Adviser of the Month: Angela Simmonds

Congratulations to our Adviser of the Month for July, food manufacturing and compliance expert, Angela Simmonds.

Angela became an expert in food compliance when applying for the coveted five-star food hygiene rating from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for her own side hustle sauce business, Gella’s.

Having been through the minefield of food manufacturing, she knows first-hand what a “nightmare” it can be to approach labs. She explains:

“It was a nightmare when I first approached them [labs]. They share very little information because they also sell that as a package. It's very cloak and dagger, technical and jargon-heavy.

“So, I shut down my home-based business for a year to go away and learn that jargon and took a few courses to make me more confident when I did approach them again.”

While Angela aspires for her sauce business to reach top-shelf supermarkets like Waitrose and M&S, her passion lies in helping other catering and food manufacturing businesses navigate the minefield of the five-star hygiene rating.

What got you interested in this line of work?

I have a sauce business, which I started when I was between jobs during the lockdown as a form of income. During this journey, I realised that there was a lot I wasn't sure about and needed to educate myself about the whole process from the moment I buy the ingredients right up to testing and then selling it to the end customer.

I realised that there were other people on a similar journey, coming up against the same brick walls like the importance of HACCP principles for food safety.

Even when I asked other people, I still didn't understand because they weren't explaining it in layman's terms. I decided to write the whole process in layman's terms so the average person can read and understand each step from buying or making the ingredient right up to perhaps getting it onto supermarket shelves.

What is the biggest misconception when it comes to food labelling? 

My misconception initially was that the label particularly, apart from branding, wasn't that important. I now realise how important it is when it comes to showcasing nutritional value.

At the time it blew my mind as the FSA had just brought in new rules around labelling with Natasha's law for allergens. They had to be on the label in bold and a certain font size. Although this was something that was always part of food labelling, the FSA’s new rules pressed on more with it.

How can you support small businesses? 

My passion is food manufacturing and helping people understand the process when approaching the labs. I offer support to businesses, whether they are catering businesses or food manufacturing, to achieve their five-star hygiene rating with the Food Standards Agency, having a full understanding of the paperwork and monitoring.

I also provide mentoring in general around business plans. It goes from a basic business plan up to if you want one for funding. I support individuals through the application process for the government’s Start Up Loans scheme.

Joining Enterprise Nation 

I'm usually looking for opportunities to do the things I like to do. I joined Enterprise Nation in 2022 but didn’t do much after setting up the profile. However, when I started to write down what I learnt on my journey, that is when I went on the website and realised that I could set up as a mentor and switched to the adviser membership in April 2024. I decided that this could be a platform for me to share my experiences and do what I'm doing.

I have had a couple of leads from there already who have been fantastic. I would like to be able to share the profile a little bit more off the platform as well. I get approached a lot for advice so it is nice to have a platform where I can direct people to set up an appointment.

Reviews are important, so I have asked clients to leave honest reviews about my services. At the end of the day, it's almost like a sort of an extra thank you.

How has Enterprise Nation helped in your business journey? 

When you're running a business, there are times when you feel like you just want to give up when things are not working. Being awarded for my sauce business in 2019 by Theo Paphitis came with a lot of encouragement to carry on.

That really pushed me, somebody like Theo noticing my business. This journey has me very motivated to join a platform like Enterprise Nation and to do mentoring in general.

I'm just an average Joe and I want other average Joes to press on with what they're doing and overcome any obstacles.

Advice when starting a home-based business

• Try to have a setup in your home where the business is totally separated from your living areas

• Prioritise your mental health because starting a business is a lot

• Be your biggest fan/supporter

Not yet an adviser member? You can join here or upgrade via your dashboard.