WHAT’S THE BIG

A flash of inspiration is a brilliant thing, but how can you turn it into a buoyant business? Six women who’ve made it work share their stories and tips for success with Victoria Woodhall

THE SUPER-SNACK SUPREMO

Annabel Vere Nicoll, 41, left her job in food trends at Marks & Spencer to launch a range of healthy snacks. She lives in Wiltshire with her husband and three children.

MY LIFE BEFORE I spent 15 years as food product developer for Marks & Spencer, where I invented the Mini Bites tubs. They have been much copied, and sometimes I think if they’d been my own brand, I’d have a massive business by now! In 2012 I left M&S and moved to the country intending to hang out with my children, but I got itchy feet within seconds. MY BIG IDEA I wanted to change the way we snack by providing an alternative to sweets and junk food, and with three friends – also ex-M&S food experts – tackled the challenge of what the snack market looks like beyond those things. HOW I STARTED We decided on pulses: fava beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas. They are sustainable and high in protein, fibre and micronutrients, which means value for calories. We came up with Roasters (roasted, flavoured beans and peas) and chickpea crisps – Chisps. It’s quite a leap for consumers to go from a nut to a pea, so we’ve given the products our take on mainstream flavours such as salt and vinegar, sweet chilli and Thai coconut. MY BIGGEST CHALLENGE We were about to launch when I discovered I was pregnant with my third baby. I had one day off for the birth. I couldn’t have managed without my co-founders Harriet, Wendy and Annette. We don’t need an office – we have weekly virtual meetings on Skype – so I was able to be really flexible around a newborn. MY LIFE NOW In 2015, M&S agreed to stock us in 200 stores. We’re now in 400 Sainsbury’s stores as well as Ocado and Budgens. Being mainstream and affordable means we can change the way people snack. Giving birth to a baby and a business in the past 18 months, I am spread very thinly, but I exercise three times a week, which gives me energy. MY ADVICE Beware the dream killers: I wish I had a pound for everyone who said it couldn’t be done. You have to be very single-minded and determined. dillyandwolf.com

I wanted to change the way we snack by providing an alternative to junk food

THE CAPE CRUSADER

Sara Hall, 35, had a career in PR before being inspired to set up her online tweed cape business Sands & Hall. She lives in Spain and Northern Ireland with her husband and two daughters. MY LIFE BEFORE I didn’t have any grand plan for world cape domination. I was on maternity leave and wanted to make a vintage-inspired cape for my elder daughter and sell a few on the side while learning the production process. Growing up in Ireland I’d always been a big fan of Donegal tweed. HOW I STARTED Through Google, I tracked down some offcut tweeds from Paris fashion houses and a boutique factory in Bulgaria, which made up a sample cape. They worked from a sketch drawn by a fashion designer friend, plus photos of designs I liked, and we made 30 children’s capes. I set up a Facebook page and sold them all, which led to requests for me to make women’s capes. MY BIG IDEA There’s no cape equivalent of the Birkin bag or Burberry trench. We wanted to be the iconic cape brand and produce instantly recognisable pieces. We commissioned a sketch of our women’s cape from a fashion illustrator we found online. My husband’s digital marketing skills helped us put the word out on Facebook, and from that one sketch we had thousands of pounds’ worth of pre-orders in one day. It meant that we could have some money upfront. We got around 600 orders in total and thought maybe this isn’t such a crazy idea. MY BIGGEST CHALLENGE Learning on the go. I don’t have traditional fashion training, so I’ve had to put my head down and figure things out. MY LIFE NOW Our first cape was made in Harris tweed, and this season we’ve introduced Donegal tweed. It’s no longer a case of roping my parents in to help with packing the orders. We have a proper distribution house in Ireland, a customer service manager, a designer and several design staff working on a contract basis. We still don’t have an office as we all work remotely. But as the business grows – we now have five cape designs – we want to set up studio spaces in London and Dublin. MY ADVICE Trust your instincts and don’t be swayed by others. The styles that I love have got me this far! sandsandhall.com

Trust your instincts and don’t be swayed by others