With Your Sushi you will soon learn that sushi is indeed for anyone, even if you’re a kid or a vegetarian there are exciting options available to all. In all of Your Sushi’s classes and events nibbling is compulsory and everyone will go home with a full bento box – and of course a full belly.

Whether you are looking for an Open Date Sushi Class gift voucher to give to friends or family, trying to organise a sushi party with style, or looking for a corporate event to wow the socks off your employees, Your Sushi is the place to go.

For more information or if you have queries about the types of classes and events available to you, don’t hesitate to pop by the website www.yoursushi.co.uk or to give them a call on 020 3287 2299.

What does your company do?

Your Sushi offers a whole range of classes and events that really focus on teaching everyone just how fun and easy sushi really is. We want to empower the British public, and let everyone know, that sushi is indeed for you.

What makes your business different?

With sushi, the thing is that people nowadays don’t all necessarily want to eat raw octopus, they just want to be able to make sushi at home. And that’s what we do! We teach people the essentials so that they can take what they have learnt and use it in their kitchens at home.

Hopefully it won’t be long before everyone in the UK is adding things like nori and wasabi to their shopping lists.

What inspired you to start this business?

I was tired of hearing “Yuk! Raw fish” whenever I spoke to people about sushi. There is a big misconception surrounding sushi in Europe, and I want to put an end to it. Sushi is not raw fish. It is essentially vinegared rice that uses other ingredients which are more often than not vegetarian; for example, one of my favourites is blue cheese and fig – it’s absolutely delicious!

How are you funding your business?

So far, it has all been self funded. I started the business about four years ago as a self employed one man band, and I haven’t looked back since.

Do you have any staff or partners in your business?

Yes I do. I current employ a carefully selected group of dedicated chefs. And they are all really passionate, which is something that is very important to me. You have to be passionate to work for me.

Where do you see your business in 3 years?

I am working towards making Your Sushi a household name here in the UK. I think sushi making should be a skill that is available to everyone, and it is for that reason that I am on a mission to spread the sushi love.

In the not too distant future, I see Your Sushi potentially becoming a franchise. But for the time being I am focused on the UK- you have been warned Britons, Your Sushi is coming for you!

What characteristics do you have that will help you make your business a success?

I see myself as a real life Action Man. I firmly believe that in order to succeed in business, you must take action. Obviously a bit of planning is important too, but we all know Action Man didn’t make a name for himself spending the whole time planning!

I have a huge amount of passion, and most importantly I really enjoy what I do – another essential if you are to succeed.

Get in touch today to book your workshop, event or for a Your Sushi kit.

What are you most keen to learn that will help you grow your business?

I need to learn to work ON the business and not IN the business. Leaving sentiments aside, I need to start to delegate. But sometimes that is easier said than done, especially when you are working on something that you created yourself.

Are there any brands, companies or personalities that you most admire or aspire to?

Perhaps my answer is a little too predictable, but I think I would have to say Apple. I mean it’s truly unbelievable what they have achieved. In only a few years they managed to completely turn their brand around.

And as for personalities, looking back to my childhood, I can’t help but to think of that character from the Smurfs that is always happy. That is how I have always wanted to be, but without the blue skin of course!

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing your company?

Achieving more success and making sure we continue to develop. I guess that is a fundamental challenge that all businesses face. But it is very important to know where your company is headed, and to know what you are working towards.

Is being a business owner how you expected it to be, or have you had any surprises along the way?

Surprises? No, not really. As long you think ahead and get yourself a mentor, you’ll be just fine. You should never be afraid of asking for a little help or support every now and again.

What is your main goal for your company?
To demystify sushi. It is a really exciting way to cook, and I truly think that it there is no reason why this amazing cuisine shouldn’t be in every household across the world.

Do you have any advice for people thinking of starting their own business?
Make sure you are passionate about what you do. And after that all there is left to do is plan, take action, plan, take action. Just make sure you don’t plan too much – the more you plan, the less you action you are taking.

