Choosing the direct-to-consumer route<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nBex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
So great to have you on the show. How are you doing? How\u2019s business?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
James Mansfield:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Very well, thanks for having me. Business is great, thank you. Some challenges at the moment, but yeah, we\u2019ve had a good couple of years.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
You\u2019ve had a storming couple of years.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
I remember reading about you in the papers because you, alongside some other subscription services, saw this massive boom prompted, I think by lockdown, but then you seem to have sustained that growth.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Tell me about the inception. What you were doing before, and what gave you the idea to launch something like this?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
James Mansfield:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
We certainly looked at whether direct to consumer was growing, but there weren\u2019t really many examples in the market. There was Donald Russell and a few others, but there wasn\u2019t anybody specifically doing what we did. So it was definitely a bit of a punt.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The idea really was the fact that (field&flower co-founder) James Flower\u2019s beef farm<\/a> was producing high-quality grass-fed beef, but it was going to market. So it was getting lost in the food chain. He wasn\u2019t realising a premium for the product.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So we thought, if we can sell direct to consumer, we can pay James\u2019s dad a bit more for the cattle, and then everybody wins.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The money\u2019s going back to the farmer directly, we\u2019re paying a bit more and we can tell the story of the product being grass fed and the field that it was raised in.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n And I think that really resonated with people.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But ultimately, people need to eat, and people were eating beef mince, and burgers, and steaks.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So we were kind of playing at percentages, I guess, in some ways because we knew that we were selling products that were popular in the UK.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I think that gets you off to a good start.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n And where did you start?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So tell me, what you did in the outset and what we\u2019ll see how that then developed as the business evolved.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Well, we kept it really simple at the beginning.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We decided to loan a beef animal from James\u2019s dad. With that we created 32 beef boxes and we sold them to friends and family, and there was no talk of subscription at that point.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It was very much, what do people think of the product?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We did a lot of that for the first couple of years, we were just trying to understand the product.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Ultimately, there was a point where we had some excess beef, in terms of the four-quarter of the animal. So we thought, well, we need another route to market here.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So actually, before subscription came, we were going to food festivals and using our four-quarter beef to make burgers and we were selling burgers and some minute steaks\u2014that was great and actually, really exciting.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n There was better margin in that, and the bright lights drew us towards building an events business for a short period.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We got back from Glastonbury 2011, having not had a good time there and we decided that we were really going to focus on online.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So we were thinking about what the online, e-commerce site should look like.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Our customers helped us in making those decisions because we had a few regulars at that point while running the events, and they wanted to repeat their previous orders.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So we went to a food show at Earls Court and a guy came up to us, and we were just selling some of our product.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n And he said, \u201cI\u2019d like to order a beef brisket, three kilos, every four weeks.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n He became known as Billy Brisket and was a great advocate of the business for the first year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But our customers were saying, \u201cWell, this is a great product, and I actually cook with beef mince every week for my family, so can you just set me up on direct debit and get this delivered to me every two or four weeks?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So that kind of led the way, and we tried to understand how people were using our products.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The feedback that we were given is what led us to subscription.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I think if we didn\u2019t have a product that people were cooking with regularly and repeat purchasing, then we wouldn\u2019t have decided to have a subscription business, but that was certainly something that the customers were telling us.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So I\u2019d say a big strategic moment was post-Glastonbury, deciding to get a new website built and bringing our subscription functionality to the site.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n That really then set us on the e-commerce journey.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Bless Billy Brisket.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n And what was so bad about that Glastonbury?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Was that the horrifically muddy one?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I\u2019ve tried to forget about it, and this is going to sound really naive, but we ended up in the dance area.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I think we were the only food vendor there and we really should have spotted it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But we got sent a map pre-Glastonbury, probably a week before saying, this is where you\u2019re going to be. It was a sort of a pencil drawing with a cross, a bit like a treasure map.