We're business owners too! Our café business, launched in 2005, is highly successful and multi award winning, having won the titles Best Sandwich Bar in the UK 2009, New Company 2008 and Young Business of the Year 2007.

13/08/2010 - Free Business Start Up Guide

Nat West recently interviewed Sutherland Communication's mentor Jill Willis for a business help guide they were producing, designed to give advice to those considering the catering and hospitality sector.

Click on the link to read it in full, and see our section on page 5.

Visit http://www.natwest.com/business/business-school/business-guides/start-up/hospitality-sector/default.ashx

23/07/2010 – Owning your own café – Top Ten Tips

Trading times may well be tougher on the high street, but there’s still plenty of opportunity for aspiring café owners to get a slice of the action. Just make sure you take your time to get it right before you open for business!

1. Location, location, location – Ensure there is a big enough audience for your product
2. Unit size & layout – Will it accommodate all your equipment & needs?
3. Flow of customers coming in & going out has to be right
4. Food to go means food to go. Ensure fast and efficient service.
5. Negotiate a lengthy rent-free period to enable sufficient refurbishment schedule.
6. Negotiate hard on annual rent. You’re stuck with it once it’s signed.
7. Branding is vital. Get it wrong, and people will have no idea what you’re about. This includes the interior of the unit, staff uniforms and even the music you play.
8. PR is the most cost effective way of promoting your business. But… make sure you’ve got an (interesting) story to tell!
9. Know the restrictions on your usage licence inside out before you sign on the dotted line.
10. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. Just don’t do it twice!

To read more about how we went from office workers, to owners of our own award winning café visit www.tastesfresh.com, make sure you check out our franchise page to learn how you too could own your very own Taste!

And as always, for help with any of your café issues visit www.sutherlandcomms.com.

14/05/2010 – Mentors Win at Industry Awards

Last night saw Taste, the cafe owned by Sutherland Communications mentors Jill and Richard Willis taking Gold at the Sammies (national sandwich industry awards)!

This is the second year in a row that they have reached the much coveted podium and they're over the moon!

Having been named Best Sandwich Bar in Britain last year, this year they were awarded for their successful and innovative marketing campaigns, designed primarily to promote the sale of their sandwiches. Also on the shortlist were big national chains such as Marks and Spencer and ASDA, so this award is proof that small cafes on a small budget can implement hard hitting and effective marketing campaigns to rival that of the big boys!

Effective marketing and promotion is always critical to the success of a retail business, but never more so than now, in times of economic downturn.

If you need help developing marketing ideas to entice new customers, and encourage the spending habits of existing ones then we're here to help. Just get in touch!

To read more about the awards visit http://www.sandwich.org.uk

12/05/2010 – Taste in The Guardian

Anyone who bought The Guardian today (Tue 12 May) will have had their appetite well and truly whetted by the delicious looking supplement entitled The Great British Sandwich. What an institution our favourite lunchtime grub is, and how exciting to see so many mouth watering ideas to pack between two humble slices of bread!

Any regulars to Sutherland Communications will of course know that we like to in on the action ;-) so you won't be surprised to learn that we took centre stage in the supplement, giving advice to other wanna be sandwich bar owners.

To read our article, and see the rest of the supplement click here - http://www.tastesfresh.com/lib/The_Guardian_Supplement-12-May-2010.pdf.

23/04/2010 – Hot off the presses!

Those people trying to purchase a copy of the must read 'How to Start and Run a Sandwich and Coffee Shop' by Jill Sutherland will be pleased to hear that Amazon.com will soon have stocks ready for shipping.

The book has been flying off the shelves of late, and Amazon found it hard to keep up! Their delivery is anticipated any day now from the publisher, so never fear, you won't need to wait long.

In the meantime, if you would like a copy asap just drop us a line and buy one direct from us.

richard@sutherlandcomms.com

16/04/2010 – Fingers Crossed for a Win at the Sandwich 'Oscars'!

Taste (UK) Ltd, the business owned and run by Sutherland Communications mentors Jill and Richard Willis is centre stage for an award double wammy, with the cafe making it to the finals of not one, but two, Sammies (national industry awards).

