Tag Archives: Women in business

All That Happened The Day We Opened A Deli By Mistake

On May 12th, 2017, Ass Monkey and I accidentally opened up a delicatessen.

I mean, we had planned to do it, we’d talked and dreamed about it for years. But were we really prepared to open a deli for the first time?

Were we fuck.

At 7am on that Friday morning, we opened the doors and had NO IDEA what was to come.

People queued up and down Rush Main Street for breakfasts, lunches, coffees and cake and we hadn’t entirely anticipated their arrival.

By 8am we had to ask Hulda, the Head Barista from Two Spots Coffee to jump in and give us a hand – she ended up staying for three whole hours. (Thanks Hulda, we love you)

Then we ran out of bread. I mean, our main service is to make effing sandwiches and we ran out of bread!

By lunchtime, we ran out of cake. CAKE! FFS!

Our little deli had been so sorely needed in our hometown for years that almost everyone who lives there came down for a look and to support – we were happy to see them, of course, but we had serious trouble feeding them fast enough!

That first month was crazy and we learned a lot on the fly – how to properly run a food and coffee house, how to develop the brand and menu, listening to our customers’ s requests and adjusting accordingly, figuring out our staff and stock levels..

..it has been one HELL of a journey so far.

I would say that opening a new business isn’t unlike having a newborn – you are like a deer caught in the headlights for the first couple of months, trying to incorporate this new energy into your life and settling on a rhythm and routine that works for you and the rest of your family.

There may also have been a few sleepless nights of worry – the usual!

There are some great Opening Weekend pics coming through! ✨ Keep on sending them through to us x

A post shared by Skinny Batch (@skinnybatchdeli) on

We can now breathe a bit, knowing that we’ve survived the tough part – from here on out it’s just making sure that our little place continues to serve the community of Rush and beyond to the best of our abilities.

And to churn out cake. Lots and lots of cake ;o)

(Check out our website here and come say Hi some day! x)

 

 

Business and Pensions: A Snapshot of our Grown-up Lives

So we bought a business premises.

Ass Monkey and I became directors of Dynamic Cater Care when I was just a few weeks’ pregnant with Jacob.

We always knew we wanted to work for ourselves and seized the opportunity in 2011 while we had a few quid in the bank and enough contacts in Dublin bars and restaurants to get us going.

So Alan borrowed my dad’s van for his first few jobs and off he went while I kept my then part-time job going (just in case!) and simultaneously sent out invoices on my days off, crossing my fingers that they’d be paid.

Six years later we have a fleet of vans, a great team of engineers, admin and accounts legends and have built a solid reputation as the go-to company for new restaurant fit-outs and emergency service calls when kitchen equipment is going down around the city.

Our next step was to buy our own premises and after much ado with being out-bid, waiting for liquidation solicitors and wondering if we’d get the keys right on our wedding day (we didn’t in the end, but it would have been hilarious; “sorry, can’t make it up the aisle, have to to sign some legal papers” lol) – we finally got our hands on an old FAS training centre in Ballymun.

We’ve spent the last three months tearing apart the building and getting it ready for our purposes. What used to be various training rooms are now our offices and engineers’ workshop and we’ve knocked every wall down to give us the big warehouse space that we need.

We still have a lot of work to do on the building to get it REALLY nice but our operations are all officially moved across since Monday and everyone is getting settled in.

When you are self-employed you often get so busy just running the business and keeping afloat that you forget to take care of your personal stuff.

Like pensions. Yes, I said ‘pensions’. Somebody get me my shawl.

We see this new building now as our pension and security – it’s another little safeguard for our family and our financial future and so aside from it just being SO FRICKIN COOL that we have our own place, it also serves that very grown-up purpose.

ALTHOUGH – it is nestled right between Musgraves and IKEA so my debit card is clearly going to have to be confiscated from Monday to Friday – eek!

 

Introducing ‘Mum’s Box’ from Raising Ireland

We had a little idea and we ran with it.

The idea was born from my ongoing understanding that the welfare of family – and in particular, mammies – is completely neglected in Ireland.

Being a part of wonderful support networks such as Irish Parenting Bloggers has meant that I have gotten to hear and absorb the most important message that all mums need to hear; ‘Look after yourself and you can look after everyone else’.

It’s so true. Rather than push myself to my limits as I previously did, and risk being too stressed out to be the best mum I can be around my kids, I make sure to treat myself as much as I can.

I take a nap if I’m wrecked, I get cover and hoof up a hill or two for an hour if I’m uptight & I get into the bath with a face or hair mask as much as I can.

This is why we developed ‘Mum’s Box’ – because being kind to ourselves as mums is a learned thing. We need to help each other remember that we deserve simple treats such as a cuppa and a slice of cake or a nice new lipstick!

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To subscribe to Mum’s Box is €20 for a once-off box & there are reductions for multiple subscriptions available.

We’re sending beauty products, amazing skincare items, sweet treats and a novelty trick or two to keep smiles on those mum’s faces.

The difference between us and other beauty boxes is that we are dedicated to providing a support network to mum’s – a cheerleading team who will send positive messages and helpful information on parenting in every box.

There is a 50% discount for our gorgeous Raising Ireland readers – just enter ‘PRELAUNCH’ at the checkout.

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Competition Time: 2 Tickets To Women’s Inspire Hosted By 2fm DJ Ruth Scott

Well hello there!

As you all know at this stage, I love women.

OH YES YOU READ THAT RIGHT.

Not to worry about poor ole Ass Monkey.. he’s still getting his wedding day out – I don’t love women in THAT way (although Jessica Alba anyone?!)

I love to support other women in the way that we all should be naturally doing, as opposed to constantly being pitted against each other in all the ridiculous ways that society has invented over the years.

As a business woman, I love to see other women thrive in doing what they love in their careers and have been truly amazed over the years at the amount of pregnant women or new mothers I have encountered who have insatiable appetites for starting up new business ideas at a time when one would otherwise suppose that they are too busy.

I have come to the realisation that it is not only the men who feel an urge to ‘hunt and gather’ when children come along but it is true for mums too.

The women I meet are charging forward in business because they really want to secure their children’s future in a way that they are in control of and I find it incredibly admirable (and sometimes crazy. Sometimes I have to say, ‘Er your baby is due in 2 weeks, do you really want to launch this now? But the Power of the Mammy cannot be underestimated as you know!)

With that said, there are great resources for women in business in Ireland if you are thinking about setting yourself up as the next greatest entrepreneur.

There is start-up funding available from your local enterprise board, inspirational podcasts to download and a wealth of tutorials online from business experts in almost every field.

Attending seminars and workshops are a great way to meet other women who have the experience behind them in business and are willing to share it with you. It’s also, from my experience, a great way to feel motivated to put plans in place that you may have been pondering on for too long.

We have two full-price tickets to give away to the upcoming ‘Women’s Inspire Network – From Kitchen Table to Building an Empire’ event in the City North Hotel, Co. Meath – one for each competition winner.

The event takes place from 9 am to 5 pm on Wednesday, October 5th and promises a full day of workshops and seminars, lead by inspirational business women in a variety of industries.

To enter, simple enter your below and we will announce the winner this Friday, September 30th at 5pm.

Check out the great line-up of speakers and events here:

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