A moment of inspiration is all it takes for a new business to be born. In our case, the first spark came alive on a Wednesday evening, after a long and hard day at work, when exhaustion from traffic and chaos makes one sit down and wish to spend their life doing something rather different. This is only the beginning of our journey, and it remains to be seen how long we last. However, from dreaming of working on our own terms, it is a pretty big step already to begin to venture out, and face the hard world of making ends meet!
We wont pretend that we are in a position to advice, or tell somebody how to get about starting their own venture - we are barely trying to figure it out ourselves, with every mistake and goof up that comes our way. In addition to making this blog a gourmet food paradise, we would also like to chronicle our journey here, something that we may enjoy looking back at one day...
The idea of Slyly Simple was much simpler than the effort it has been to get it going... it involved several trials of recipes, techniques, proportions and ingredient sources. Needless to say, the first few weeks were spent eating a LOT of pasta; fortunately there were enough ever-willing friends willing to stop by for a meal!
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| A mountain of fettuccine |
It wasn't enough to have great flavour for one meal, the challenge was to be able to repeat it. One ingredient that didn't measure up was enough to destroy the entire batch. It was all about being really careful, identifying good sources, and getting a system in place which would make it possible to make each product efficiently, with as much multi-tasking possible. It took several sleepless nights and unusable batches of food before we could be slightly confident of having a formula. Even today, we need to be really careful every time, and the slightest mistake could lead to a lot of wastage. Experimenting and getting the food right was a lot of fun - after all, Slyly Simple came about only because of a love for food!
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| Fresh produce |
What was all new for us, was to find ways to reach out to food lovers. This is probably where we spend most of our time - whether it comes to an online campaign, or participating in an event, every decision needs to be thought about, so we know whether it is the right platform for us. Our first few months have seen us participate in a variety of events, from farmers markets to birthday parties. Sometimes we've had too much food, while other times we are sold out! There have been production errors where we have lost large batches of food, and times where we completely misjudged the necessary quantity. All nighters, ordering ingredients, chaos in the kitchen - we've become all too used to these, but fortunately we have been getting slightly better each time.
What we have learned, is to take maximum help from family and friends. There are some that stand by you through all of it and others whom you've only just met who are excited for you and help in every way they can. It is all about setting the right tone, meeting the right people, and looking at every avenue possible to reach out further. It is heartening and encouraging every time you get support - however, one must also remember that help isn't always available, and people you thought you could count on seem to have disappeared after those numerous free meals up in the beginning. We've been happy thinking about all the good deeds coming our way, and are grateful to have a chance to know how much support we can garner!
All in all, starting off with a venture has a lot to teach - emotionally, professionally and personally. So far we have been loving the journey, and we hope to be living this experience for a long long time to come!
