I was fortunate enough to recently discover a website called Deli2Dine4 http://www.deli2dine4.co.uk Run by Chris, it is “an online British Deli offering you delicious artisan products from small producers made in our beautiful country.”

I ordered several products from the site, some as gifts for family as an alternative for flowers, some as presents for my Daughter’s teachers and I treated myself to a couple too!   There is a really wide variety of products on the site as you would expect from a bricks and mortar deli shop ranging from chutneys, to preserves, teas and chocolates.  Why I liked the site was because the products were all unusual and sounded delicious!  They are all reasonably priced and delivery is a very affordable £3.50.   My order was delivered promptly and well packaged.

My favourite item ordered was the Cuban Mojito Breakfast Marmalade by The Pickled Village £3.50 for 340g http://www.deli2dine4.co.uk/cart/cuban-mojito-marmalade-p-68.php It is described as “An exotic way to shake up the day.  A sharp zing of lime and a dash of white rum”  I have to admit, what surprised me most, was that is tasted exactly as described!  It was zingy and I could taste the rum!  Definitely a good, and yes exotic, way to start the day!

The company is run by Chris Hand, an ex-chef with 25 years experience and an on-going passion for food.  This is what I wanted to know;

Q)  When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A)  When I was very little I wanted to be a Jockey!  I used to ride Donkeys on Blackpool Beach where I was born.  Then when I was about 11 I wanted to work in a bank as my Dad used to work with money too.  Then aged about 14 I wanted to be a chef, I always helped my Mum in the kitchen and always licked the bowl out!

Q)  What’s your favourite time of the day?

A)  Morning, I’m always more awake!

Q)  What inspired you to start your own business?

A)  The love of working for myself, I’m quite independent and like the freedom.  I love food and always wanted to set up a Deli.

Q)  If  you were to cook a special meal for special people, what would it be and where?

A)  Oooh, difficult one that!  Classic British food, Asparagus to start with Quail eggs, Fillet of Dexter Beef, Yorkshire Puddings, Shallot Sauce.  Apple and Treacle Sponge and Custard.  Where?  In a London Eye Pod with my Mum, Ayton Senna, Gianfranco Zola, Steve Davis, Stephen Fry and Gordon Ramsey.

Q)  What’s your favourite cooking ingredient?

A)  Halen Mon Sea Salt Natural and Celery Salts.

Q)  How would you describe Deli2Dine4 in one sentence?

A)  Delicious Artisan foods from our wonderful Island.

Q)   What’s your favourite product on the site?

A)  Farrington’s Mellow Yellow Rapeseed oil, such a versatile healthy oil made in Northamptonshire by Duncan Farrington.

Q)  What’s the most unusual product on the site?

A)  Cheeky Monkey Chutney from the Garlic Farm – Bananas, Dates and Garlic fantastic in a Thai chicken and coconut curry.

Q)  What’s your favourite customer review?

A)  Has to be you!  And your comments about your Mojito Marmalade!

Q)  What’s the best piece of advice ever given to you?

A)  Follow your heart, enjoy life and take each day as it comes (My Mum)

Q)  How do you define Success?

A) Happiness

Q)  What plans do you have for the next six months to keep the Sparkle?

A)  I want to expand into the corporate sector with gifts and hampers, also by keeping up to date with what’s new in the food being produced.  Recently, I have introduced Clippy’s Apples, Mr Filberts nuts and seeds and Blue Sauces.

You can see the full range of gorgeous products at http://www.deli2dine4.co.uk

I was very excited last week to meet up with Kelly Lundberg from Divine but also extremely nervous at the same time! Kelly runs a successful personal shopping and stylist business both in London and Dubai, she established Dubai’s very first online wedding registry, is a Lloyds TSB Small Business Winner, was nominated Female Entrepreneur of the Year, has been voted as one of the Top Ten Things to do in Dubai and has also published a book, “Success in the City”.

Wow!

Lloyds TSB said of Kelly, “…..(she) is a truly distinctive past winner. Back in 2007, her entrepreneurial flair, talent and sheer drive to succeed marked her out as a special talent. She scooped our Creative Promotion Award, one of six prizes at that year’s ceremony, designed to identify the businesses that had created real buzz , inspired by innovative marketing.”

My God, what to wear?!!

As it turned out, Kelly is a really nice person and very down to earth. She was fab to talk to and full of business ideas and suggestions and she has a wonderful and contagious enthusiasm about her. She gave me a copy of her book about Dubai Entrepreneurs sharing their stories (which I will be sharing my thoughts with you as soon as I’ve finished it!)

