MummyCooks Case Study

Q&A with Siobhan Berry founder of MummyCooks

  MummyCooks     Mummy Cook Logo

  1. Tell us about your business. 

MummyCooks is about helping parents set up a healthy feeding relationship with their children and taking them on a journey from weaning to family foods.

We provide a complete food storage solution allowing parents to portion food correctly at each stage of their child’s development. Our product is unique in terms of quantity so that parents can batch cook and store food in various sizes at a reasonable price while maintaining the quality.

  1. How has Local Enterprise Office Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown supported your business to date? Which support(s) has been most beneficial to you and your business?

  • The local enterprise office has supported me in developing my website and we have recently been shortlisted for the IIA web awards as new start up one to watch and the Realex awards.

  • The most beneficial support I received from LEO dlr was taking part in the Hi-Start LEO programme in 2014. The course along with the mentoring allowed me to show that I had a strong value proposition with the potential to grow.

  •  I am also currently taking part in phase two of New Frontiers Programme. This programme has three-phases providing comprehensive set of business development supports to participants. 

  1. What is your best sales tip?

  • I think it would have to be setting a time to make sales calls each week. I found I could involve myself in everything else to avoid making the calls but when I set myself a day each week I was more likely to get it done.

4. What was the best business advice you have received? 

The best business advice I received was to start thinking about a complete range of products. For example a customer who engages with our brand when their child is a baby should continue to buy products with with us until the child is at least 7 years of age. This has given us all a focus on what we need to achieve over the next few years.

5. How did you raise the finance for your business? 

I have not had to raise finances so far but we will be looking to raise finance next year with the launch of our new products range.  So far I have used my own savings and I received a loan from my family to start the business. We are now in a position financially, to pay the loans back and take on staff members.

  1. What are the best digital tools you have used to grow your business? 

The best tools and most used tools are:

  • Hootsuite (to organise our social media output)

  • Mail chimp (newsletter)

  • Picmonkey (photo editing for novices)

  • Survey Monkey (surveys and forms)

  • Pic to chart (for info graphics) 

  1.  What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs? 

  • My advice would be to start a business that you really believe in. I am hugely passionate about my business and sometimes people may tell you it might not work but if you believe in the proposition you can make it work.Most of all I love being an entrepreneur and it makes it easier that I love doing it.

Many thanks to MummyCooks for taking part in this interview! 

For more information on MummyCooks you can visit their website: www.mummycooks.ie

You can also get the latest news and updates on their social media sites at:

MummyCooks Facebook

MummyCooks Twitter

If you would like to find out how your Local Enterprise Office can help you start or grow your own business, please visit our website on www.localenterprise.ie/DLR, call us on 01 204 7083 or simply stop by our office in Harbour Square, Dún Laoghaire.