Motivating Mum UK

by Clare Moran, Co-Founder of My Secret Kitchen

My Secret Kitchen is the UK’s first nationwide food and drink tasting company.  We are a direct selling party plan business (we prefer to call our events ‘tastings’) with currently 80 consultants from Edinburgh to the South Coast.  The concept is that we produce our own range of exciting new food products which consultants prepare and show to clients at home tasting events.  We also have on-line sales but predominantly we want to support our consultants to build their own businesses by selling direct to consumers.

The direct selling food concept is so exciting to us – you get to taste and experience our foods with expert advice from one of our consultants as well as hearing new recipes and share ideas of your own.  It is the ultimate in enabling consumers to have a complete buying decision.
The idea for the business came about from a desire for my husband and I to build a new kind of food business.  We both have backgrounds in the food industry and became aware of a similar direct selling concept in the USA.  It didn’t take much for that eureka moment to show us that we could combine our talents and develop the idea for the UK market with our own principles and values.

We then spent 2 years developing the food products and the business concept, using help from industry experts, an authentic business coach and our all important family and friends.  The key for our business was growing a network of people who share a passion for food and those who are looking for more fulfilment and work / life balance.  Our business is a natural attraction for women but we have male consultants too.

The business officially launched in June 2007 and my husband left his job so we could focus on My Secret Kitchen together.  We have 2 small children and of course our commitment to them comes first with My Secret Kitchen being a close second!  Operating a business from home can be all-consuming so we have learned how to make time for our family and to make the space for the other activities that we enjoy.  Time management is a constant challenge with no two days being the same but we have promised ourselves one day a week (not always on the week-end!) as a family day.  I also make time for running and some exercise, without which I would go seriously crazy!

We have now been able to out-source the picking and packing side of the business to free up some time as well as employing some part time help with consultant training so it has been a gradual process of involving trusted companies so we can focus on the bigger picture.  However, some days it still feels like we are managing the functions of about 5 people and we have to remember to occasionally take stock and re-focus on our long term plans.

One thing I have learned is that you can’t control every outcome!  Every day I put my heart and soul into the business and I sometimes find myself lying awake at night wondering what we could do better.  The answer is to be happy with where you are now and keep on keeping on!

It has also been important for us to be clear about our values and what makes our business special but also have the foresight and humility to be flexible when necessary.  I am naturally a perfectionist and I want to give 100% to being a mother, wife and business owner but I have had to comes to terms with just being the best I can be in that moment. (When I’m working I’m worrying about the children, when I’m with the children I’m thinking about my ‘to do’ list – sound familiar?!)

It also takes time to build a great business and I am proud that we have not cut corners; our business has a purpose that extends beyond making money – we care about making quality foods that consumers get to try first in a tasting experience and that we can share our business by enabling others to run their own My Secret Kitchen business.  Best of all, we can lead from an authentic business because we have built this business from scratch so we know what its like because we’ve been there!

The future for My Secret Kitchen is really bright!  We have amazing wonderful new products up our sleeves and I know that there are amazing wonderful people just around the corner ready to join us as consultants.  Even in the unsettled financial climate I know that we have an opportunity, whether that is to provide a second income for our consultants or to help raise awareness about investing in good food & investing in a business with practices that you can believe in.