Commenting on the good news Richard said, "We're already proud holders of the title Best Sandwich Bar in Britain 2009, and we've again been short-listed for the 2010 title. And, in additional we'll also compete for the title of Best Sandwich Marketeer, going head to head with huge national firms such as Marks and Spencer and ASDA for our continued dedication to creating new and exciting sandwich ideas and recipes, and coming up with creative ideas to market them to our customers".

It's certainly not easy to compete against such big firms, who have even bigger food development and marketing budgets, but as Taste's award status proves, small independent cafe's can achieve just as much with ingenuity, imagination and creativity.

If you'd like a hand marketing your business and coming up with exciting ideas to attract more customers just drop us a line, we'd be happy to help.

The 'Oscars' style finals of both awards are held on 13th May at The Grange St Paul's Hotel in central London.

01/02/2010 – Win Free Mentoring!

And, now how's about something to help you get ready for the economic up turn?

We're giving you the chance to win free business mentoring with us!

To enter you simply need to leave a review of our book 'Start and Run a Sandwich and Coffee Shop' on Amazon by the 8th March.

We'll then pick a name out of the hat, and the lucky winner will receive 30 minutes free telephone mentoring. An opportunity to talk about their specific business concerns, plans and worries, and to benefit from our advice.

Visit Amazon.co.uk.

Good luck!

29/01/2010 – The Recessions Over – It's Official!!!

Hmmm, we're not quite so sure.

The café business has been a funny game the past couple of years. Early on in the economic downturn lunchtime low cost food seemed to hold its own really well, and customers still seemed happy to spend up to a fiver on lunch. Fantastic compared to the hammering the restaurant trade has seen!

However, the latter part of the summer '09 saw the start of a change, as more and more people tightened their belt that bit further in time for Christmas, and began to consider buying their lunch as a treat, rather than an everyday necessity.

The usual January dip has made trading that bit tougher again, and many cafes and sandwich bars are looking ahead to the spring, and the usual increase in trade, with not just their fingers, but their feet and legs crossed too!

The good news is that whilst spending on low cost items such as sandwiches and coffee was the last to be hit, it should be one of the first to recover. So, as people begin to feel more confident, their favourite sandwich will be the first thing they treat themselves to, and buying lunch will hopefully be the first spending habit that will re-establish itself.

As café owners our job is to be shiny and fresh and exciting, ready to entice customers back with food that's delicious and an atmosphere that's welcoming. Think new menu, lick of paint, re-jig of seating…

Hard, if you're an owner/operator who's seen trading dip and cut staff hours of late... But imperative if you want to hit the ground running as we climb out of the recession.

If you've any questions about how our mentoring can help you, or our own café / sandwich bar experience just drop us a line!

17/01/2010 – New Year! Better Business!

I'm sure you've all (some reluctantly) settled back in the swing of things after the festive break. We know it's an old cliche, but there really is nothing like a new year to start a new chapter.

Whether you've already made that leap into owning your own cafe, or are still working on those plans, there is always an area which could do with a bit of refreshment & re-vitalisation.

Nobody is perfect, and sometimes working for yourself can be quite lonely. Self-motivation is hard, but with 1 month nearly gone already in 2010, now is the perfect time to call on a 3rd party.

It might just be a friend who you haven't seen for a while, or an old work colleague whose brains you want to pick. Whatever it might be, if you look hard enough, there will always be someone who's been there & done it, and can help you along the way. It doesn't necessarily have to be related to business. I'm sure we've all got friends who we agreed "we'd meet for a drink", and that was 6/12 months ago!

When we launched Taste, we were lucky enough to have a great friend who helped mentor us through the sticky patches. We were, & still are, eternally grateful for all his help, and one of the main reasons why Sutherland Comms exists.

Jill & I have been there, done it, got far too many T-Shirts to mention, and want to ensure that if you're not lucky enough to have a close friend to call on or help out, then we're here for you.

We can help with as much or as little as you need us to. It could be assisting with price setting, helping you develop your brand, or even working out how customers you'll get per day.

It costs nothing to drop us an email. All information is dealt with the strictest confidence, and by the end of January, you could very easily have a new direction you're heading in.

