smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

After finishing her degree Charlotte Fudge started mail order biscuits company Biccies with her mum last year. The company recently became profitable and has a turnover of £75,000.

How did you fund the business?

We put about £15,000 of personal savings into it, which covered the website and the stock. I got a friend who was starting out as a web designer to create the site for a fraction of the usual cost. Others people helped us in developing the recipes.

How did you market it?

I’m doing all the PR. I write the press releases, am learning to use Google advertising, and am going to network meetings. We’re also using Facebook as a way of promoting the business.

What else have you learnt?

Confidence. This was a problem at the beginning. It’s all about having belief in your products. Also, we initially wanted to have lots of different designs, but we’ve learnt not to get carried away and to limit them.

What’s it like working with your mum?

We get on really well as we’ve both got different qualities, which complement each other. I’m good at organising things, whereas mum’s got an eye for the finer details.

Where do you want the company to go?

We’re open to possibilities. It would be great to go international, or to set up regional franchises. At the moment though, we want to build up a strong customer base and get plenty of re-orders.