07 - Creating Connections Through Chocolate with Vicki Moore

In this episode of Between the Bells, I'm joined by the brilliant Vicki Moore, founder of It's All About the Wrapper. 

Vicki shares her inspiring journey from corporate life to building a thriving branded chocolate business, all while raising her young family. 

We talk about the importance of networking, keeping business simple, and nurturing existing clients. 

Vicki also shares a creative, actionable homework assignment you’ll want to start right away!

🎙️ Edited with precision by podcast editing master, Mike Roberts of Making Digital Real 

⏺️ Got feedback, a question, or want to be on the show? Leave me a voice message by CLICKING HERE – we might even feature it in a future episode!

✨ Subscribe, follow, and share with anyone who’s growing their business between the bells.

🔗 Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rebeccanewenham
🌐 Learn more about Get Ahead: getaheadva.com

Transcript

I probably in reality don't sit at my desk till 10 or 11 o'clock every day, so I get my stuff done as it were. As I mentioned, networking is important, so I'm a morning networker more than an evening one, and then I sit down and focus on my day. But for me, you know, running my own business has given me, I guess, the freedom and flexibility to work around my family.

Hello and welcome to Between the Bells. Growing a business in school hours. This is a podcast for ambitious entrepreneurs who are building successful businesses within school hours.

I'm your host, Rebecca Newenham, founder of outsourcing agency Getahead, franchise consultant, business mentor, and host of LinkedIn Local. If you're a parent, carer, or just someone who doesn't want to be tied to the traditional nine-to-five, then you're absolutely in the right place. This podcast is all about proving that you can build a thriving business while still being there for school drop-offs, pickups, and everything in between. 

I'm delighted today to be joined on Between the Bells by Vicki Moore from It's All About the Rapper. I've known Vicki for probably 12 or 13 years, and it's been wonderful to watch her business journey. And you'll hear what she thinks this podcast should be called in this episode, which made me laugh. 

But she's really inspiring, and I know that networking and flexibility has been at the core of how Vicki has promoted her business, but also why she's wanted to be in business. So she shares some wonderful tips and a very clear call to action in her homework assignments. So you are in for a treat, so enjoy. 

So I am delighted to welcome my lovely friend Vicki Moore to Between the Bells. Welcome, Vicki. Thank you very much, Rebecca. 

This is very exciting. And I could chat to you for hours and hours, Vicki, but that is not why we're here. So I would love you to share with our audience your business story, because I feel like I've known you probably from nearly at the very start of that, haven't I? Yeah, absolutely. 

Well, first of all, I'd like to rename it Between the Nappies, because I was literally starting my business 17 years ago Between the Nappies. And I'm sort of likening it at the moment to the fact that I started it when my daughter was four months old, and she's just turned 17 and passed her driving test. So that really shows the adventure I've been on. 

But I was in the corporate world, very similar to you. I'm a management accountant by background. And I did 15 years of working for big companies like Sky Television and Kimberley Clark and Anheuser-Busch. 

And when we got married and looking to start a family, I thought, I'm not sure I really want to do this corporate thing anymore. I used to travel quite a lot, be away quite a lot, and I used to work really long hours. So when my daughter was born at four months old, I went to a show, when she was four months old, I went to a show at Olympia. 

It was called the One Life Live Show. And it was sort of separated into various different sections. One was called Green, one was called Working Abroad, and there was a franchise section.

So I bought my business in a box, effectively. It was a business in a box. So it's not a franchise.

So if I'd never sold a single chocolate bar, it wouldn't have mattered. So I looked at this business and thought it's very much focusing on it appears that mothers selling chocolate bars for kids parties. And the commercial background that I do, it was very clear to me, I wasn't going to make any money that way. 

So it was for me refocusing what they had intended really, on the corporate market. So back then, sort of website wasn't necessarily, you know, required and social media didn't exist. It was quite a, it was a hard thing to start when you got a really young child changing the nappies. 

But knowing that you've got the business now, but actually, how do I go about this? So I sort of put a few flyers in local shops. But networking was the way that I started. And I ran my business for three years in London. 

