Behind the Business
with Oli Hyde, founder
and MD of the Flour
Pot Bakery
it. It highlights those that are on board
and those who aren’t. I think that’s really
important.
What three pieces of advice would
you give to someone looking to start a
business?
Understand your numbers. Know your
market. Keep it simple.
Tell us how your business started?
I saw an opportunity with a friend of mine,
Graham Jacobson, the founder of the
Small Batch Coffee Company whose
business was in the unit next to mine. An
opportunity came along to open a shop in
Hove, so we moved his roasting operation
there and set up a small espresso bar at
the front of the shop. We introduced a
croissant into the morning offering and
started out with just twelve croissants a
day. Now we produce about 500 a day by
hand.
How many staff do you have?
Just under 100. We have four Flour Pot
Bakery shops I’ve also got other interests
across the City including a small cleaning
business and I’ve recently opened a coffee
barbering business on London Road.
What makes the Flour Pot different to
other bakers?
A desire to source perfect ingredients and
attract highly qualified staff. I’m very lucky
to have great staff retention because I
make it an attractive place to work. It’s a
fun environment as well as professional.
It’s a place where the products sell
themselves. Utilising both our shop fronts
and our online shop enables people to
source our products more easily. That’s
how we’ve built up the wholesale business
alongside our retail business.
What’s your motto for success?
Never too big for a small job, never too
small for a big job. A decision isn’t a basis
for a discussion and it means that if we
make a decision, whether it be at board
level or management level, we stand by
How difficult is the challenge to open a
business in 2015?
Raising funds is a big part of starting a
business and it doesn’t necessarily come
from savings. You’re going to need the
support of a bank at some point.
Where do you see the business going?
I’ve always been ambitious. I’d be looking
for an equity partner, somebody who
believes as much as me in the business. If
I can find that partner in the next few years,
then I suspect that you will see more Flour
Pots opening and the wholesale business
developing further.
What does the future hold for you? Do
you see yourself on a tropical island in
ten years time?
Not really, I’m a bit of a workaholic. I work
seven days a week because I want to,
not because I have to. I love everything I
do. I’m very lucky that I’ve always chosen
a path for the business that plays to my
strengths. I tend to shy away from things
that don’t interest me. I think it’s important
that people hear stories like mine. I’m
maybe slightly more unconventional as I
don’t wear a suit. I tend to wear trainers
but I’ve also got a very serious approach
to the way I operate as a business and that
comes through in the Flour Pot.
What do you do to relax?
Family time is probably my most relaxing
part of the day. We eat at a table every
night and that’s the time to communicate
and talk about your day and unwind, leave
the problems of the day behind.
Tell us about your family life?
I’ve got three children. My son Archie and
I are very keen skateboarders. I support
the local skate park in Shoreham, and
I raise money for them regularly, I’m on
the committee there, and we are part of a
growing community of dads and lads. My
daughter Molly is 11 and we have another
daughter Delilah who is three months old.
My wife Jasmine is my rock really and
we’ve been married for 14 years.
Who has been/is the most influential
person in your life?
I think my father Kevin is the most
influential source of advice on many
subjects. My wife obviously has a huge
role to play as my confidant and my best
friend. Dad and I work closely together on
the business, we’re in communication a
lot, we talk a lot about how the business
is performing, what we can do to make
changes and that’s been invaluable.
What’s the most important piece of
advice you’ve received and who was it
from?
Decisions are no basis for a discussion.
I’ve been able to shape my business
around mottos like that. I tend to make
good decisions. It’s made me a good
manager. I’m never the smartest in the
room but I’m good at making decisions.
What’s the biggest challenge your
business faces?
Raising working capital to keep up. I think
that’s been a really big part of what we do.
It’s not the fact that I’m over ambitious;
it’s the fact that new opportunities keep
coming our way.
What do you need to do to be
successful?
Work hard. You don’t have to be the
smartest. Keep it simple. If you work really
hard and you make sure that your quality
is always there, whethe r it be service or
product led, you’re always going to have
a fighting chance of being successful. I’ve
seen lots of people do things half-heartedly
and that’s been a real struggle for me
because I’ve always wished I could step in
and help them on their way.
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