In this fantastic profile interview we meet the amazing Harriot Pleydell-Bouverie, founder of Mallow and Marsh, business that literally took her by surprise!
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| Harriot |
Please tell us what
is a typical business day for you?
I don’t think I have a typical day yet. Mallow
& Marsh is just launching, so my days are spent juggling everything from being
sat in our storage unit packing boxes to meeting with the senior buyers at
Sainsbury’s. It’s pretty mixed. As a one person company the buck stops with me
on absolutely everything, so I have definitely become a bit of a jack of all
trades, as I jump from Accountant, to Sales Director, Chef, CEO, Admin Monkey
and Design guru. It’s a never ending circle and I wouldn’t change it for the
world.
My phone is permanently charging yet always out of
battery, and I rarely arrive on time for social evenings.
What made you start
the business and how did you get started?
I have always dreamed of launching a business. At
school I was the kid that bought in a ton of chocolate before Easter and sold
it on to the other kids. However, when it came to it, I found myself working in
the city, and although I enjoyed the company and people, I always knew I wanted
to do something else, something that was mine.
I initially launched a company called De Bouverie –an
internet based company which brought independent designers together on a
community platform. Things were going well and I went to develop my skills at a
start up weekend in September 2012. At the event, I was challenged to make some
marshmallows, which I brought in the next day. I have never seen a response
like it - the feedback and enthusiasm was amazing. I couldn’t stop thinking up
new ideas and began experimenting with flavours and textures. Marshmallows just
got under my skin and before I knew it Mallow & Marsh was born.
There was nothing out there similar to what I
wanted, and I realised you just couldn’t buy good marshmallows. I was lucky in
that I was already working for myself and could split my time accordingly but
it happened so fast. I made up a few batches and sold them to friends and
family, and before I knew it I was stuck in my kitchen cooking and had
corporate orders coming in and I got a stand at Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.
For me it was about being passionate about marshmallows and being prepared to
work very long days. Within 2 months De Bouverie was being closed down and I
was turning my hand to marshmallows full time. It was a very quick transition.
What would you say
has been your greatest accomplishment in the business world to date?
Very early on in the company, I applied for a
competition called Pitch up with Sainsbury’s. It was a chance to pitch the
Sainsbury’s buyers, and although I knew I wasn’t ready I thought it could be a
great experience. A few months later I got the letter to say I was a finalist
and that I was actually going to pitch them. I don’t think I left the office
for a week, there was so much to prepare, and on the day I have never been so
nervous. It was a great experience and I loved every second of it, but when I
heard a week later that I had won I didn’t know what to do. It made everything
so real and really took the business to a new level. So from a preliminary
research start in March I had a 12 month contract with Sainsbury’s by
September. Without a doubt that will be one of my best memories of all of
this.
What
has been your biggest challenge in business so far?
Throughout the summer I had planned to
test my products and price range at markets, festivals and all things foodie. I
was very excited and had a very busy diary of events and then the heat wave
hit. The entire of England was basking in 30 degree heat and loving it. However,
I was dying in a 46 degree kitchen and a mountain of mushy marshmallows. It
turns out marshmallows
It was a great thing to go through
though. Had I launched and been a fully functional wholesaler by then I could
have had major problems. As it was, I was able to figure out a way through the
problem so that next year I wont have the same problems, and I only lost out on
a few shows. My only wholesale client was incredibly considerate and
understanding and helped me work out the problems. That is why its best to
launch small and test the business first – as any number of things can go wrong
that you can learn from and fix when your small but could break you as a larger
business.
What
are your future plans for the business?
Mallow & Marsh is only just getting
going. We intend to show people what a real marshmallow tastes like, and make
them accessible. They aren’t exclusive treats, but low fat, high energy cubes
of delight!
Our sales strategy is only just
starting and with a 12 month contract with Sainsbury’s already under our belt, interest
from distributors, and an exporting opportunity, we intend to grow the company
so that everyone can easily access our marshmallows. We have new flavours, a
new product line and an enthusiastic list of retailers and events coming up –
so watch this space!
If you
had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Not really. Everything happens for a
reason and you have to make mistakes along the way to learn from them. Each
learning curve got me closer to where I am now, and right now the business and
I couldn’t be in a better position and its only because of all the ups and
downs we’ve been through to get here. Money is the only thing I would warn
people to be wary of. I would spend less at the beginning and concentrate on
sales and bringing money in before you grow too fast. You can be enthusiastic
but sometimes you get caught up in the world of big businesses and forget that
you don’t need everything a big business needs.
Why
is it so important to inspire young women in particular to follow their dreams?
For some reason many young women have
felt that business isn’t for them. They’ve been intimidated by hard talking
men, and that false belief that you can only be a successful business woman if
you are hard and have no emotions. This isn’t true at all. I spend my life dealing
with
Starting a business has nothing to do
with whether you are a man or a woman. It has everything to do drive, passion,
business acumen, and shear determination. No one should be put off because of
whether they are a girl or boy, young or old. Having a dream is what living
life is about and if that dream is business and entrepreneurship then you
should grab it with both hands.
What
advice would you give to somebody who wants to start a business in your
industry?
You can always start a business for
less than you think. My first business was a great learning curve for me, but
the benefit of hindsight showed me that I could have done it for a lot less
money. Cash is key so don’t let go of it unless you really have to. I managed
to launch Mallow & Marsh off £250 a feat even I am surprised by. It goes to
show anything is possible. Test the market slowly and sell sell sell, then grow
once you know your product sells. Once you have proven it works, then look at
the growth stage and a start up loan, or investment. Prove your concept first
then grow.
What
or who inspires you in business and why?
I think that anyone who goes out and
does their own thing deserves a lot of credit, even when it doesn’t work, when
you try it shows huge strength and courage. To me my mentor Charlotte Knight,
founder of G’nosh is incredibly inspirational. She is both a mother and a
business owner, she juggles a hundred different things and G’nosh has been
growing from strength to strength. Despite being overly busy she always has
time for me. She is one of the most determined, passionate and exciting people
I know with an incredibly big heart.
My other main inspiration is food. I
love food. I love everything about food. Be it sweet or savoury. So to think up
new recipes, new flavour combinations or practise different ideas is less work
and more pure heaven to me. Nothing like combining my passion with my job.
What is
your favourite inspirational quote?
“A pessimist sees the
difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every
difficulty” Winston Churchill
I also have a bit of a life rule that is - Everything will be ok in the end. If it’s
not ok, then it’s not the end.
Contact details
W: www.MallowandMarsh.com
A: Floor 4, Farringdon House, 105 - 106 Farringdon Road, EC1R 3BU
T: @mallowandmarsh
F: www.facebook.com/
A: Floor 4, Farringdon House, 105 - 106 Farringdon Road, EC1R 3BU
T: @mallowandmarsh
F: www.facebook.com/
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