Karen's website shows off all those awards!

The HSBC Start-Up Star Awards are coming soon, with lots of small businesses and entrepreneurs vying for the top spot.

At the same time, we’ve introduced a new segment – Meet the Customers, where we profile companies and business owners, passing their valuable advice and experience on to you.

But a funny thing happened when we contacted Karen McQuade of the UK Foodhall Ltd.

It turns out that Karen is the HSBC Start-Up Star of 2009!

As well as the UK Foodhall Ltd collecting awards as a supplier, a start-up and a local business, Karen has also won an award for her achievements as a businesswoman.

We thought that she’d be the perfect customer to speak to about her experiences running a company – and now we can also find out what tips she could pass on to us about the HSBC Start-Up Star Awards (and how to win it!).

The UK Foodhall Ltd help connect Local Authorities with British farmers, so that kids get fresh, locally sourced food in their schools. You can contact them on 0845 301 1182 to get more information.

What does your company do?

Our strapline is ‘Great British Food for Great British Kids’ we support British farmers and British manufacturers by providing an assured product range for use in school dinners.

What inspired you to start this business?

I wanted to provide a route to market for the British farmers, and provide Local Authorities with what they wanted, locally procured food.

What made you nominate The UK Foodhall for the Start-Up Star Award?

I am so proud of what we have done and how we have changed our market that I wanted to tell the world! So I nominated us for the HSBC Start-up Star award so that we might gain publicly, we would gain experience in being involved in such a prestigious award, and I hoped we may get to the Semi Finals, so that it would motivate our stakeholders.

What has the experience done for your company?

Winning the HSBC Start-up Star award was wonderful. It was such a brilliant surprise on the night, and has done wonders for our motivation, our brand, our stakeholders and our turnover.

What characteristics do you have that have helped to make your business a success?

Myself and my Business Partner, Robert Clark, are both passionate about our market and making a difference in it. We want to provide clean, healthy, locally produced food to children.

How are you funding your business?

We are funding the company through sales. We do not owe any money to anyone.

What are you most keen to learn that will help you grow your business further?

I am keen to learn more about marketing and PR, we know food, and catering, but perhaps struggle for creative ideas.

Are there any brands, companies or personalities that you most admire or aspire to?

I love the marketing of the brand ‘Innocent’ I love that you can hear their very distinctive voice in every word.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing your company?

The biggest challenge is to manage our growth effectively, not to grow too big and not to take on too much.

What is your main goal for your company?

To never let down our customers.

Do you have any advice for people thinking of starting their own business?

Get a good accountant and recruit mentors, everyday’s a schoolday, and people to hold your hand are priceless.

Could you tell us about the other awards that you’ve won?

2008 LACA Outstanding Supplier of the Year

2009 Powys Small Business of the Year

2009 NatWest Everywoman Award

And of course 2009 HSBC Start-up Star!

Where there any stand-out areas that you feel helped you win the awards (any of them!)?

Our turnover is very high for a new company with just 3 staff (6 million pounds) and our business model is very unique, one goes hand in hand with the other. I think this combined with our enthusiasm made us the winners.

Do you have any advice for companies thinking of nominating themselves for awards?

I would advise anyone who is thinking of nominating themselves to just put pen to paper and do it! We have been on an incredible journey as the HSBC Start-up Star, and I know that it’s been a big factor in our growth this year. The judging panel are such a scary prospect, but once you get over your nerves and face them, being interviewed by them makes for a fantastic experience. It’s a chance in a lifetime to have the opportunity to meet such influential businesspeople, and the whole experience is both challenging and fun, but if you win, hold on tight, its one heck of a ride!

Is being a business owner how you expected it to be, or have you had any surprises along the way?