However, if you're not sure of the direction you want to go in, or even if a career change is right, we can help.

www.925dream.com has fully qualified career coaches who can help you decide which is the right way to go, before you even take that leap. It's all great value at £199 for 3 months coaching, and the results of the free personality test are very accurate.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and we hope 2010 is a great year for you, and all your businesses.

22/10/2009 – Benefit from free business mentoring

Get your café off on the right foot...

Business Link, the government's small business advisory service, has launched a fantastic new scheme called eVoucher. Through the scheme east of england start up businesses, or those that have been trading for 12 months or less, can use Business Link eVouchers to pay for business guidance from accredited mentors.

The great news is that Sutherland Communications mentors Jill and Richard Willis are accredited as part of the scheme!

So, if you're based in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk or Suffolk and could use some free one to one advice and support from us why not give Business Link a call on 08457 171 615. They'll be able to provide you with eVouchers to cover the cost of a Sutherland Communications mentoring session... what a lovely early Christmas present!

20/10/2009 – Taste - The Independent Franchise

Want to own your own café, but are nervous of going it completely alone?

We could have the answer... Sutherland Communications mentors Jill and Richard Willis are about to open up their award winning independent café business Taste to a select group of aspiring café owners, through a new Taste Franchise Scheme.

So, how will it be different from usual franchise schemes?

Well, It'll be designed with you, the owner operator in mind. You'll feel you're running your own independent café, but with the back up of our support, finding suppliers, hiring staff, marketing your business and ensuring the till rings and the profits add up at the end of the day.

If you would like to learn more about Taste visit www.tastesfresh.com, and to discuss how you can be considered for the exciting initial pilot please just drop Richard a line at Richard.willis@tastesfresh.com

7/10/2009 – Learning to let go

The Lunch Show, at London's Old Billingsgate Market on 1-2 October proved to be a fascinating few days, and through our seminar, and business mentoring sessions we got to talk to lots of existing and aspiring café owners.

What struck us was the number of people who wanted our help with the same business issue... something that has been driving them literally round the bend!

How to let go.

For so many café owners the issue of letting go, and learning to delegate responsibility is the hardest thing they'll face.

However, it's also the issue that will deprive you of any quality of life, and quickly chip away at your motivation and love of your business... so it's something that must be dealt with early on.

As café owners ourselves, we know that in the early days it is VITAL that you are 100% immersed in the running of your café. 7-day working weeks are not out of the ordinary, and you absolutely should aim to be in your café all day. Every day.

However... this is not the way you should still be running your café after seven or eight months. At this point you should be in a position to begin to delegate, in order to give you the time you need to enjoy family time, relax, and also, critically, manage your business... not simply run your café (they are two very different things!).

If you think you're a bit of a slave to your business, and want to bring about a change, there are a few key things you can do to improve the situation –

• Make sure the systems and processes you have for running your café are documented. Consider documented prep lists, supplier order forms and customer care guidelines. This will enable you to hand responsibility over to someone else, safe in the knowledge that they way you work will be adhered to.
• Take a look around your team of staff; is there one shining member of staff who you think could step up? Talk to your staff too, make them aware that you're looking to promote, it's a brilliant way to motivate, and hang onto great people.
• Begin to train your chosen staff member on the quietest day of the week. The best way is to take a back seat role yourself…making sandwiches and coffee etc, so that you can watch your trainee manager as they run things, and pass on advice and constructive criticism where necessary.
• Once trained, give your new manager responsibility for 1 day per week. We always start new managers off with a Saturday, as it's our quietest day. This gives them a chance to learn the ropes gently.

If you're feeling tied to your business, why not give yourself a deadline to have improved the situation... perhaps Christmas? Afterall, how wonderful it'd be to be enjoying a family day at home, whilst the till is still ringing in your shop!

And don't forget, we're here to help. Recruiting, promoting, training, delegating... we've been there and done it and are perfectly placed to guide you through.

22/09/09 – SmallBiz Advice on the Web

Sutherland Communications mentor Jill has been busy sharing her advice with well known business web site www.smallbizpod.co.uk.

Her interview, with online editor Alex Bellinger, covers all the hot topic issues affecting any new business start up, and is a must listen for any aspiring café owner.

To listen click on the link and start at 4min 20.

17/09/09 – Join us for Lunch!

