Earlier this week, Made in Chelsea star, Jamie Laing, sat down with AskMen to share his own advice on how to start a business.
Laing previously launched an equity crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs to raise £300,000 for his confectionery brand, Candy Kittens. Available in seven different flavors, Candy Kittens are gluten free and made from all natural flavours, priced from £1.49. Fans can buy their sweet treats direct from the Candy Kittens website or can take out a monthly subscription to exclusive new products. The company’s flavors are the following:
- Eton Mess
- Sour Watermelon
- Peaches & Cream
- Apple & Elderflower
- Wild Strawberry
- Sour Grape
- Fresh Raspberry
During his interview, Laing revealed advice that was given to him when he first decided to start his company:
“I was always told: business is paid in 2 currencies – cash and experience; take the experience first because the cash will come later.”
He went on to state the best approach to building a team:
“From Candy Kittens’ perspective, positive, passionate and creative people are key to a great work environment and a successful business.”
Noting the importance of communication, Jamie revealed:
“It is vital that you stay in constant communication with your backers. Update your backers on the status of your product to show them that they didn’t invest in nothing.”
Offering his own startup advice, Laing explained:
“Aside from balancing practicality and creativity, my advice for launching a startup would be to start with something you love and follow an idea that you really believe in. Then working to make it a success becomes less daunting. You can take a seed of an idea forward with enough passion, belief in your concept and willingness to encounter stumbling blocks along the way.
“It’s important to understand your market, and go through a ‘test the market’ phase – meaning you have to be prepared to put your brand out there and open it up to criticism and the fear of failure.”
He then added:
“Never forget that sometimes the consumer doesn’t know what they want until you give it to them, so be creative. Find a balance between something that there is an existing market for (in my case confectionary), and bring the consumer something new, inspiring and extraordinary to drive consumer loyalty to a new level and encourage more people to buy into your brand.”
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