I was not surprised at the hard work, as everyone warned me about that, but I was surprised at what an amazing and exciting journey it would be.

www.dmsol.co.uk

Today’s profiled client is Liam Butchers from Display Media Solutions Ltd.

Display Media Solutions are a print and display company which specialises in products for retail, trade and exhibitions.

We asked Liam some questions about his company and experiences of being a business owner, and here’s what he had to say.

You can find Display Media Solutions at www.dmsol.co.uk, or call them on 0845 116 2700.

What does your company do?

Large format print, exhibition materials, display equipment, conference set up, trade shows, supplier of pop-ups and banners.

What makes your business different?

Display Media Solutions was formed because the market has become saturated with foreign ‘knock-offs’. I realised that quality at a good price is what the market doesn’t currently have. In layman’s terms, we offer the very best quality products and prints at the most competitive price in market.

What inspired you to start this business?

It may sound a little cheesy but I genuinely love the industry. When I randomly come across my prints being used it’s a great feeling. I get an amazing buzz out of that.

"My most important bit of advice: know your market"

Have you previously run any other businesses?

I have worked in the industry a long while now, but this is my first ever business venture.

Do you have any staff or partners in your business?

I currently work with a couple of graphic designers and I also work closely with some of the world’s leading manufacturers in display and exhibition products. All my prints are produced using the very best materials available.

What characteristics do you have that will help you make your business a success?

I am a very focused and hardworking individual and have a lot of contacts and experience in my industry. I am under no illusions, I know that it will be tough, but I honestly believe that in life you get out what you put into it.

What are you most keen to learn that will help you grow your business?

I now need a couple of key accounts that I will look after very carefully and nurture and then really build upon that.

Are there any brands, companies or personalities that you most admire or aspire to?

If I am honest I really like Richard Branson and his Virgin brand. I also admire Apple – they have it all, really. Also Alan Sugar is an absolutely fantastic business role model, what he has achieved in his working life is simply incredible.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing your company?

Securing that elusive big contract, that’s it really. I feel that I have everything else in place now, and am ready to win that important client.

Display Media Solutions

Is being a business owner how you expected it to be, or have you had any surprises along the way?

If I am honest it is a lot tougher than I could have ever imagined, the accounting side of things is just mind boggling. I am learning quickly though, it’s interesting how running your own business makes you discover skills you never knew you had.

What is your main goal for your company?

To achieve a million pound turnover within 5 years.

Do you have any advice for people thinking of starting their own business?

Lots of advice and I am more than willing to discuss it with anyone who wants to listen. My most important bit of advice: know your market. That really is the key.

It is incredibly difficult to find a name that has been permitted at Companies House (with over 7 thousand new names being registered a week and strict rules surrounding naming) and matching a domain name (with tens of millions registered each year).

However, be warned, think carefully about how your company name and domain name looks. These websites may have attracted the wrong kind of visitors  (taken from listverse.com):

1. Whorepresents.com

A company called who represents.

2. Expertsexchange.com

Experts Exchange.

3. Penisland.net

Pen Island.

4. Therapistfinder.com

Need a therapist?

5. Powergenitalia.com

An Italian Power Generator company.

6. Molestationnursery.com

Mole Station Native Nursery.

7. cummingfirst.com

Cumming Methodist Church.

I was particularly peeved when they went public and only shared their company with settlers in the colonies when quite a few of us Europeans would have liked a slice of that cake. The China relationship wasn’t entirely noble either looked at from the position of those of us not benefitting from the balance sheet so why not get in there and give em what for.

The problem is that what they have created is incredibly useful and I don’t know what you could easily replace it with and certainly nothing government created would do a better job either in the USA the EU or even in our own UK. I think the real issue is that it is a worldwide monopoly and it feels like a USA tax on world business and that doesn’t seem right.

I think it would be more true to the Google motto of “You can make money without doing evil” if it started to pay tax on its profits in the countries in which it made them and then perhaps more good would come of the monopoly it holds and there would be less criticism of its position.