Confessions of a pizza maker

Stefanie Caffrey (34) worked in financial institutions, including the complaints department of Anglo Irish Bank. In 2005, she set up Basketcase.ie, a corporate-gifts company. She lives in Killiney with her husband, Johnny

In Appetites, your weekly food emporium

Ihave the luxury of getting up at 8.30am. My husband, Johnny, has left for the gym by 5.30am. I go downstairs and make a cup of tea. It’s my favourite time of day, because I’m thinking back to when I used to be running for buses at that time of the morning, and mostly missing them. Now, I take a moment and think, ‘God, I am so lucky’. No longer do I have a 9-to-5 job.

For 10 years, I worked in financial institutions in an administration role. During the rough times, I was in the complaints department in Anglo Irish Bank. It was like a crash course in communications. It wasn’t like people were calling to say that they had a little issue. Instead, they were screaming, ‘You have ruined my life’.

I’d try to stick to the subject matter of what I could do for them. Up until then, I had only worked in back-office roles, so I was really thrown into the deep end. I learnt so much. In that one year, I got more experience in dealing with the public and conflict resolution than I would have working in a complaints department of another company for a decade.

In December 2015, I set up my own business Basketcase.ie. I can be a bit crazy sometimes, so a lot of people told me that it was the perfect name for my company. It all started when my sister, who is an events manager, asked me to make up gift baskets for some Canadian tourists coming to Ireland. I came up with the idea of filling little bodhrans with Irish treats which they could nibble on throughout their stay. Then they’d take the bodhran home with them.

I was doing this work on the side, while working in an office. Then the opportunity for redundancy came up. We were given plenty of time to think about it and to make plans. So I did a start-your-ownbusiness course, got an accountant, and I got the name registered. The redundancy was a huge opportunity for me. But in the end, I didn’t get it. There were three of us going for two redundancy slots. It was hugely disappointing. I carried on working in the office and doing Basketcase, but in the end, I threw in the towel and went full-time with my business.

The redundancy was going to be my safety net. Would I have worked so hard if I’d had it? Maybe not. I think everything happens for a reason.

I start my working day going through emails, and then I spend a good bit of time doing research. It’s about trying to find creative presentation boxes and baskets, and products that are on the market at the moment. I make bespoke hampers and baskets containing corporate gifts. Generally, I have a briefing from a client it might be a PR company. They tell me what they are looking for, they might have a budget in mind, and we talk about who will be receiving these gifts. Then we have a brainstorming session. Guinness might tell me that they have two new bottles and they want me to come up with a crate that will fit. I have a carpenter in Waterford who makes these vintage-style wooden crates, and he’ll put the logos on them.

It’s all about promoting the companies. I’m always visiting my suppliers and seeing where they can monogram, emboss or engrave the logos. It might be on to a ribbon or a hessian bag. I use Irish suppliers, and people appreciate that.

In the beginning, I knocked on doors to boost my business, and I did lots of presentations. After I went to a Facebook boost-your-business event, they asked me to do Christmas hampers for all their suppliers. They are very creative, and they wanted me to find the latest up-and-coming Irish suppliers. I found a great Irish start-up company called CarveOn, and the men got leather wallets with their initials on them.

The minute you set up a business, so many people are willing you on. Friends who are in PR put work my way, and in turn, I love giving big orders to my suppliers. Becoming self-employed was a big shock, but I have no problem working late into the night. The main thing is that I don’t have a fear of failure. But since I’ve started the business, I haven’t been away.

I go for a run during the day. Right now, I’m reading Run Fat Bitch Run by Ruth Field. I love the way she says that you don’t have to enjoy the run, but you’ll feel great afterwards. I don’t like running, but I’m still doing it. Then in the afternoons, I meet clients and suppliers. When my husband comes home from work and sees the room with all my hamper stuff, he gives me an eye-roll. He goes in and sets up a production line for me. He puts structure on whatever I’m doing.

“Would I have worked this hard if I’d got the redundancy money? Probably not”

My husband is the chef in the house, much to my mother’s disgust. She is a great cook, and I think she wanted to pass on the baton. I haven’t received it yet. It’s not that I’m a bad cook, but I’m just not interested in it. Johnny is very healthy, and he’ll do a meal prep every Monday. Sometimes it’s a case of just reaching into the fridge and taking out one of his little Tupperware boxes that he has prepared earlier. He keeps me on track. If he wasn’t there, I’d probably sit down in front of six pieces of toast.

In the evenings, we watch a lot of TV, reality TV, and I love soaps. We try to get our dog, Sooki, out for a walk, but she hates it. We drag her out, kicking and screaming.

Then I’ll go to bed around 11pm and listen to podcasts. I might still be thinking about work. I don’t get that much notice on orders, but I thrive on that. It’s a happy anxiety.