Business in Profile

 YUMMY BUBBY - Catherine Jefferies 

1. Briefly describe your business  

Yummy Bubby provides healthy, nutritious meals for babies and toddlers. Our meals are made from fresh ingredients, vacuum sealed and frozen for convenience and delivered to your home. We do not use colouring, additives or preservatives, natural or artificial in our products.

2. Why did you start your business?

Yummy Bubby was borne out of necessity. Most products on offer have preservatives added to them or are heated to very high temperatures to prolong shelf life- this compromises the nutritional value of the food.

For this reason, we do not use the pasteurisation process or methods that involve high cooking temperatures in our preparation of the meals so they retain optimum nutritional value.  

I wanted to provide a high quality product that was reasonably priced, convenient and guilt free.

3. Has starting your own business lived up to expectations?

Yes, and delivered more than I expected in terms of satisfaction. It has given me the freedom to manage my work around my family, which wouldn't have been possible before, as I was working in senior hospitality based roles which required full time hours. Starting and managing my own business has made me a happier person in every aspect of my life. It works for me.

4. What have you enjoyed the most about running your own business?

Being able to provide a quality product that I know is really helping people on an everyday basis. My clients are generally time poor and providing meals for their younger children gives them that extra hour each day; it adds enjoyment to their lives and alleviates pressure. That makes me feel good about what I do.

5. What is the biggest challenge for you in running your own business?

It's been great to apply knowledge that I gained through working for other people but there has also been a greater element of learning. When you run your own business you are the manager, the marketing department, the financial controller, the creative force - the buck stops with you. Although it can be challenging managing all these aspects, it's also liberating, as you learn something new each day.

Being responsible for the all the decisions is great but it also has a flipside; you are also responsible for the failures and successes. You need to be able to learn from the failures and celebrate the successes - both are great motivators for me. 

6. How do you manage the juggle of running your own business with family?

I have to prioritise well and be organised to juggle everything. I manage my time as effectively as I can by scheduling appointments when Siena is in care and working at home when she's not. Sometimes the day doesn't always turn out the way you have planned, so you need to be flexible to make it work.

7. Do you have a favourite networking opportunity or event?

Everyday there is an opportunity to discuss or introduce my product to someone. Incorporating networking opportunities into my everyday activities, as well as more formalised events gives me an effective platform from which to work from.

8. Do you have any advice for anyone out there who may be thinking about starting their own business?

Research your product/service. Surround yourself with positive, supportive people. Be flexible. Persevere. Focus - never lose sight of the big picture. Concentrate on what you can do, not what you can't do. The results will speak for themselves.

For more information about Yummy Bubby ... click here