April 26, 2013
Katie Harris, came to School for Creative Startups with a great idea that’s turning into a great business. In this interview she discusses what NANA is and how she’s bringing this great idea to market.
What’s the name of your business and what promise does it make to customers?
NANA is a comfort food cafe hosted by lovely older ladies. We serve up the very best in traditional, homemade food, just how your Nana used to make it. Think dippy egg and soliders, homemade soups, sandwiches, cakes and gallons of tea.
NANAs work in the cafe at least five hours a week, taking food orders, pouring tea and chatting with customers. After three months, they become part of the NANA partnership, which means they get a percentage of the profits.
For the NANAs, it’s a great way to put your spare time to good use, meet new people and make a bit of cash. For the customers, it’s a cosy, welcoming place to get great food at a great price.
For more information, check out our website: wearenana.com
What made you decide to start your business?
I did a lot of research around life after retirement and realised there were so many ladies sat around, going out of their mind with boredom. At the same time, I realised that all the new cafes opening in my area were getting fancier and more expensive. I saw a gap in the market for simple, tasty affordable food, but served up by older ladies looking for something positive to do with their spare time.
What made you decide to enroll in School for Startups a year ago?
Even though I had started a business before, I wanted to learn more from people that had real experience and expertise in business development. I find reading books about business quite boring and worry that the more I read, the less I feel I can trust my insticts. When you hear people’s stories about what worked and what didn’t when they were setting up their business(es), it’s a lot easier to relate situations that you are currently experiencing and let that inform your decisions. It’s less about ‘this is definitely the right way to do it’ approach and more about ‘this didn’t work for me but this did’.
I was thinking about starting NANA for about 4 months before the doors actually opened. It’s so easy when you’re on your own with no deadlines to let time slip, and I felt like I needed some structure and support to push me into getting it open. Within two months of being on the course, I had started a pop up in Clapton and built a basic website. Starting the course made me realise - what am I waiting for???
What meaningful answers did you discover in working with Doug Richard and the experts he’s brought in to advise and mentor you?
Doug has a way of taking problems (that in your head are massive and keep you up at night) and simplifying them down to help you make decisions. Having started that many businesses it’s nice to have someone supporting you that has a very rational, realistic approach.
Although Doug is a bit of an all rounder, brining in people with very specific expertise meant we could get really into a detailed part of business development. There’s so much to learn and implement and it’s assuring to know that what people are teaching you is tried, tested and coming from someone who really knows what they’re doing.
What meaningful and useful knowledge have you acquired over the last year through School for Creative Startups?
The initial three day workshop was really useful for me. We had to explain our business in one sentence, which initially seemed impossible as I have a habit of wanting to go through all the ins and outs to anyone I meet. It was great to focus my mind on what it actually was that I was doing, what the most important aspects of my business were and be able to change the message appropriately according to who I was talking to.
Which speakers have had the biggest impact on you and your business?
I loved listening to Dinny Hall’s start up story. It’s so easy to see her stores and think that she has it all sorted, that it’s been an easy ride - but the truth is she struggled with things that we are all struggling with now. I really appreciated her honesty and she helped me to realise that although things might not be exactly how you want them to be right now, you try stuff, you learn from it and you grow as an businessness woman and a business.
Which School for Startups activities have been most influential in helping your business to evolve and grow?
I found the pitching workshop with Sue incredibly useful. Although I’ve done quite a lot of pitching in my career, I knew I could improve my technique. She was so confident and professional, and even though people were quite nervous about doing it, Sue had a great way of making people feel comfortable. I feel much more confident when I talk about NANA to investors, customers, potential partners - I’m still along way from perfect, but I will forever have Sue’s voice in my head reminding me to pause!
How has having access to business support and mentoring day in and day out helped you and your business?
I think knowing that I have people I can call/meet up with is a massive help. It’s not so much that I need it all the time, but knowing it’s there gives you a sense of security you don’t have when you’re totally on your own.
Which of your products are you proudest of? Why?
Since doing the cash flow exercise, I realised that I needed to think of different revenue streams to help sustain my business. I had an idea of selling NANA tea towels to bring more money into the business, but allow people to engage with the brand even if they couldn’t make it down to the cafe. We approached five different illustrators and asked them to choose an old school Nana saying, then had them screen printed onto tea towels ready for sale.
Check them out here - www.wearenana.com/collections/nanafacturing
Do you feel you’ve developed relationships through this program that will help you in the months and years to come?
One of the best things about the course is that I’ve met so many brilliant people. It’s great to be around coursemates that understand the stress of starting your own business, and are really supportive in what you’re trying to achieve. There have been times when I’m so tired and busy that you almost loose sight of what you’re doing, but after a monthly workshop/several cigarettes with your coursemates you leave feeling recharged and ready to smash it again!
What are you look forward to in the months ahead?
I’ve got big plans to franchise the model and let others start NANA cafes in their town. I want to expand the website to include some great NANA content, and am going to be expanding the NANAfacturing range. The Start Up Showcase was great exposure and I’ve been having some very exciting meetings with a range of businesses and organisations… lots of irons in the fire so watch this space!
