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The Pure Package (London)
Jennifer Irvine was a winner in the 2006 the BT Business Essence of the Entrepreneur awards. We caught up with her to find out about her success, who inspires her, and to get some useful tips for women who want to start their own business
The Diet Delivered to your Door. The ultimate convenience, The Pure Package delivers three delicious, nutritious meals and two appetising snacks straight to the client's door every day in a temperature-controlled bag.
All food is fresh, free range, GM free, and ethically sourced. Consistent high quality of service, excellent feedback and favourable media coverage have combined to give the company a very satisfied client base, including Michelin-starred chefs, top athletes and high-profile celebrities.
Technology has always been at the forefront of the business as it is largely based on the internet and registration is done over the telephone. The Pure Package was originally born from the founder, Jennifer Irvine's home in London, literally from the kitchen sink. It then moved to the New Covent Garden Market, the biggest fresh food market in the UK.
Jennifer Irvine was a winner in the 2006 BT Business Essence of the Entrepreneur awards. We caught up with her to find out about her success, who inspires her and to get some useful tips for women who want to start their own business.
How did you begin?
I literally started from my kitchen sink. I loved the idea of the service myself; having all my meals planned, prepared and delivered to me. Nothing like it existed in London at the time. I knew that if I wanted the service then I would have to be a pioneer.
I called my local environmental health inspector and invited him around to my home; he was pleased to advise me that my kitchen was good enough and suggested I do a Health and Hygiene certificate. My life has not had a dull moment since!
How did you build the business?
To start with I did most things myself from answering the phone to whizzing around London in the middle of the night delivering food. I was not alone in wanting my services and I soon put a fridge freezer in a spare bedroom. It became clear that I should move the Pure Package out of my house, it had a future.
I was too nervous to get a loan from a bank or approach venture capitalists; anyway I did not want to lose control of my fledgling business. Instead, I gave clients the opportunity to pay up front for 90 days. I offered them a discount to reward their loyalty and suddenly instead of paying close to £300 they were each giving me closer to £3,000.
I was able to use this as capital to lease space in New Covent Garden Market, the largest fresh food market in the country. We have not looked back.
What was your most testing time and how did you get through it?
I have a vivid imagination and hate to lose sleep; I plan for the worst, so when something bad happens it is usually relatively solvable - from our computers being stolen to a supplier not turning up with the goods. We have a plan B or C to turn to.
People often say that when something bad happens, good often comes from it. When I was six months pregnant, I was attacked by a man who left me not just with a broken leg and finger but a phobia about leaving my home. The shock of what happened made me decide that going out the front door was just not worth the risk and I stayed home.
Many businesses would have crumbled without their leader; we had only been delivering to clients for about a year so it was early days. Instead, it gave me the opportunity to fall in love with my own service, each day my bag of food arrived, designed specifically for me - Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner along with my snacks - prepared with care and designed by therapists with my recovery in mind.
I learned a lot during that time, not just that my service was really improving the lives of needy individuals but that my team could cope without me. My role changed and from then on I have worked much more on the strategic side and let my capable team get on with what they do so brilliantly.
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