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But we hadn\u2019t really spotted that we were in the dance area, and we were about 50ft from a path. So yes, it was very wet, as you would expect of Glastonbury.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But we watched thousands of people walk past us not buying anything, because we were in the wrong area.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But it taught us a real lesson and we had paid a lot to be on site.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I think we had paid \u00a320,000 for everything that we needed, stock, staff, the marque, the gas, the electricity.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So, we learned a lesson really quickly there, and we\u2019d actually had a really good V Festival the year before.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But we\u2019d only done two music festivals, and we decided that actually, that wasn\u2019t the focus of the business. We wanted to grow an online business. That was apparent at the beginning.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But as I say, we got led astray. I think luckily, we stopped that pretty quickly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n That\u2019s interesting though, because I think as a food business, as an entrepreneur, you think that festivals are going to give you amazing exposure and will be really powerful for the brand.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But I like that you learnt quickly that actually, a lot of people at a festival, off their heads, staggering around, are probably not going to remember you.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Yeah no, absolutely not.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Someone said to us, which was actually really good advice, that you need to look at festivals like Glastonbury over a five-year period.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n You need to go there, you need to trade, you need to be in the right place. You need to take a view that you are going to have bad festivals.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So I think, we could have had a very different experience, if we\u2019d gone and done some research as to where we were going to be, but we weren\u2019t paying a huge amount for our pitch.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n Can you tell me how the business has grown since that wholesale pivot to the subscription model, the delivery model, how have you reached new customers?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n How quickly has the business grown, and what have been the main catalysts for that growth?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I would describe our business philosophy as slow and steady.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We didn\u2019t go out and do a big fundraise at the beginning. It took us five or six years to get to our first raise, and our only raise.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We wanted to build a business with really good foundations, and we could see Abel & Cole, and Riverford had done that over a long period of time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We wanted hold on to our equity as well, and we made no secret about that.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So we were taking a longer-term view of how to grow the business.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n There were lots of moving parts as well, due to us being a DTC business.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n At the beginning, we were literally farming the beef, all the way through to doing the sales, the customer service, and the delivery. We were spinning lots of plates.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I think the thing that helped field&flower grow was, there was no silver bullet, it was just testing different channels, and quickly understanding what was working, what was bringing the right customers in.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So when we were building our email list, we were signing customers up to our subscription plan at food shows.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n That\u2019s what Flower and I did for the first four years of the business.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n PR played a massive part in growing the business and we were doing lots of direct sales.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A big moment for us was bringing on board Steven from Abel & Cole. He really started to transform the business into our digitally led, customer acquisition business.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We\u2019ve probably got five or six customer acquisition channels that work really well for us, but it\u2019s a challenge.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n That\u2019s the challenge for any online business, managing customer acquisition costs, lifetime value and ensuring that we\u2019re fishing in the right pools for customers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But I think we got to a certain point where word of mouth really starts to help, because people started referring their friends on to us.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n When you say you became a digitally led customer acquisition business, what does that mean?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Does that mean you find customers through social media, or you do online hookups and partnerships with other brands, and that\u2019s how you get people in?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Explain for anyone who\u2019s new to this whole world of customer acquisition, what that means and what channels have been most successful.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So we definitely benefited from our email list.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n As I said, that was something that we built ourselves, up to around 40,000 people quite early on. So we could market that way. We began to do lots of social media advertising, PPC (pay per click) on Google.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We have a platform on the site, which is called \u2018Mention Me\u2019, which is a refer a friend platform that really helps people refer their friends to field&flower.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Then, obviously, PR plays a huge part. We\u2019ve got an article from The Independent, I think it was in 2013, for the best meat box. It still delivers a huge amount of traffic to the site.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So there\u2019s huge value in having those high-quality links from press articles, as well.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So, that\u2019s a bit of an overview.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n James, you mentioned a little while ago that your approach to growth was slow and steady, and that, that\u2019s why you chose not to raise a lot of investment.