Building a brand from pure passion (ft Michelle from One Hungry Mumma)

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Here at Rebel, we’re super passionate about all things business. Yours, ours, all of them – we love learning about it all. That’s why we were super excited to get local condiment connoisseur Michelle from One Hungry Mumma on this week’s episode of Marketing + Margaritas.

Because to be successful in your chosen field is one thing – you need knowledge, expertise + maybe some interpersonal skills to communicate with clients/colleagues. Owning a business takes all of that (especially the interpersonal skills), + then some to make it work. You need to be able to market yourself to drum up sales/clients, there’s staff management + some strategic planning so that you can see far enough ahead to ensure your business survives the coming weeks + months.

From a humble kitchen hobbyist, doing it for the love of cooking – Michelle has grown her business to not only sell condiments, but full-blown culinary experiences! She’s an incredibly talented individual who has grown + learnt a lot since starting out.

So what ignited that passion for food in the first place???

Michelle + her family live in Finch Hatton. For those not in the know, it’s a pretty small town (roughly 530ish peeps, according to 2021’s census), so their options for takeaway were pretty limited. But both her + her husband are real foodies + love to eat different cuisines. When they couldn’t get the food they wanted, they decided to make it themselves to satisfy those cravings!

But cooking for yourself + the fam is one thing, why’d she start making condiments/sauces?

This is where those seeds of business were planted! After their second kid, Michelle decided she really wanted to enjoy maternity leave + being at home. They already had a thriving vegie patch to help fuel their cooking addiction, so plucking some fresh ingredients + making a sauce to simmer away in between caring for bub was a natural progression.

How’d she go from lazy Sunday cook ups to an online business?

Michelle started a Facebook page + would write about her recipes + experiences in the kitchen. It gained traction + people really connected with her as a brand. So, when she decided to start up a market stall, she already had a taste of what it was like to put herself out there publicly.

A lot of Michelle’s story is like this. She’d try something, get more comfortable with it, then throw comfort to the wind to explore something new. I think everyone can learn something from that. Not just for business but with life in general. Fulfilment is often found at the edge of comfort.

Michelle’s story is super inspiring, but what are some actionable tips we can learn from her?

Transitioning beyond the hobby: Michelle's top tips

Make a plan

You don’t have to have every minute detail accounted for, but putting pen to paper will help you refine your vision. Saying yes to one opportunity means saying no to five others. Knowing what it is that you want will make sure you prioritise the things that are important to you!

Get a good accountant

Cashflow can make or break a business. Money is the more often than not the factor that scales you up or slows you down. Having a good accountant on your side will help you navigate the ups + downs and help you get where you want to go.

Learn to be comfortable experimenting

Whether it’s cooking or in business, it pays to be constantly playing with new techniques + ingredients. Mistakes will happen, + that’s okay. If you do mess up, you can always throw the scraps to the dog 😉