From idea to business launch in 3 months - We chat to Philip Crilly of Eatibbles
by Startacus Admin
For those of you who think it can take an age to start a business don’t panic - it doesn’t have to be that way! Philip Crilly is a case in point - having conceived, set up and launched Eatibbles within a three month period. When Philip mentions in one of his answers “back in February 2013”, he is not speaking ironically - he literally only started the process of starting Eatibbles ‘back then’.
And so, it stands to reason that Philip is a good real life case study to chat to about just that and also how he has achieved some pretty useful and self generated publicity over the last few months. So it’s over to Philip to answer our questions...
Eatibbles- What's it about and who is it for?
Eatibbles focuses on creating quality gluten-free products that can't be distinguished from their gluten-containing alternatives. We create products that all the family can enjoy regardless of whether they have coeliac disease or not. By creating delicious products we are aiming to not only capture the coeliac market but also those who enjoy great tasting healthy snacks.
We currently have three products available in 450g bags: Sour cherry and Mixed berry gluten-free granola, Macadamia and Cranberry gluten-free granola, Pecan and Almond gluten-free granola
Our aim is to expand our product offering to include smaller snack-size packs, and also to address different food intolerance needs.
We had spotted your name and business mentioned in a Startup article in the Guardian and we are also aware that you have been getting some good coverage via Enterprise Nation with a 12 week blog. Explain how all of the above came about!
Back in February 2013 I was looking for some information on starting a business when I came across the Enterprise Nation website which was running Start-Up Saturday events at the British Library. One of the barriers I faced starting my business was that I didn't know where to start! So I thought this would be the perfect event to get me going!
At Start-up Saturday Emma Jones ran through all the essential processes required to set up a business and she gave us all some feedback and advice on our new business ideas. She also suggested contacts that may be able to support our venture.
In the past, when I have attended courses and workshops, I tend to go home and forget about them, never putting anything I have learned into practice. This time I decided that I really needed to get started on my business. I contacted Emma to see if she would mind featuring my startup story on her website as part of a 12-week challenge. She was hugely enthusiastic and loved the idea and that is how the Eatibbles story came to be featured on Enterprise Nation.
The Guardian article came about when a journalist, called Mark Williams, approached Emma to feature businesses that operate in the hours of 5-9pm. Mark rang me to ask a few questions about my business journey so far and the result is the Guardian article you mentioned.
Your business is still in the process of fully launching - what have been the biggest challenges you have faced to date?
When launching a new business there are lots of things you need to get right like deciding on what type of company you will be (sole trader, limited company etc), getting the appropriate insurance and having your product tested to ensure it meets industry standards. While these are all challenges in themselves, when they are broken down into manageable tasks then they can really go from being challenges to just being things to do.
For me, setting myself a 12-week deadline to get up and running really forced me to work through the challenges more quickly than I would have otherwise done. Emma's book 'The Start Up Kit' does address a lot of the questions I had about successfully launching and I would recommend this to anyone thinking of setting up on their own.
As a part time business one big challenge I face is lack of time! I leave for work at 7am, get to the gym for 7pm and then after I've had dinner it might be 9pm so fitting in the work I need to do on the business can be difficult to manage. If you're passionate about your new venture and really believe in it then I think you will find the time to get it up and running. The lowdown on the innovative companies that have been accepted into Net Zero 2.0, the programme dedicated to supporting the UK’s most promising climate tech companies
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