insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 04 - June 2015 | Page 92

Christine McGrath // Cake Innovations // www.cakeinnovationsltd.co.uk
"At Cake Innovations, we believe good customer service is key for business.
In our small retail shop, we support hobby bakers, cake businesses and
professionals alike. Although Internet shopping is generally very popular,
the advantages of talking through ideas, giving specialist advice or problem
solving face to face, cannot be underestimated.
"As bespoke cake artists, Cake Innovations is committed to supplying
quality products, whether that is cake, icing or equipment. Tried and tested
in our own kitchen, we can confidently make recommendations. In this era,
we recognise that website presence is vital for business; however, we have
to admit we found this very challenging, resulting in a costly mistake. We
recommend researching your website consultant thoroughly before embarking
on such an investment and agree precisely what they will deliver for you.
Now we have a fantastic website that is mobile-friendly and easy to use.
"Our best piece of advice is to do your research! Contact Environmental
Health at your local council for help and advice on registering your business;
consult the Food Standards Agency (FSA) website; and get insured.
Remember, you may be good at cake decorating but now you will have to
be good at marketing, advertising, finance, customer service, paperwork
and, the biggest issue to contend with, time! Where does it go?"

Caroline Spiby // Caroline’s Dairy // www.carolinesdairy.co.uk

"We've been running a dairy farm in Sidlesham
for over 40 years, but were finding that we weren’t
being paid the cost of production for our highquality milk. We recognised that we needed to
add value to our milk, and so, in 2007, we decided
to make ice cream – but not just any ice cream!
We wanted to create a high-quality artisan product
that was made here on the farm. As well as the
practical reasons behind setting up the
busin \