And then I moved down to Guildford Godalming, which is where we are now. And it was really just how I was going to grow that business and get the contacts and get the message out that the branded merchandise really is a way forward for companies to spread their brand of awareness. So my business has gone from strength to strength over that time, networking is a big part behind it. 

And I absolutely love what I do. My kids always come first, my family comes first, my husband comes first. But my business is a really, really important part of my life. 

No, and I can see that Vicki, but I also can see that you've got other parts to your life that don't involve chocolate. Absolutely. So sort of the I guess the shape of my, my day is very much I'm an early riser, I get up at six o'clock in the morning. 

My exercise is really, really important to me. Monday mornings, I swim at six o'clock. There's one morning during the week, I run really early.

And in the winter, I'm doing it with a head torch on. A couple of other mornings, I'll do exercises when I start, I start up and I probably in reality don't sit at my desk till 10 or 11 o'clock every day. So I get my stuff done, as it were, as I mentioned, networking is important. 

So I'm a morning networker more than an evening one. And then I sit down and focus on my day. But for me, running my own business has given me, I guess, the freedom and flexibility to work around my family.

Now that they're older, 15 and 17, my daughter drives to school now that she's passed her driving test. And my son's actually now boarding school. So my day has very much changed. 

I don't have the school run anymore. So actually, I don't have to stop at three o'clock. And I do sort of continue through to five, six, seven, and later sometimes. 

So things have evolved. But my kids and my and my husband have always come first. And as you know, Rebecca, my kids are very sporty. 

So my weekends and quite often during the week, I'll go to a school match as well. So that's given me the flexibility, you know, being my own boss. Absolutely. 

And I love that. Again, it's lovely for me to have observed your business journey. And I remember you with the buggy on the Expos and then to actually see you. 

I love that. Do you live? Couldn't even remember that, pushing Jacob around in his red-faced Aaron buggy. Yeah, we've come a long way since then because he's now taller than me. 

But hey, that's what happens. But it's been lovely to witness that journey. And I guess like for most of my guests, flexibility has been at the core of what you do, but also doing something for yourself. 

And I think that's been really liberating. Absolutely. And I really, really love what I do. 

So effectively for listeners, what I do is I sell branded chocolate. And my ideal customer is a business of any size that has a marketing budget and wants to spread the word with brand awareness and wants to look after their customers, their clients, their patients, whatever type of business they run. I love working with online product businesses that want to send out a gift with the product that they send by post. 

I love working with businesses that like to welcome new customers on board with perhaps a gift, like to give regular thank you gifts, particularly like estate agents. I love working with businesses that have showrooms and that chocolate bar wrapper might have on it the call to action, what they want the recipient to do next, get in touch with us, look on our website, sign up to our mailing list. You can use the back of a chocolate bar for so many in so many ways, but to encourage that person for their next step of engagement with you.

No, it's brilliant. And I think the types of businesses you deal with have been really varied, which is lovely. So let's move on to our quick fire question. 

So what would be a favorite tool or lesson that you'd like to share? My favorite tool is my Excel spreadsheet. So I'm very much color coded in terms of what stage I am with my customer, whether I'm still in the design process, the printing process, the cutting, the dispatch, etc. And I know my profitability by customers. 

So I have it all set out on an Excel spreadsheet. I actually have my to do list on there as well and my cash flow and everything. So very traditional, but it works.

It works for me. Good. And I think that's the biggest thing, is it is what works for you.

There's no right or wrong, but it's giving you quick, easy access and visibility, isn't it? Absolutely. Familiar with it. And I don't see why I need to go searching for something that might not work. 

So, yeah, I think there can be a magpie in us. And I've certainly had that over the last 14 years, sort of suddenly someone talks about a new tool and I sort of feel I'm missing out if I don't actually stripping all of that back, isn't it? And being streamlined and having a confidence in yourself. So, oh, no, that's brilliant. 

Thank you. Go Excel. Oh, go Excel. 

Yes. Yes. And then in terms of your bell ringer moment. 

So is there a single piece of... Yes. For me, it's keeping things simple. So I've done that with my business.

I have two sides of chocolate bar, milk chocolate, and obviously the USP is the wrapper. So whatever business you run, I truly believe in making sure your communication is simple. Your product or your service is really easy to understand. 