'Speed' business mentoring offers new café owners much needed advice.

The Specialty and Fine Food Fair, which took place at London's Olympia 6-8th Sept was a fantastic event, as we're certain those of you who attended will agree.

And the hot topic up for discussion by those I attendance?? Café start up! How do I find the right premises? How can I be sure of the turnover I'll make? How do I find the right suppliers? Where do I start when it comes to marketing and branding my café? Thankfully we were able to offer plenty of shop floor advice to those owners and wanna be owners in attendance, through our free speed-business-mentoring sessions.

For those of you who weren't able to make the event, and missed out on our seminar, and free business mentoring, you'll have the opportunity to talk to us again at The Lunch Event, taking place at London's Old Billingsgate Market 1-2 October.

Our seminar 'start and run an award winning sandwich business' is taking place in the BSA Training Academy at 10.40 on each of the days. Following the seminar we'll be hosting a series of free business mentoring sessions. To secure you're place simply register with us on the day.

For free tickets visit www.lunchshow.co.uk

Look forward to seeing you there!

15/07/09 – Speciality and Fine Food Fair 2009

Sutherland Communications mentors Jill and Richard will be fielding questions from an audience of ambitious cafe, deli and sandwich bar owners at this year's Speciality and Fine Food Fair.

Their seminar 'How to Run an Award Winning Business' is scheduled to take place on Sunday 6th September, in the fair's small business seminar theatre, and will cover every aspect of business management, from finding the right premisies, to menu creation and staff management.

Those wishing to attend should visit the event's website www.specialityandfinefoodfairs.co.uk - registration is free.

We look forward to meeting you then!

25/05/09 - Mentors scoop national award.

Taste, the cafe owned by Sutherland Communication's mentors Jill and Richard Willis has just been crowned 'Best Sandwich Bar in the UK' at the national industry awards, 'The Sammies 2009'.

They beat off stiff competition from thousands of independent cafes all over the country, in order to scoop the gold prize, considered the 'Michelin star' of the sandwich industry!

The judges, catering industry professionals from all over the UK, were hugely impressed by Taste's high quality, healthy food at affordable prices, imaginative and varied sandwich choices, and outstanding customer care.

If you'd like to make your business the very best it can be, but feel you could do with a helping hand along the way, then a business mentor is the ideal choice. Get in touch and tell us about you and your business... we're sure we'll be able to help.

05/05/09 - Mentor Jill Willis on BBC2's Working Lunch.

If you were tuning in to Working Lunch on BBC2 on Thursday 30th April then you'll have seen Sutherland Communication's mentor Jill giving her advice on how small businesses can weather the recession.

If you didn't catch it, never fear, you can watch the us on the show here.

To find out more about the methods you can employ to make the recession a positive, rather than a negative for your business, get in touch!

Jill, and her cafe business 'Taste' features at the beginning, and then again 8 minutes in.

15/04/09 – We all enjoy a 'Working Lunch'!

Sutherland Communications mentor Jill Willis was busy filming a piece for BBC2's lunchtime business show 'Working Lunch' earlier this week.

The show was keen to gain Jill's insights into trading as an independent cafe during a recession, and to hearing her top tips to continued business success.

So tune in or set your Sky Planner for 12.30 each week day - we expect Jill's piece to be aired sometime in mid-late April.

10/04/09 – BBC Radio Essex - Dave Monk Show

If you were tuning in to BBC Radio Essex yesterday for the Dave Monk show then you'll have heard Sutherland Communication's mentor Jill Willis talking about the humble British sandwich, and how her cafe has turned the art of preparing it into a fine art!

Local publicity is a great way to put your business on the map, to find out how you too can achieve a profile in your local media (without paying for advertising space!) then get in touch.

06/04/09 – South East Champion Sandwich Designers!

Phew! The heats were a tough Master Chef style affair, but that didn't stop mentors Jill and Richard winning the London Heats of the Sandwich Designer of the Year Compatition for their 'Wild Cranberry Rosti' sandwich design, on behalf of their cafe business Taste.

The finals are on 21st May, so watch this space!

If you've got a food business, there's no better way to put your business on the map than through awards and championships. Get in touch and we'll help you to enter, and win!

20/03/09 – Taste's Bumper Awards Month!

