This interview is with Nicola Lando, CEO & Co-Founder at Sous Chef.
Nicola Lando, CEO & Co-Founder, Sous Chef
Nicola, welcome to venturz.co! Could you tell our readers a bit about yourself and your journey in the world of digital marketing and entrepreneurship?
I began my business, www.souschef.co.uk, with a simple but powerful goal: to make hard-to-find, high-quality ingredients accessible to home cooks and food enthusiasts in the U.K. My journey started in 2011 when I left a corporate career to work in a Michelin-starred kitchen, where I witnessed the transformative quality of rare ingredients that only top chefs could access. But, after leaving that kitchen, I found sourcing these premium items nearly impossible as a consumer. Determined to bring these extraordinary flavors home, I traveled the world, meeting with artisan producers and building a network of trusted suppliers. From exquisite olive oils in Italy to hand-crafted ramen bowls from Japan, each item we stock has a story and a standard of quality that's unmatched. Today, Sous Chef offers a curated selection of over 6,000 products, carefully chosen for their quality and authenticity. This commitment to excellence has not only fueled Sous Chef's growth but also won us a loyal customer base and accolades like Feefo's Platinum Award for customer service. For every item we offer, we've tested, tasted, and sometimes even traveled thousands of miles. I'm thrilled to see Sous Chef as the U.K.'s most-loved online food store, bringing world-class ingredients and tools to kitchens across the country. In the 12 years since starting the business, I've worked in almost every role in the business, but now spend most of my time on brand, buying, and marketing.
Your career path is quite impressive. Can you share a pivotal moment or decision that steered you towards founding your own business and what lessons you carried forward?
There are so many lessons on the way! A couple of the age-old maxims that are often repeated in the office are "Retail is detail" and "Sell what you've got" (although it's always too tempting to keep finding new products!).
Balancing entrepreneurship with parenting is no small feat. How do you manage your time effectively between running a business and raising a family?
It's very tough! With tiny babies, I could just have them in slings at a standing desk while I worked and carry them like that when traveling. Now that they're older (at primary school), I try to spend either the morning or evening with my children every day. That means I no longer schedule meetings at the start of the day—the earliest one that goes into my calendar is 10 a.m.—to give me time to walk together to their school and then on to the office. Similarly, I won't go out more than two nights each week. I suspect a lot of the 'balance' is about taking the time to focus 100% on my children when I'm with them—whether that's doing one fun thing a day together or simply leaving my phone on the side when I get it to make sure I'm completely present. Although I have to admit this gets harder in the peak months of the retail year!
Many entrepreneurs struggle with delegating tasks. How have you approached building and trusting a team, especially in a family business setting?
I think at some point this is forced on you! Another brilliant entrepreneur once said to me, "I check some sample code once a week, and it always has errors." My reply: "Could you check more often?" He just shook his head. Essentially, don't sweat the small stuff! As long as the errors are within a finely-defined margin, it's okay. Ultimately, it's about working out what the high-level checks need to be. When anyone new joins, I'll check their work more frequently. Those checks reduce over time, until I'm completely comfortable and they've earned my trust. Everyone in my team who hires or trains a newcomer will do the same. Many people will say, "I hate micromanagement" in job interviews. When pressed, this can mean they expect complete trust from day one. It needs to be earned. Some of the qualities I look for when hiring to build our team are the desire to deliver and have impact, pride in the quality of their work, and—for trust-building—the willingness to openly admit mistakes.
Attending trade fairs and visiting suppliers are important for your business. What advice would you give to entrepreneurs on maximizing their time and making valuable connections at these events?
It's all about working with your team to get the best out of trade fairs. Firstly, make sure you're thoroughly briefed, or have done the research yourself—where should you best spend your time? Perhaps checking industry awards can give insight on whom to speak to. And secondly, take a team member who has the time to do the follow-up! There are so many times that I've been excited about products I've found at trade fairs and still had them in my pipeline sheet a year or two later...