We had a super lovely evening and I am really excited to share with you that we will be adding her to the site shortly! Kelly will be offering two packages for us. Package one is a style consultation where Kelly (whose recent red carpet syling events include the Brits, Grammys and the Dubai World Cup) will work with you to identify your individual needs, review your wardrobe and provide you with a tailored shopping list in order to help you achieve your perfect look.

Her second package will be a personal styling and shopping session. This experience will enable you to shop for styles that will flatter and fit, mix and match High Street with Designer to match your budget, accessorise and learn to use colour to maximise impact, build on your perfect capsule wardrobe.

I am saving my pennies as we speak! Full details will be added onto our website shortly!

In the meantime, Kelly’s book is available for purchase from Amazon! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Success-City-Dubais-Entrepreneurs-Their/dp/1615841458/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282591595&sr=1-1

Since having my Girls and not being able to go out as often, I have developed a love for cooking and entertaining at home. I subscribe to several monthly cooking magazines, have created a small vegetable patch for us in our garden and am learning more about fresh produce, seasonality and supporting local producers.

I am by no means an expert! Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t! Sometimes, it just goes horribly wrong, like my Lemon Meringue Roulade that wouldn’t stick, or my Chocolate Fondants that took hours to make as they were filled with salted caramel, yet just minutes to collapse all over the baking tray into a melted chocolate puddle. It is frustrating when things go wrong, but a good learning experience!

I was very lucky to have a house full of friends and family all weekend this weekend and we spent the majority of the time catching up, chatting, laughing, cooking and eating! It was while I was stirring the vanilla infused cream for one of my desserts that I had a wonderful business idea for Dyna-Girl Ltd. It was fabulous. The cream needed to be stirred constantly so that it didn’t burn. I couldn’t do anything else, or go anywhere and I found it so relaxing and therapeutic, I completely switched off and the business ideas just came flooding in! Like a lot of other people, I am constantly on the go with ten different things to do at the same time and a to do list that never ends. I sleep with a pen and paper by my bed for notes when I wake up in the middle of the night and I have two girls that constantly talk!! I find cooking for friends a wonderful escape! Of course too, I enjoy all the eating! My husband did most of the cooking on Saturday, and Sunday I just did a huge cooked breakfast for Brunch so Friday was my time to show off! I was cooking nearly all day, but was so relaxed by the end of the day it was great and we all had a super evening. I did do too much food and everyone left stuffed, but it was fun!

This was my menu;

Kir Royale served with Smoked Salmon and Caviar Blinis, Tapenade and Cornichons

French Onion Soup served with homemade Ficelle Bread

Slow Cooked Pork with Ginger, Dauphinoise Potatoes and Green Beans

Crème Brulee with homemade Shortbread

French Cheese board with a selection of biscuits and red and green grapes

I have always liked small businesses because I feel that they have the potential to offer so much more than the High Street in terms of local knowledge, product and service and where possible, I have always tried to support them.

Since starting Dyna-Girl, I believe that customer service is really important and I pride myself on mine. I try my hardest to despatch my orders within 24 hours, I answer all customer e-mails the same day , I’m polite and courteous at all times and I do subscribe to the adage that the customer is always right. In addition to this, I feel that I go one step further by gift wrapping all my orders in tissue paper, tying them with ribbon, including a hand written note and foil wrapped chocolates in an organza bag. I do all this because I want my customers to be happy. I want them to have a positive experience shopping at Dyna-Girl and to enjoy it enough to come back. I want everyone to feel that they are not just an order, but that they are purchasing a gift to themselves and therefore they are being treated. My most recent customer feedback was from a Man that purchased a gift for his wife and he said, “Received my order today! You seem to have thought of everything at your company! To the finest detail!” which made me so proud! I still only charge £2.99 for my postage and packing and often do spend more than that, but for me, customer satisfaction is vital and so it doesn’t matter.

A lot of big companies on the other hand, don’t feel the same do they? In the last month, I have unfortunately had cause to complain to three huge companies and the response has been indifferent at best which I find so frustrating. Especially now, when a lot of people are still experiencing financial hardship, I do want to feel that my custom is valued. I not only want a fabulous product or service, but I want to feel that I am getting good value for money.

My experiences in July were shocking. I opened a Barclays business bank account based on the fees given to me verbally by the new business manager which later turned out to be incorrect and in fact not only much higher, but higher than my existing bank account. While he was “very sorry” and we were trying to sort it out, I was being charged for accounting software that I hadn’t used or installed which I had been told would wouldn’t happen until the account was fully open and I was using the software. Unfortunately, when I complained about this and Barclays were investigating, Barclays continued to charge me and add interest! While Barclays eventually refunded the money and closed the account on my request, I was informed that I was the one who had been mistaken and that there was no error on their side whatsoever and that the refund was a goodwill gesture.