March has been a fantastic month for mentors Jill and Richard Willis. To start with Taste, their cafe and catering business made it into the South East heats of the Sandwich Designer of the Year Award. Then they were over the moon to hear that Taste had also been shortlisted for the Essex Business Awards - Excellent Customer Care category. And to put the cherry on the cake, they learnt that Taste is also finalists for the coveted Independent Sandwich Bar of the Year Award!

Blimmey, their heads must be spinning! It just goes to show that hard work and dedicated pays off! If you'd like to learn more about how to enter business awards, and the huge benefits that can be achieved for your business just drop us a line

20/02/09 – Sutherland Communications speak at CafePlus event at the NEC

Sutherland Communication's mentor Jill Willis will host a keynote seminar session at this year's Cafe Plus event, at Birmingham's NEC.

The session, taking place in the afternoon of Sunday 1st March, will cover the issues facing sandwich and coffee bar owners in this tough economic climate, and provide advice to help those businesses to stay ahead of the game, and maintain profitability.

Jill will also be taking part in a panel discussion, with other industry figures including colleages from Subway, Pret and Marks and Spencer as part of the seminar programme on Monday 2nd March.

Learn more about CafePlus and how you can attend the event by visiting www.cafeplusshow.com

20/02/09 – Sandwich Designer of the Year!

Taste, the cafe business owned by Sutherland Communications mentors Jill and Richard Willis, has just been shortlisted for the Sandwich Designer of the Year Award.

Jill will be donning her apron and showcasing her sandwich skills to a panel of judges at the South East heats held at the end of March.

If successful, Taste will be joining the UK's best at the finals, and vying for the title Sandwich Designer of the Year 2009.

Entering awards is a great way to achieve publicity for your business, and to demonstrate your excellence to customers and potential customers. If you would like to learn more about how to decide which awards are suitable for you, and develop professional entry documents why not get in touch?

23/01/09 – Book Launch Confirmed for 5th March

Those budding sandwich and coffee bar owners out there will be pleased to hear that 'How To Start and Run a Sandwich and Coffee Bar' the definitive guide to opening a successful cafe business, will be available to buy from 5th March. Written by Sutherland Communications' Jill Willis, the book is a warts and all guide to business start up, from finding your premises, to hiring staff, to deciding on your menu. And for those of you who already own a cafe business, the book also concentrates on best practice methods to ensure you're the very best that you can be. Visit Amazon today to pre-order your copy.

12/12/08 – Lending a helping hand to The Princes Trust

Mentors Richard and Jill have become part of The Princes Trust mentor scheme, designed to help young entrepreneurs to start and grow successful business. The charity helps youngsters who are unemployed, leaving care, or have under achieved in education, and through its support, training, funding and mentoring, gives them the chance to make their lives a success.

10/10/08 - Accredited mentors on 925dream.com

Sutherland Communications has become one of 925 Dreams accredited mentors, and will be offering wanna be sandwich bar and coffee shop owners with the chance to road test life as a café owner through the sites 'experience it for real' packages. Visit www.925dream.com to learn more.

27/09/08 – Keynote Seminar at Lunch! Exhibition

Sutherland Communication's Jill Willis was at London's Lunch! Exhibition this weekend, hosting a keynote session on the subject of how to start and run a sandwich and coffee bar. She shared her own experiences and advice with an audience of 50 wannabe cafe owners.

The hot topic of the day? Will the credit crunch hurt the independent?
It seems that so far independents are holding out well, and not feeling the pinch. However, the advice is get your business in order, and keep an eye on the bottom line. If you don't you could be caught short, and leave it too late to react to decreased customer spending.

www.lunchshow.co.uk

23/09/08 – Havering Business Awards Finalists

Taste (UK) Ltd, the catering firm owned by mentors Jill and Richard, has once again made it to the finals of the Havering Business Awards.

Their cafe was awarded the runner up prize in the Customer Service category, being just piped to the post for the overall title by Havering Crossroads, an organisation that provides respite care for the families of the terminally ill.

Taste was the only catering firm short-listed for the Customer Service Award, and the judges praised the extremely high standard of customer service and professionalism demonstrated within the business.

www.haveringbusinessawards.co.uk