Shop Talk

I help founders of independent food shops who feel stuck or frazzled. I have 14 years’ lived experience of the triumphs and trials of food retail, from creating, running, scaling and ultimately closing social enterprise supermarket, HISBE. I seek to pass on the things I learned along the way. These are tough times for small businesses, so it helps to talk shop with someone who gets it because they’ve walked the same path. To the founders I work with, I’m a sounding board, a critical friend and a hands-on helper. 1. Sounding board: I offer practical one-to-one mentoring that gives you space and time to offload and think through challenges and solutions. 2. Critical friend: I offer a deeper dive “audit” of your business, looking into the 5 key recurring problems that shops deal with, to help uncover solutions and opportunities. 3. Hands-on helper: I offer rolled-up sleeves and practical support with whatever you need to get done, from merchandising on the shop floor, to business planning in the office. Together we figure out the next best steps towards a thriving shop and happy founder!