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n And when you did raise investment, it was quite a long way in.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Can you tell me about that fundraising? I think it was a Crowdcube raise.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n And tell me about your approach.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n What went right? What went wrong, if anything? And what you learned from that experience.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Yeah, the theory was that we didn\u2019t want to accelerate our growth in the early days, because we weren\u2019t set up to do that.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n And when you take people\u2019s money on board, you have to be responsible with that.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We didn\u2019t do a fundraise until 2017.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n That was when we felt comfortable, that we\u2019d got the business in a good place. We\u2019d just posted a profit, we could see how we could grow, and we wanted to be responsible in taking other people\u2019s money on board.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So we decided that we had a really engaged audience at field&flower, because of the subscription nature of the business.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We spoke to Seedrs and we spoke to Crowdcube, and we decided that Crowdcube had done a few more food raisers at the time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We decided to go with those guys, and they were really supportive, and we had a really good experience of how you think about doing a fundraiser.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It was the first for us, as we say.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We\u2019d watched other businesses do it on Crowdcube, and we built a whole campaign, to market to our customers, to friends and then the wider audience.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n And it worked really well.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We got 52% of our funds from customers, which was great. We were on site for around six weeks, and we raised \u00a3877,000.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We used the funds to really accelerate growth, but also to bring in some experts into the business, which was going to be really important, to support that growth.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So it was a really tough period to go and do that fundraising.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We were running the business in the evening, doing the fundraise in the day and it was a huge amount of pressure because if you don\u2019t raise the target amount, then you don\u2019t get a penny.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We were also obviously, having to talk about the business, the financials and we had competitors investing in us.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It was a challenge, but it was really positive.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We are really thankful that we got through it, and it was a very positive experience. It really was fundamental in where the businesses is today.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n You had competitors investing in you? What?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Well the minimum amount is \u00a310, that you could invest in our fundraise.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So we could see people, in other businesses, had gone on and invested \u00a310. The benefit of that is that you can get access to financial information that we were trying to give for serious investors.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Then, they were going to get investor updates, as well\u2014which they still do.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We still send, of course, to investor updates. But that\u2019s part and parcel of fundraising, and part and parcel of business, I think, it\u2019s a very competitive sector.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I\u2019m so naive. I wouldn\u2019t have even thought that would happen.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But of course, then you get early access to all these numbers. Why wouldn\u2019t you try and have a sneaky peak, if you can?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n On that point about it being a competitive sector, tell me how competitive is it?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n You mentioned a couple of long-standing rivals, but there are lots of new players coming into this space.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Do you see yourself as competing with the recipe boxes?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Talk to me about rivalry.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Yeah, well we are really competitive.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So, we definitely have a look at what\u2019s going on all the time. We were really surprised when the recipe boxes turned up.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We were at a food show, Flower and I were stood behind a table, selling our subscription service, and Gousto turned up next door.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We were like, who are these guys? Where\u2019s this come from? Recipe boxes. We thought that was just kind of Scandinavia.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We obviously have a very different proposition to them. I think that\u2019s the first point.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Recipe boxes are designed for people that are short on time, that don\u2019t want the waste and want to cook quickly and follow recipes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We know that our customers are very different.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n They want to cook from scratch. They want good-quality ingredients. They want free-range chicken, grass-fed beef, etcetera.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But ultimately, I think we have got different motivations in the kitchen. So I think we\u2019ve got a very different set of customers. I know we do.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Our real competitor is the supermarket.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We are taking customers from the supermarkets, but that\u2019s where we\u2019d also lose a customer, is back to a Waitrose or a Sainsbury\u2019s. So they\u2019re our competitors, really.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Our sector, in terms of just pure meat delivered to home, is really small. There\u2019s not many of us here anymore. I\u2019d say that\u2019s an overview of competitors, really.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n You say that you sometimes lose people back to the supermarkets.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Does price point play into that?