My second experience, was us having a family day out to celebrate a special occasion at Luton Hoo, a five star hotel, spa and golf complex. Minor things like receiving ordered coffees yet having to wait over 15 minutes for milk we could let go, but when one of our party went for their £75 treatment and was initially sent away, then berated by the spa girl for being late, when in actual fact, she was wrong, is not acceptable.

Finally in the month, I ordered from ToysRUs. My order was delivered on the specified day by a delivery man that broke a hole in the box to put his hand through so that he could carry two boxes at once to save a trip, then proceeded to drop the boxes. The toys inside had no protective packaging apart from one sheet of brown wrapping paper and so boxes were broken and damaged and one item was missing. ToysRUs were very sorry and promised to re-schedule the delivery for Saturday but then unfortunately forgot. So after putting things on hold and waiting in for two days we then had to cancel the order and drive to the shop and collect the item ourselves to ensure that we received it. ToysRus haven’t yet felt the need to reply to my e-mailed complaint.

I am fortunate enough to have met a lot of really lovely people with their own businesses through both my networking franchise Mum’s the Boss and also on Twitter and I lean towards buying from these people whenever I can and I have never been disappointed. I have discovered that I am not the only one to care about my customers, package orders beautifully or deliver on customer service every time. I have found products that are beautiful and unique and company owners that really do care about their businesses. This is why we all need to support small businesses. I don’t want to buy things from corporations that don’t care. I want my custom to be valued and you just don’t get that on the High Street anymore.

I have lots of articles on why you should network and reasons generally are based around improving your sales by increasing your contacts. In fact, some groups can be quite cold because of this.

Why I network is because I really enjoy it and not from the aspect of promoting me or my business as one might think. I have lots of friends and I am lucky in that a lot of my friends have children so since leaving an office environment, I am surrounded by people I enjoy being with. I often get asked by previous colleagues whether I miss working in an office and the honest answer is NO!   (A whole cup of coffee drunk once in a while while still hot would be nice, but it’s not enough of a draw!)

However, once in a while it is nice to meet in a more formal environment than the park and to talk business without children running around and having to keep an eye on them and this is why I love Mum’s the Boss. It is informal and so there is no pressure.  I like being able to ask a fellow professional’s opinion, I like receiving advice from someone, I love the talks we have had and I think that we can all learn from everyone, irrelevant at what stage our business is at. I like keeping an open mind and I like meeting new people and hearing their ideas.

Last Tuesday, I met two Mums about to launch their own exciting businesses in the area,  an editor of a magazine, a solicitor, a Fertility Coach, a Natal Hypnotherapist and a Lady who is doing wonderful things for charity.  It was a really diverse group of people and it was really interesting talking to them.

As well as all that, there was a fab speaker called Kate from Wholeself Leadership, who talked about Business Success and we had lots of fun following her exercises.  You can read her blog of the morning here http://mumsdaword.blogspot.com/2010/07/yo-ill-tell-you-what-i-want-what-i.html

It was a really lovely morning so thank you to everyone that came.

As my 4 year old daughter breaks up from school this Friday (and doesn’t go back until 22nd September, yes, that’s 9 ½ weeks!) I am currently compiling a list of activities to keep us amused to ensure that the holidays are happy times rather than stretches of boredom interspersed with park visits!

It is her last long holiday before she starts “big school” full time and while she is excited beyond belief, I am clinging on to spending as much quality time with her as possible.  I want to make these holidays ones to remember, hence the list!

Treasure Hunt – As the theme at school nursery has been Pirates, I have bought some bags of Pirate chocolate coin bags and one day I will do a treasure hunt around the garden and house.

Friends over to play

Gardening – looking after and nurturing our vegetable patch then following through with the cooking and eating of our produce

Emptying and sorting out our arts and crafts cupboard (I anticipate this will take days (!) and the girls do love making a mess……!)

Arts and Crafts – Playing with hidden treasures found at the bottom of the cupboard, plus I have purchased some wind chimes for us all to paint and hang over their playhouse.

Local Farm – the Girls love spending the day there seeing the animals, running around, tractor rides, bouncy castles etc

Yoga – The exercise channel has kids yoga sessions on which I am taping to use when things need calming down a bit!

