Would this work in East Dulwich?

[sylviamaria]

We are looking for some advice and feedback on our business idea. ?We? are a couple of mums with 8month old babies who want to set up a business around food and services for families with babies/ toddlers. There are two initial key strands to the idea:

a) A service to parents expecting a new baby that provides healthy, homecooked meals as well as some help getting ready for the new arrival (cleaning/declutterin/setting up the cot/shop for last essentials for hospital bag etc). This service would include a consultation on the foods they would like, 1-2hrs ?getting-ready? help, 5days worth of frozen meals in advance of the birth plus regular deliveries of frozen meals for up to 1, 2 or 4 weeks. A day?s worth of food consists of a light lunch and an evening meal, for two adults. The meals would be aimed at the nutrition needs of a new mum (without us claiming to be nutritionists) as well having a 'comfort food' element to them. Cakes etc would be optional and charged seperately.

We would also offer a supply of essentials (e.g. milk, eggs, bread ?all from the local deli/organic shops rather than supermarket but limited to a total, say 5items) at a small margin over costs when we deliver the meals.

The idea is to take away the need to cook as well as the need to shop without having to rely on supermarket ready meals or take aways.

We would also offer an ?emergency package? for those whose baby arrives early or who thought they would be more organised than they end up having time for (I remember myself being over optimistic on how much food I would pre-cook...)

b) The other part of the business is to provide healthy, homecooked frozen meals for families with older babies (min. 6months) who are using Baby Lead Weaning. A meal would be for 2 adults + baby/toddler, cooked to meet the baby?s needs (i.e. no salt, no preservatives, only natural occurring sugars), cut into shapes for BLW while still being a meal that adults would enjoy.

We would appreciate some feedback on the overall idea please! :)

[Pickle]

A good idea overall which I'm sure would appeal to many.

The overriding factor is price - I can't see you being able to provide this service cheaply, especially when it comes to the food side of things as you would need to ensure you follow food safety regulations (which I'm pretty sure mean you'd have to have your preparation premises inspected and operate under pretty strict guidelines). You also need to factor in public liability insurance etc.

I could see this appealing to working parents, perhaps not so much to people like me who are at home with kids.

There are already a few local people providing a similar service on the food side of things - Mrs Tinks, Mike (Bon3yard) etc, so there could be a fair amount of competition.

Good luck! Marketed well and priced competitively I'm sure you would do well.

[ratty]

Ok, my opinion. Some of the stuff you are talking about is the fun stuff about having a baby, the exciting preparation stuff, and very often is something the male partner can do to help feel he is involved. Maybe it is just me but I loved getting the house prepared for the new arrival, and doing the cooking and cleaning whilst mummy and new baby rested and bonded.

[hellosailor]

Yes I'm inclined to agree with Ratty that some of the stuff you mention '(cleaning/declutterin/setting up the cot/shop for last essentials for hospital bag etc)' while a bit menial in one sense is actually some of the exciting stuff that you relish doing for yourself / the new baby and would not want others to do even if it was offered for free. I definitely got a thrill out of packing my hospital bag (and eating and then having to re-buy and pack the chocs in it several times!)

The food service is a lovely idea, the success of which I think will depend on how much you have to charge for it to make it work, it might be one of those things that many people would lOVE to have but can't stretch to paying for, particularly when a new baby has taken a lot of cash to prepare for. Good luck with it all, exciting to be setting up a new business as two new mums! hope it goes well!

x

[sylviamaria]

Ratty and Hellosailor: I do see your point about the preparation aspect. I think I missed that bit, cos mine arrived a little early and I hadn't had time to do anything

Potentially focusing mainly on the food side might be an idea? Thanks for the feedback! :)

[Yak]

I tend to agree with Ratty - in those manic newborn days when basic speech evades you, you really need your other half to know where the spare vests / cot sheets etc are. I found our collective decluttering quite a bonding experience. I love the idea of food though - maybe worth thinking of vouchers etc you can cash in too? We were inundated with food for the first week or two but it was about 6 weeks in that it would have come in useful. A lot of people may have relatives staying for the first fortnight or so - it's once the relatives go & paternity leave comes to an end that things can get tough.

Again, just my personal preference but a trip to a local shop to pick up bread / milk was a good reason to get out & about without being too exhausting. I suppose it depends hue far away the local shops are!

We are just starting weaning (puree before going for BLW approach) so will let you have thoughts on that as it progresses.

[Mellors]

Cook in West Dulwich do similar homemade meals/kids meals/cakes etc and deliver in the area, so definitely check out the competition first. Good luck to you though!

[jollybaby]

I'm not sure about the decluttering/preparation side either. I think I'd feel a little uncomfortable having a stranger involved at this very personal time. I don't know how much could be achieved in 1-2 hours anyway. The food service sounds more promising- though you'd have stiff competition from cook, sainsbury's etc.