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I\u2019m asking that because as we\u2019re doing this interview, there\u2019s a whole cost of living crisis in the news every day, and there\u2019s fears that a lot of people are just not going to have much disposable income.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So, talk to me about price point.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n How you compete with the supermarkets, knowing that you are a premium offering.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n How do you ensure that you maintain your margin, yet you\u2019re not too expensive for customers, yet you are reassuringly expensive?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I think when we began, we had a fairly heavy premium on the product, because we were very small, and we didn\u2019t have any kind of scale.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We\u2019ve managed to position ourselves now as competitive with the equivalent product if it\u2019s there and on the supermarket shelf.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But that\u2019s just come over years of working at trying to grow the business, working with our suppliers, making sure that we can pass a premium on to our customers in certain categories.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We do price check against Sainsbury\u2019s and Waitrose, and we\u2019re often a similar price. Some under, some slightly over, but we know that we need to compete there, where we can.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But equally, we recognise that our job as a business is to explain to customers that the product has got traceability.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n That the animal hasn\u2019t been given antibiotics, that we are treating our farmers fairly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We\u2019ve got long-standing relationships with many of our farmers. Years and years, really. That\u2019s the way that you can charge slightly more for the product.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We explain that that\u2019s being passed back to the farmer.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I think the benefit of field&flower\u2019s on pricing is also that we\u2019ve got a short supply chain.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So the product\u2019s not passing through lots of hands, it\u2019s going from farm to butcher, to customer essentially. That really benefits us in being able to compete on price.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But you\u2019re absolutely right. We want to be reassuringly expensive in some regards, because meat has become almost a commodity product in the supermarkets, and we shouldn\u2019t be able to buy a chicken for \u00a31 or \u00a32. It\u2019s not right.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So it goes back to the earlier point. We want to go back to saying, this is great-quality meat, but it\u2019s not something that should be eaten every night of the week, really.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n You said that you and the other James learnt butchery, basically, so that you could manage every aspect of the business in the early days.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n How did you learn it?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n And how important was that education in terms of being a better entrepreneur and running a better meat business?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We understood early on that we really needed to know our product, Flower understood the animal in the field, and how to rear that to great quality.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But we weren\u2019t butchers ourselves. So we had a friend that was our first butcher, Andy. He now runs some Somerset charcuterie.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n He taught us really the art of butchery.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n He was definitely leading the way, and it stood us in such good stead today, because when we go and talk to our butchers, we talk to our farmers, we\u2019re always talking about carcass balance and we\u2019re buying in natural proportions, and making it as sustainable as possible, so there isn\u2019t wastage.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So it was a great learning curve early on, and certainly miss those days of being stood around the butchery block and creating burgers that you knew someone was tasting the next day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It was a really fun time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Where is field&flower going to go from here? Because you\u2019ve talked about the slow and steady growth model.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Also because what you are selling is a premium product, this is a slow, sustainable product, the idea of you becoming a mass market brand, doesn\u2019t quite feel like it works.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So, what are your growth plans? How big could you get, and are there limits on how big you could get?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It\u2019s a question we get asked quite a lot. And there is a big addressable market available in the UK, because of the type of product that we\u2019re selling, which as I said, is staples.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Our top sellers are beef mince, chicken breasts, whole chicken, sausages, and bacon. So there\u2019s lots of people cooking those products, eating those products every week.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We haven\u2019t got big marketing budgets, and we haven\u2019t done any big fundraisers. We haven\u2019t got that kind of capital to go and deploy, and really try and eat into market share.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We\u2019re just saying ultimately, this slow and steady approach, albeit we went from I think, \u00a332,000 sales in our first year, to \u00a313.2m in our last financial year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So we would consider that good growth, but we think there\u2019s a huge market for what we\u2019re doing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We just need more people to know about the business and the brand. We will continue to use the channels of communication we\u2019ve got to continue to grow the business.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We don\u2019t want to accelerate growth too fast. We need to be really careful about our growth, but we will continue to grow.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We feel that the business can get up to \u00a350m, \u00a375m in sales, for sure. I think we were fairly responsible with that. That certainly showed in getting to profit over the last couple of years.