Global Entrepreneurship Week Day 3

It is day 3 of Global Entrepreneurship Week! Throughout the week, South Eastern Regional College (SERC) will host a week of celebrating entrepreneurs.

Cutting Edge is one of SERCs longest running Student Enterprise Companies, providing bespoke giftware and jewellery using mostly recycled scrap materials from the Engineering department. Cutting Edge’s products mix quirky Northern Irish slang with customisable and thoughtful gifting solutions for any occasion, which has made them extremely popular at both internal and external events including the SERC seasonal markets, local festive markets and now on their very own website.

Meet Your Local Entrepreneur- 

Rachel Carnduff  “Meet your Local Entrepreneur” interview with Rachel Carnduff Owner of The Butcher’s Deli and H & J Carnduff Butchers, as she chats about her experience working in a traditionally male dominated industry, her motivations and her biggest success’ to date.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you came to run your own business?  

Eighteen-year-old me would probably be surprised at where I’ve ended up less than a decade later. I attended the University of Liverpool, studying Law and graduated with First Class honours in 2016 – I initially wanted to take the bar and become a barrister. Not long after graduating, I came to the conclusion that Law wasn’t something that was ever likely to make me happy, and with the support of my family I took the decision to join my family business, extending it with the creation of The Butcher’s Deli. It wasn’t until 2019, that I was truly thrown into the deep end at H & J Carnduff, when my brother was diagnosed with Stomach Cancer, passing away only a few months later.  Whilst my brother was unwell, he made me promise him that I would look after his business and pursue the dreams he had had for himself. This tragedy threw me into the helm of a very male dominant business, within a male dominant industry. Despite being in the face of devastation, I only had two options, I could either shy away from the test in front of me – or I could rise to the challenge. I chose to rise.  

What has been your biggest success to date?  

Winning the UK Butcher’s Shop of the Year in 2020 was so important for many reasons:  My journey with these awards started four years prior, when myself and my brother travelled to the same ceremony in London, and we came home empty handed. The flight home for many would have been quiet and filled with disappointment, but my brother and I dreamed bigger. We planned what we were going to do to launch our little shop into the winning circle. The very next day the work began- we worked at it with grit and determination and the genuine belief that our little shop in the heart of Newtownards was special. In 2018 and 2019, we went to those Awards again, coming home with the Northern Ireland Butcher Shop of the Year title. After my brother passed away in 2019, I knew I had to win that overall UK title to secure his legacy – this had been a dream of his for as long as it had been mine. When the Awards finally rolled round, following an extremely hard and busy year caused by Covid-19, to get the news that not only had we retained our Northern Ireland Butcher’s Shop of the Year title for the third year, but we’d also been selected as the overall National Winner – the emotions were totally overwhelming.  A feeling I’ll probably never forget in my lifetime. That one was for my brother. 

Have you had any mishaps along the way?

How did you overcome them?  BSE, Foot and Mouth and Bird Flu – these disasters within the food industry caused massive problems for farmers, butchers and food producers. We saw a huge impact on trade throughout these disasters, customers were understandably shocked and terrified by what they saw on the news and were worried about the impact this could have on the health of themselves and their families. However, we were able to overcome these mishaps quite simply, we continued to do what we truly believed in. We continued to source the best local produce from local farms – allowing us full traceability from farm to fork. Farm to Fork is a very simple concept that provides customers with greater understanding in where their food comes from, as well as a confidence in the product, knowing it has been produced safely for human consumption. I think it is important to understand that in business, mishaps will always happen, because it is impossible to control everything, but how you decide to face these mishaps will truly shape how your business is affected by them. Never allow the effects of the mishap to define you or your journey in business.  

What motivates you to keep performing at your best? 

You know you are on the road to success when you would do your job even if you weren’t paid for it. For me, there is no better motivation than passion – if you love what you do, and you are passionate about it you become incredibly self-motivated towards your goals and aspirations. Making a plan and routine for yourself can help with self-discipline – short term and long-term goals allow you to direct your business in a direction most organic to you and your vision. There is no greater motivation for me than to become the best version of myself that I can possibly be within the industry that I am in – and although it requires huge amounts of time, work and effort, my passion for what I do allows it to be an enjoyable journey.  

What have you learnt in running a business that you wish you had known before you started? 

Every day brings a new challenge – as the business grows as do the challenges, becoming more intense and bothersome. Unlike employment, the challenges of business don’t stay at work Monday-Friday 9-5, these problems, stresses and worries follow you home. It’s important to have a good support system around you to help you overcome and combat these stresses – remember what’s going right, and don’t allow the stresses to overwhelm you.  

What key pieces of advice would you give to students who are interested in setting up a business?  

Pick a business you are genuinely interested in, and not just a business you think will make you a lot of money. I’ve always been the biggest believer that retirement age is too far away to do something you aren’t going to enjoy – hence why I walked away from a legal career. Personally, I have found that as long as you enjoy the journey in business, you’ll always give 100% in progressing that journey. It’s very easy to be excited about a new business in the beginning, but it’s important you find something just as exciting 5, 10, maybe even 20 years down the line. Do your research, reach out to like-minded entrepreneurs, and seek as much advice as possible in your chosen field before taking the plunge.  

Do you have any advice regarding finance and funding?  

You need to draw up a solid business plan. Your business plan needs to be concise and specific – any investor needs to be able to understand what your business is all about from a quick glance. In your business plan it is vital that you are able to show you understand your finances – you must be able to show how you will make a profit. Use your business plan to your advantage, it will be incredibly useful when it comes to securing loans and investment. Our business was started with the help of our local bank, but there are so many more options nowadays for investment including the Prince's Trust. The Prince’s Trust is incredibly helpful for guidance creating a business plan, as well as the opportunity for some investment. However, aside from your business plan it is incredibly important that you are confident in yourself and your business when seeking investment – investors will want to feel as though you believe in your vision, or they’ll struggle to believe in it. In short, use all resources available to you in creating your business plan, and don’t deliver your plan to any investors until you are fully happy and confident that your business can be a success. 

Visit www.serc.ac.uk to unlock your future #BetterOffAtSERC.