If I can tempt you away from food and into fashion - I think there is a huge gap in the market for a maternity clothes exchange round here. I asked the owner of 'give and take' whether she'd consider having a maternity section and she said rather bluntly 'no' which I think is a huge oversight.

Good luck and maybe see you on dragons' den soon!

[BB100]

I doubt I would have used the service you describe but I would have paid any price for someone to bring me a decent meal and some snacks when I was in hospital after the birth and for someone to bring me a few things, one of them being a camera because mine decided to stop working after 10 years on the day he was born. Hospitals probably wouldn't allow you to do a service through them but giving out flyers to pregnant mums and then when they call you you would become an invited visitor to the hospital I guess. All the best for your new venture.

[crystal7]

jollybaby Wrote:

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If I can tempt you away from food and into fashion

> - I think there is a huge gap in the market for a

> maternity clothes exchange round here. I asked the

> owner of 'give and take' whether she'd consider

> having a maternity section and she said rather

> bluntly 'no' which I think is a huge oversight.

>

> Good luck and maybe see you on dragons' den soon!

I agree. There's nowhere to buy 2nd hand maternity clothes, they don't even come up on the EDF much and then they just tend to be the odd item. I have bought some new stuff but at 37 weeks I'm too big for most of it. Hoping I don't go overdue as only have about 3 things that fit at the mo!

[prickle]

I think focusing purely on baby/toddler/pregnancy you will be constantly looking for new customers. All those stages are time limited (by definition!) and you will find that your customers will grow up and move on quickly. Surely the holy grail for any business is to get repeat customers who keep coming to you year in year out without you spending a fortune on marketing?

Whatever you decide, good luck!

[mima08]

Dear all ? thank you for your feedback and good luck wishes! We are really excited about investigating our options and the comments a great to help shaping the idea. Based on the feedback, I guess we should focus on the food aspect, and need to strike a balance between offering quality at a good price and still having a viable business.

One way we wanted to set ourselves apart from some of the competition was the idea of food plans ? meaning that not only you don?t have to cook but also you don?t have to think about shopping for your meals ? it is all pre-arranged. Personally, at the time when LO arrived I did not feel like making any food decisions; I was happy as long as something healthy was put in front of me! And I suspect, I?ll feel the same once I am back at work....

So we are thinking of tweaking the idea to offering 3 ? 5 ? 7 day meal (Lunch & Dinner) plans which can be bought at any time (including vouchers ? thanks Yak!) with different nutrition focus (i.e. nursing mother, BLW babies, etc) and market them at these groups (expecting parents, parents about to wean, working parents etc). The longer meal plans would include regular deliveries, overcoming it issue of limited freezer space.

What do you think?

We appreciate that there is some strong competition out there but honestly, you should see, smell & taste Sylviamaria?s cooking and you?d understand why we want to do a food business!

PS: Jollybaby - I like your idea re-maternity clothes too, maybe a second stage for the business! :)

[Coach Beth]

A great place to take this would be to the Mums in Business meetings that happen every 2nd Wednesday at the month at 8pm at the Daisy Lets offices on Lordship Lane - it is a very supportive group and many members have gone initially with ideas for either businesses or self-employment items and receieved support and conscutive feedback to help them take their ideas further. Claire, one of the orginal members is a great case study - Daisy Lets was born and nurtured out of the group!

[Belle]

I have to say I'd be very drawn to this - something about the fact it's devised by two mums would make me think you'd know what kind of meals etc would go down well, and would be nice & understanding to deal with. If you're having a tough post partum period, even simple transactions can be overwhelming so think this would make a difference. I've looked at the Cook website and am a bit overwhelmed by the choice - so I like your idea of e.g. the 'nursing mums' option.

[MOTHERSMEETINGS]

Great great idea, i recently had a complimentary trial of PURE PACKAGE they deliver gourmet food to your door. Just thought it might be worth checking out, even though your idea sounds diff.

Good luck with it all it sounds fab!!

Check pics of my review for PURE PACKAGE HERE

[Bellenden Belle]

MOTHERSMEETINGS Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Great great idea, i recently had a complimentary

> trial of PURE PACKAGE they deliver gourmet food to

> your door. Just thought it might be worth checking

> out, even though your idea sounds diff.

> !

>

> Check pics of my review for PURE PACKAGE HERE

Or for another take on Pure Package, check out local food blogger Hollow Legs:

http://lizzieeatslondon.blogspot.com/2011/05/pure-package.html

[ParentingWorkshop]

i think this is a fantastic idea!

[mima08]

Thanks again for your comments and suggestions - we will definitely come to the Mums in Business meeting (I guess it is next Wednesday, 12Oct?).

The point raised by Belle about keeping it simple is exactly what gave us the idea - I personally found even the most basic things overwhelming at the time ....

For the moment, I wonder if anyone knows someone who works in the food industry? Because looking at the regulations for labelling etc, they are NOT simple! :-S

[scareyt]

Jollybaby - Merry Go Round on Half Moon Lane in Herne Hill sell second hand & end of line maternity and children's clothes.