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n That\u2019s smart. You don\u2019t buy outright, just in case it\u2019s like a temporary blip. You only invest what you\u2019ll actually end up getting back.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n That\u2019s really interesting.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Tell me then James, so in the history, in the 12-year history of field&flower, what\u2019s the biggest mistake that you guys have made, and what did you learn from it?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Luckily, we haven\u2019t made any that are so catastrophic that we are not here anymore.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I think the biggest mistake that we\u2019ve made is not trusting early on that we could outsource work with a butchery partner.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I think, we were certainly butchering for as I said, a couple of couple years too long probably.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n While it was great to have that control, I think looking back we might be a couple years ahead if we had we\u2019d let go of that.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But we were very worried about letting go at the time, because we knew how important quality was.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So I think that\u2019s probably the thing I look back on and think, if we could change one thing, it would probably be that.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n How hard has it been to evolve with the growth of the business?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Because I presume that your role has changed dramatically over the years, in some ways in a positive way. In some ways you mentioned you missed the butcher\u2019s block.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n How tricky has it been to make sure that your skills keep pace with what the business needs?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Business is really, really tough and I take my hat off to anyone starting out now, or 10 years in, or 30 years in.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I think you have to try and evolve, and you have to realise what you are good at, and what you\u2019re not good at more importantly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We try and hire people that are better than us and are specialists in areas. That\u2019s absolutely key.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Understanding what your key skills are.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So I think ultimately, trying to grow the business by yourself, thinking that you can do everything, isn\u2019t the right answer.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I would say early on, it\u2019s really important to make sure the website\u2019s SEO friendly. We didn\u2019t do that.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So we spent a lot of time trying to improve the search functionality on the website. I\u2019d say, make sure that you don\u2019t spend too much money on a website.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n There\u2019s a huge variance from what I can see when we look at re-platforming or even when we were starting out, looking at websites.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n There are low-cost options that can do an awful lot, that we didn\u2019t realise at the beginning.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I\u2019d say, be smart with what platform you choose, make sure that you can scale with it, but don\u2019t spend too much money on that.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Don\u2019t let your website be money pit. That\u2019s great advice. James, thank you so much for coming on the show.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I\u2019ve loved talking to you, and I can\u2019t wait to see where the business goes from here.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Yeah. Thanks Bex. It\u2019s been great talking.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to\u00a0Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a>\u00a0here.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We are also on Spotify<\/a>\u00a0and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Join our community to share your insights and stories on\u00a0Twitter @SageIreland<\/a>\u00a0using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram\u00a0@SageOfficial<\/a>\u00a0or in the comments below!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n You can find field & flower on\u00a0their website<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nListen to your customers\u2019 wants and needs to develop your business model<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
James Mansfield:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Do your research before festivals like Glastonbury<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
James Mansfield:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Testing different channels and understanding what works for you<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
James Mansfield:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Building strong email lists and using referrals<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
James Mansfield:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
You don\u2019t have to fundraise when you first start your business\u2014you can do it further down the line<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
James Mansfield:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Competitors might invest in you to sneak a peek at your financial information<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
James Mansfield:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Understanding your rivals and how to position yourself against them<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
James Mansfield:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
James Mansfield:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Learning every aspect of your business\u2014including butchery<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
James Mansfield:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Slow and steady wins the race<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
James Mansfield:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Outsourcing could launch your business forward\u2014don\u2019t be scared to try it<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
James Mansfield:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Don\u2019t let your website become a money pit<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
James Mansfield:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
James Mansfield:<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Inspired by this small business story?<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Want to know more about field & flower and James Mansfield?<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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