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Keeping it simple with the catering entrepreneur

It’s Enterpreneurship Week on Bdaily. Damian Clarkson, who owns The London Kitchen in Lambeth, here writes about his experiences of setting up a catering business, and how he dealt with the highs and lows of running his own company.

Times have changed since I first started running a catering business. My view now is that it is an extremely exciting time to test your entrepreneurial spirit. The point of entry is now much lower and attainable. Trends flow fast through the powers of social media and this gives huge scope for testing products. Look at how quickly Cupcakes, Tapas and Pulled Pork caught on. There have been great success stories.

The hospitality and catering sector has now become about so much more than just food. Successful business people in this industry understand that you have to be natural hosts. The experience of eating has become more and more crucial to success. Bizarre and entertaining environments are standing out from the rest. I recently ate at an establishment, a pop up kitchen, that had a one eyed limping Whippet and a Chihuahua on hand to greet you as you arrived. Certainly memorable!

This is a great time to step up and start any business, but in catering you need to be grounded. Wages are low and hours long - hence there is a huge failure rate. But access into the industry is reasonably easy so for those who are prepared to be different and are willing to test things out.

To be successful projects need to be viable, well funded (with working capital) and well advised. I would also recommend that things are kept simple. Niche maybe. There are numerous successful enterprises selling just amazing ham, bread or cheeses – look at La Fromagerie or Brindisa. Simple has now become fashionable.

I feel that as an industry, we are still suffering from the economic downturn, but I do believe that we only have ourselves to blame. All of us need to be flexible and ready to embrace change. Those that are not able to change will not make it. But it needs to be balanced with working within your own knowledge boundaries. I admire Heston Blumenthal’s chemical inspired food, but I wouldn’t try to recreate it. I believe in sticking to what we are good at and admiring but nor mimicking the competition.

When we started out we kept things simple and we achieved profitability quickly. That was critical to our survival. We also steadily built reputation which can be hard work at times, but it is worth it in the long run. We recognised from an early stage that our clients are part of our business. Not only do they provide us with revenue, but they are the best ambassadors for our brand. Clients in the catering sector these days are informed people. They know what they want and I believe in listening to them. It makes sense.

And lastly, the success of your business can rest on the shoulders of those who work for you. Forget this at your peril. We employ enthusiastic, loyal people who understand and buy into our vision and recognise the importance of working in a team.

In conclusion, it is hard to compare today’s business world with the one I entered some years ago. For us as an industry, the advent of social media and cookery programmes on TV means that the landscape has changed. In my view, flexibility, good advice, listening to your clients and keeping things simple are things that I would endeavour to achieve if I was once again taking my first steps as an entrepreneur.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Damian Clarkson .