It's a simple customer journey. The minute you start introducing confusion on a website, for example, people will leave, might leave, and very much make the pricing simple as well. If you have complicated pricing structure, people just don't understand. 

They get confused. Some businesses, it has to be a little bit more complicated and tiered and layered, etc. But I just believe in keeping things simple. 

Don't expand too quickly. If you've got a shop, etc., don't think, well, this one's working, so I'm going to go and invest in another retail premises. Just make sure that you learn from what you're doing and learn from those mistakes and don't complicate. 

Yes. And I think that's an interesting point in the whole pricing piece, isn't it? So with Get Ahead, I've always, from the very beginning, you pay for the work that's being done, charge to the minute, give simplicity rather than this, like you say, the over complication. I think as soon as you start complicating things, you lose people, don't you? You do. 

And people don't know what they're in for as well. They just need to know this right up front. So my business is very simple. 

The price of a chocolate bar is the price. I don't charge for design time. So some customers I'll win in that it's quick. 

Some will take hours, so effectively I lose. But what's important to me is to look after that customer so they'll keep coming back. So all my repeat customers, I literally draw up the wrapper on the screen.

I'll change the best before date of the chocolate and we're good to go. So that's my little secret for later. But look after your customers.

Yes. Look after your customers because as we all know, they're worth a lot, aren't they, to have that repeat business. And I've seen you in action, Vicki, making the wrappers. 

And I know how much time and attention you put in it. But I also know from just observing on the networking sort of circuit, the number of people that will be recommending you based on your very straightforward customer service. So yeah, no, that's really good. 

Thank you very much. Now, the next one is school drop off. And I guess like a number of my guests, you don't have that.

You said the drop off in quite the same way. Well, I don't anymore. But for years and years, it was about 45, 50 minutes. 

So, you know, both ends of the day sort of thing. But as I say, exercise is important. So I build that around the school drop off in the morning, whether it was before or after. 

And then, yeah, settling into my day. And an important thing for me is a coffee, very important, which generally tends to come about 11 o'clock. That's a treat then, isn't it? I think.

It is. Yeah, absolutely. So a nice coffee at home, looking out at the garden and being peaceful. 

Yeah, I like that. Absolutely. And then finally, then the lovely part of this is always the homework assignment.

Oh, the homework treats. Yeah. So my homework treat for all of you is in the month of May, do something to look after, reconnect or treat your existing customers or clients.

So a lot of businesses and people tend to focus on finding new customers at networking meetings with their marketing. But actually, and this is the accountant in me, the cost of acquisition of a new customer is much, much higher than your existing ones. So in May, look at treating your existing customers and clients. 

So suggestions could be quite simply drop them a text to make sure they're OK, say hi, go and look at maybe one of their LinkedIn posts or Instagram posts and comment in it or share it just to sort of support them, remind them that you are there, you're in business, you're there supporting them. It could be a 10% offer and make it very clear that it's your existing customers. So a bit of nurturing going on. 

But my best idea for you is have an A5 flyer created with your branding and it could be a call to action like, you know, check out my website or, you know, money off or something. But so to that A5 flyer, get a high end tea bag, so one that's actually in a packet, get some branded stickers made to stick the tea bag to this A5 postcard flyer and put a branded chocolate in there as well. I like your thinking, Vicki.

So look after, in whatever way you choose, your existing customers in the month of May. So this will be going out, I think, probably halfway through May, so I think I'm allowed to extend that homework. All you plan, let's do it through to the end of July.

No, but I think that applies for any month, does it? But I totally get it's reminding yourselves that they're so valuable and it's very... They are. Absolutely. And it will cost a chunk of marketing money if you do it properly.

Otherwise, just engage with them on social media, but just do something to support them and, you know, remind them what a great business person that you are. Love it. Well, Vicki, you have been the perfect guest on Between the Bells, sharing your knowledge and starting it between the nappies. 

So now, between upcoming uni. So it's been a real privilege to observe your journey, Vicki, and I'm really excited for where you're going next. So thank you so much for joining me.

Thank you, Rebecca. It's been a pleasure and I will see you soon. You will.

Bye.