Before they met Stuart Goodfellow from Regional Business Specialists our business was going OK - growing slowly, chaotic and stressful.
Tumblegum Bakehouse and Café is an award winning manufacturer of preservative free pies, cakes, sausage rolls and bread. Their customers comment that they receive the best coffee, freshest lunches and the most tempting morning teas on the Mid North Coast. They also say the service is “Bloody Great” a catch cry Cindy’s father coined in the early days of the business –“Tumblegum Bakehouse -where the food’s not just good – it’s bloody great!” ...And it’s stuck!
“We started our business in 2001 in a small shop we renovated in West Kempsey. We had a good business with great products and the business was profitable, but we knew we could do more. We worked hard and realised we and the business hadn’t reached its full potential. We didn’t know how to take it to the next stage, what to do, how to do it and in what order, for maximum impact.”
The decision to start with Stuart was easy. Wayne and Cindy work long hours as bakers and business owners, starting at 10pm at night and not finishing till well after midday the next day. Even with Jess, their daughter-in-law, on board they were still going around in circles. Something had to give. After receiving a referral from a friend, they met with Stuart to see if he could help.
“From our first meeting, Stuart knew what he was talking about and he made sense. He knew what we had to do to take us to where we wanted to be. His knowledge was great and with Stuart working with us, coming out of our comfort zone was hard but we had to do it – it’s what had to happen!”
The process we work through together is structured to us and you do see amazing results. We meet with Stuart to talk through strategies around marketing, sales, negotiating with suppliers, staffing, running through the numbers and making sure our goals are being met. We discuss what we need to do, but more importantly how to do it - successfully. We also develop a plan of action and Stuart helps us work through the strategies properly.
Early wins included a waste reduction system, improved security, customer focused education for staff, regular staff training and performance reviews, developing and implementing a rigorous marketing plan and getting our pricing right - which is extremely important. We have also acquired new equipment and storage facility in the Bakehouse, which has increased efficiency and helped with production and growth.
We now control our business, instead of the business controlling us.