Wii Dance Game – They have released one which is a dance game for musicals – I intend to buy it for the three of us to practise our singing and dancing on (when the neighbours are out!)

Helping Mummy Work – they have their own play laptops and I will try and train them young

Friends houses (Hopefully they’ll be good enough to get asked back!!)

Nana and Grandads house (We all always love going there!)

Spending quality time with Auntie Angie who is back in England for the Summer!

Swimming

Playground

Local paddling pools

Soft play place

Trampolining tournament – We are lucky enough to have the space for a trampoline in our garden so I intend to write a few “routines” for the girls to practise and then perform to me

Reading/Writing practise – my 4yo has just discovered Hangman so I want to use games like this so that she doesn’t forget to think over the Summer holidays!

Local library

Fill up and hang the butterfly feeder

Draw a butterfly counter/recognition chart

School uniform shopping trip (boring, I know, but has to be done and we can treat ourselves to a coffee shop visit when done!)

Cinema – We are all very excited about Toy Story!

Kids Bowling

Play-Doh

Baking

Day-trip to the seaside

That’s as far as I have got, so please do help and feel free to add any of your own to this list!

I am very excited to announce our very first Summer Social Event on Tuesday 17th August from 8pm!

I have hired a private section of the Coach & Horses in Rickmansworth. http://www.thecoachandhorses.info/index.php With the pub dating back to at least 1722, it has a colourful history and is a really beautiful building. We will have exclusive access to a private bar within the pub for our event.

On arrival, you will be greeted with a complimentary glass of champagne and canapes and there will be an opportunity for informal networking with local business owners and residents.

At 8.30pm we will be treated to a presentation by the fabulous Kelly Lundberg. Admired internationally, as an Award-Winning stylist and author, Kelly has had the pleasure of working with influential business men and women; recent red carpet styling events include The BRIT Awards, Grammys, Dubai World Cup, as well as offering exclusive services to the regions elite.  In 2007 she won the Lloyds TSB Small Business Awards – Creative Promotion and in 2008 was  nominated for Female Entrepreneur of the Year by Visa and Your Business magazine.

Her presentations include a variety of topics from personal styling secrets, how to weed your wardrobe and fashion-faux-pas to fundamental attributes required for being a successful entrepreneur and how to drive passion and self belief. It really will be a fabulously fun evening, so I hope you can join us!

Tickets to the event are £15 and payable in advance by either posting a cheque made payable to Mums the Boss Hertfordshire and posted to;

Louisa Baker

57 Beechwood Rise

Watford

Herts

WD24 6SQ

Alternatively, you can call me on 01923 467452 and I can take debit/credit card details over the phone.

Book early to avoid the disappointment of missing out!

If you have any questions, you can contact me on at louisa@mumstheboss.co.uk

I thought I would update you on my very first Mums the Boss meeting this month.

I have to be honest, I have been to networking meetings before and been fine, yet when it came to hosting my own one, I was so nervous!  Fortunately, I had the help of the lovely Helen from Mum’s the Boss and Emma from Bags to die 4 and we were all treated to two talks by two very successful and inspirational women.

Leigh Frost from True Silver UK www.truesilver.co.uk talked first about Inspiring Marketing. She advised us to go back to basics by understanding our customer profiles, getting to know our customers and using that information to target your marketing. (Did you know there were 96 different ways to do this?)

Amanda from the Mumpreneur Conference www.themumpreneurconference.co.uk then talked about gaining credibility (and then sales) for your company by entering (and then importantly) wining industry awards. With a handy worksheet to help us, our group worked through and discussed the best way to promote our own businesses.

It was lovely to be in such a friendly group and to get such expert advice and guidance.  It was also great to have the opportunity to ask specific questions about our own businesses.

This was followed by informal networking, refreshments and lots of cake!

Our next meeting takes place on 20th July from 10am until 12pm at the William Penn Leisure Centre, Rickmansworth. I am very excited to let you know that our guest speaker is Kate Griffiths from Minervas Mind and she will be talking about the secrets of business success. It really does sound like one not to be missed!

With no compulsory joining fees and only £5 to get in, free parking and refreshments, it is not only a productive way to spend the morning, but an affordable way to grow your business through expert business advice and making new business contacts in your local area. There is also an Ofsted registered creche on site. If you would like more information, you can contact me on louisa@mumstheboss.co.uk or on 01923 467452 or visit the website at www.mumstheboss.co.uk/networking_herts.htm

We will be holding a Summer Social in August, full details will be available at our next meeting. If you can’t make it, but would like to be kept informed of all our news, please let me know!

I look forward to seeing you there!

