Leona’s first career was as a successful marketing consultant, working with Microsoft in the UK, then several advertising agencies and corporates such as Optus, CBA, Volvo, MBF, RAMS and Virgin Mobile.

During her time in the UK Leona took a holiday on a tall ship, and ended up launching her ‘food’ career as a Cook on an open-plan charter yacht in the Whitsunday Islands, with passengers from all over the word – the idea of cooking and group dynamics was launched!

Six years ago, using both her marketing and Le Cordon Bleu studies, she founded the Cheeky Food Group, a company that uses the fun and interaction of cooking together to provide team building, conference and client entertaining activities across Australia and New Zealand.

Leona has doubled turnover almost every year and taken an initial investment of a mere $5,000 to a $2,000,000+ company with big plans for the future.

What led you to recognise the interactive potential of cooking; and what inspired you to couple food preparation with hosting corporate events?

Firstly no one else was really doing it. I researched here and OS and only a couple of companies were doing this in the US, but really there were just cooking classes, that a company went to.

With my corporate and cooking background I was able to see the potential of combining both, but
knew that if it was going to be a marketable and profitable business venture, then it had to deliver on what corporates want - not what the chefs wanted to do! Also with my background, I knew that professionalism and over-delivery was key to repeat and referral business in the sometimes fickle corporate market. And to put on a fun event, not a cooking class. It’s about creating memories that get talked about… for all the right reasons!

Having doubled your turnover almost every year, what insight can you provide in regard to sustaining growth within a business?

We doubled for the first four years, then dropped to about 35% for the next 2.The key thing is to ensure your service continues to receive rave reviews. Then, and only then, can you diversify, otherwise you end up setting up new ventures based on average (to good if you’re lucky) procedures. We focused on team building and now we’re able to bring in new income streams.

What were the challenges you faced when leaving the relative stability of the corporate world, in favour of establishing your own business, and how do you suggest others might overcome similar obstacles?

Firstly, I did Cheeky part time and continued to do some marketing contracting, so I had the security of money. Also I genuinely love marketing and it kept me in contact with my prime target market for Cheeky and I could run ideas past them.

Many people underestimate how long it can take to get a new business up and running, so be prepared to have a secondary income source whilst you get the new one started.

Personally it wasn’t really a risk for me, as I knew I always had marketing to fall back on. I also had a cash kitty, and I kept Cheeky’s overheads very, very low during the first two years. During that time we basically wanted to see if the business model could make money. After the third year (which nearly killed me!), I gave up all other marketing and focused on Cheeky.

The key is to minimise risk and start stashing money before you take the leap. Yes you need to be excited and passionate, but nothing will kill a great business idea quicker than an owner who’s stressed about money….nothing!

How did your background in marketing aid you in establishing and promoting Cheeky Food Group?

100% I’d say. I could do all the marketing, copywriting, newsletters, research myself which was a MASSIVE saving. It also meant I had access to run business ideas past people in my target market. Maybe more than anything else I wasn’t a chef with a focus on restaurant or cooking class customers, trying to take a business idea to the corporate market. I already was a corporate marketer, so I just ‘got’ it. Then my Le Cordon Bleu training gave me the background I needed for the events itself. And of course, as any marketer knows, you dig until you find out what’s going to get a sale, then you deliver on that, rather than what a chef might want to cook or do. Each event is tailored to the clients’ business objectives, mission statement, focus for the year ahead, their job functions etc…so it’s about them, not the chef. Big difference.

I also spent considerable time developing the brand and now feel like we’ve really nailed it. The staff live and breathe it. Our clients expect it. And it’s so easy to set a delivery expectation for everyone. I don’t think a non-marketer would truly understand the value in this, especially as brand building/development is not a one-off marketing activity… it’s a year long, year on year, commitment.

Do you believe there is a definite way to ascertain the success of an idea prior to the commencement of a business venture, or does one just have to ‘jump in’ and hope for the best?

Jumping in is fun, but it can cost you a lot of money! Research doesn’t have to be expensive, long and tedious. Simply go and have coffee with people in your target market and ask! Also set goals on when to bail if you haven’t had the success you expect by a certain time.

Is there a definite way to pre-ascertain success?

No, otherwise someone would be very rich on that process alone! At the end of the day, you have to do your figures, your research and your competitive analysis. And if you’re in IT or the digital world, assume that someone will come up with a better product very soon so you better be damn quick about it! There are so many great ideas out there, but if they’re too costly to launch and sustain and don’t have growth potential after the initial yee-hah period, then they should stay as a great back-of-a-beer-coaster idea…

Where do you see yourself; and Cheeky Food Group in 2015?

Love this question! We’ll have Cheeky established in the UK, US, NZ at a minimum. The Cheeky brand will be well known, well loved and able to launch many other great food/fun/people/connection business ideas. I’ll scoot around the world, helping out where I can and driving the ongoing strategy… but most of all it will be fun, all about people and obviously profitable, so my other Cheeky Charity Cook-Up ideas can be launched. I have one motto in life “If it’s not fun, I’m just not interested”! Helps keep me on track in my personal and business life. And when it comes to business it’s “But if it’s all FUN, but bordering on frivolous, then it’s just not professional, so walk away or change it”.

Interviewed by Nicholas - entrepreneur and founder of Nimbler Website Design and Development

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Posted on February 3rd, 2009 by Nicholas