I have acted for a chocolate shop which sources the very best chocolates from around the world.
What do you think is the toughest part of starting a small food business?
There are so many hard parts to starting a small food business. Companies must understand how important PR is. I am not just saying that because of what I do but the number of companies who call me in when they are failing makes me cry. It is so much easier to get coverage when you are new. The e-tailing side is vital. Rent and rates are stupidly high. You have to maximise your returns. Branding is vital – do it before you launch. Who are you? What is your culture? What is your emotional selling point? What is your USP? Who is your target market? Which are your six most important media? How much social media do you need to do to have an impact? What are you going to do once you are no longer new? Who can steal from you and copy your ideas? How do you reach journalists? It’s all so important.
What do you think is the next big opportunity for emerging artisans?
There is so much opportunity for Artisans. Yes, cheap food is a huge market, but class still counts - the best has a niche. Chickens that taste the way that they did as a child, chocolates that say to the receiver ‘you are really really special’, Christmas, Easter, special occasions, there is a market for something special, different, unique, the best. On a personal level, as a cook, I spend a lot of my spare time visiting and shopping at Farmers markets and specialist stores. I love it! Quality food and produce is so important and I get furious if people say it is too expensive (it’s not, if you don’t throw half of it away).
I see so many major mistakes made. Restaurants that open late and are in debt by the time they open (having missed the Christmas season) because of a bad contract with builders; businesses who foolishly think signing up early with a multiple is a good idea (before they can deal with all the demands a multiple makes and the 90 day payment terms), failure to spend time and money on brand and PR development, the list goes on.
The opportunities are that on line e-tailing provides world-wide custom. The street food scene is inspiring – what one thing would you offer, if that is all you could do. Multi-culturalism is shown at its best with food and Britain is brilliant at absorbing new ideas – we think Tandoori is English Food, or even Fish and Chips; we try and buy anything. What a great place to set up a food business. Plus, the after-hours socialising scene is a huge market. My French friends are astonished at what happens here. In France, after work, they go home. Here, we eat, play, drink. It is such an opportunity.
What are your words of wisdom for someone starting out?
It is very important to network, to share ideas, to give back. I am a great believer that ‘givers gain’. Understand the business you are in, read relevant media, visit events, see what others are doing, go to exhibitions, get ideas. Food these days is fashion. Have strong opinions and don’t date!
What do you think about our big ideas and what we are trying to achieve?
I think Kitchen Table Projects is a brilliant idea. It gives Artisans a focus and consumers a central place to find a collective of artisans. Our finest producers need all the help and encouragement that we can get. Cheap food, supermarkets and the policies of food rationing that remained in our system for over half a century had almost killed off our food producers. Over the past twenty years our cultural heritage is re-emerging and we must do everything we can to nurture it.
You can find out more about Jo and the services she offers on her website, or catch her on Twitter, @pryogi.
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