I am really pleased to announce that I am launching the Hertfordshire branch of the networking group Mum’s the Boss.

Mum’s The Boss is passionate about celebrating the twin achievements of motherhood and business and treating them as equally important. The meetings are aimed at mums already in business or hoping to start up on their own, including informal networking meetings with a speaker and other one-off events throughout the year.

The aim is to keep all meetings as informal as possible as experience has shown that many new business owners and work at home mums can feel intimidated by attending larger, more established networking groups. We are small, friendly, have no compulsory ‘3 minute speech’ and do not operate a ‘one per profession’ rule – we believe competition can become collaboration. We also strive to be as child-friendly, supportive and low cost as possible. And most importantly, you will always be welcomed with a warm smile, tea & coffee and homemade cake!

The Hertfordshire meetings will be held at the newly refurbed William Penn Leisure Centre, Rickmansworth. The centre has an ofsted registered creche that can be pre-booked to secure your place and free parking. The meetings will be £5.00 (rising to £7.50 in September) but we have some fabulous annual membership offers.

I have some really wonderful speakers lined up for the meetings to inspire, advise and guide us. A typical meeting is as follows;

10.00-10.30 – Drinks and Registration

10.30-11.30 – Speaker & Informal Networking (children in crèche)

11.30-12.00 – Continued Networking

Our schedule for the rest of the year is as follows;

15th June – Two speakers for the price of one!!

Leigh Frost from True Silver UK will be talking about Inspirational Marketing for your business and Amanda Farren from the Mumpreneur Conference will be talking about the importance of entering your business into awards and how to win!

20th July – Kate from Minervas Mind will be talking about The Secrets of Success in Business

August – we will have an informal social event

21st September – speaker tbc

19th October – Lesley Singleton – LSMedia

16th November – Suzanne – Law4mumpreneurs

December – we will have an informal social event

For more information, please visit http://www.mumstheboss.co.uk/networking_herts.htm or e-mail me at louisa@mumstheboss.co.uk

It’s going to be really exciting, so I hope to see you there!

I was lucky enough to go away on a spa weekend last weekend with some girlfriends. Justifying it as essential research for Dyna-Girl, after the obligatory hour in the gym, I spent the weekend in a dressing gown alternating between the pool, sauna and jacuzzi and having various lotions applied to different parts of my body and it was fabulous!

Four days later, I still feel calm and serene and my skin feels so soft! Unfortunately, I am not in a position to do this every weekend and so I have asked Natalie Jennings, owner of O’Natural to share her DIY beauty tips for getting your skin into fabulous condition for the Summer…..

“My 5 top tips for gorgeous summer skin:

1) HYDRATION

Drinking plenty of water is the best way to keep the skin hydrated and also helps bring nutrients to the skin. Avoid dehydrating drinks such as coffee and alcohol which can make the skin look tired.

2) SLEEP

A good nights sleep helps the skin to stay healthy, preferably 8 hours a night. As you sleep the skin is rejuvenated and this is the time when the skin is restored and recovers from any harm it has suffered during the day

3) MAKE-UP REMOVAL

It is a must that you remove all makeup before you go to bed. This helps to let the skin breathe and regenerate during the night. Leaving make-up on can be very damaging as will clog pores and lead to blackheads and pimples. A good cleanser, toner and moisturiser are essentials in every girls make up bag!!

4) EXFOLIATE AND MOISTURISE

Two of the most important steps in your body skincare regime! Exfoliation will help to get rid of dead skin cells, then by applying a generous amount of moisturiser and letting it absorb into the skin will stop the skin from drying out and result in gorgeous silky smooth skin!

5) ANTI-AGEING

Avoid exposing your skin to the Sun. Daily exposure can lead to premature ageing eg:freckles and age spots. The UV rays kill the collagen cells that keeps your skin firm and tight and can result in leathery skin and wrinkles. Sunbeds are a definate NO! as they can give out greater UV rays than the midday sun….the alternative….have a spray tan! :0) “

Natalie owns O’Natural Spray Tan using the latest HVLP spray tanning equipment, pop up cubicle and one of the best natural tanning solutions, you can achieve a wonderful tan in less than 15minutes and all from the comfort of your own home!! She covers Hemel Hempstead, Bovingdon, Sarratt, Chipperfield, Berkhamsted, Harpenden, St Albans, Kings Langley, Abbots Langley and Watford. (Other areas may incur an extra fee)

She is very kindly offering a super 10% discount to all readers!

Just e-mail o-natural@hotmail.com for further details.

(Please mention the Dyna-Girl blog when booking.)