Tips and advice from Genius creator and food lover, Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne, on production, research, funding and the challenges, inspirations and issues that mumpreneurs face in starting and growing their businesses today.

1. What is your background as a mumpreneur?

I have three sons, two of whom have food allergies.  Prior to having my children, I trained as a chef at Bibendum restaurant in London and went on to teach at Leith’s School of Food and Wine when I co-authored their Techniques Bible. I also used to run my own business when I catered for exclusive parties and events in London.

When I discovered that two of my children had food allergies I decided to write a book called How to Cook for Food Allergies.  Knowing how difficult it can be to cook for a family with various allergies, I had the cookery knowledge to impart to others to make it easier for people in the same situation as me.  After writing the book, I went on to start-up a business called Genius Foods.

2. Describe your business.

Genius Foods is a gluten-free food company that specialises in creating fresh, high quality gluten-free food that tastes just as good as freshly-baked traditional products. Genius bread is fresh and soft, and tastes just like bread should. We won’t make anything that doesn’t taste as good as the wheat equivalents.  We now have 10 staff members at the moment across finance, sales, marketing, customer service and HR. It’s a close-knit team and we are growing all the time.

3. What made you decide to enter into this field of business?

While I was writing How to Cook for Food Allergies I learnt the intricacies of cooking gluten-free food and I found gluten-free bread to be the biggest challenge.  I continued to work on the recipe for that after the book was published until I was convinced that there was nothing else like it on the market.

4. What research did you do to ensure the validity of your business idea?

Initially, while I developed the bread recipe for my book, I regularly searched the internet and key retailers looking for gluten-free bread that behaved like and tasted as bread should, without success, which spurred me on. A year later Sir Bill Gammell became involved, providing not only financial backing but also advice, and he put me in touch with a brand management company that researched the gluten-free market in detail and then developed the brand and business strategy. Following 12 months of intensive product development Genius gluten-free fresh bread was launched in April 2009.

5. How did you fund the start up of your business?

Investment from shareholders and we also got some financial support from government grants.

6. What stage/s of setting up and maintaining the business did you find particularly challenging and why?

The greatest challenge was getting the product to market as there was so much to be done before we had even begun trading; scaling up the bread recipe, securing listings, setting up the company, finding investment, developing the brand, the packaging and the website.

7. What business achievement are you most proud of to date?

We’ve had a fantastic first year and there are lots of things to be proud of. Winning the Quality Food Awards last December was incredible, but above all being listed in all 5 major multiples within 1 year of trading has been a great achievement.  Genius is now available in Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose, Morrisons and ASDA.

8. How did you balance work with family life?

It has been difficult to go back to work after working from home and having less time to spend with my children but I have fantastic support from my husband. Daily family time is essential for our collective sense of wellbeing. I make sure I take the children to school as much as I can and we always eat together in the evening. Weekends and holiday time is sacred for spending uninterrupted periods of time together.

9. What’s a lesson you learned that you would like to pass onto other mums?

Believe in your idea, focus and hold your nerve when the going gets tough.

10. Which other mums in business do you find inspirational and why?

Liz Earle, her company has very similar ethics to Genius and she is expecting her fifth child.

www.geniusglutenfree.com