I’m Anushi Desai, co-founder of Plant Pops.

Keeping and eye on the number is important - How do you stay on top of them?

My co-founder and I are chartered management accountants so we spend quite a lot of time playing with numbers. We have weekly and monthly accounts / targets on our accounting software and check in with these as well as our cashflow forecasting. It sounds quite dull – but in truth it's a place where we feel really content…!

You operate in a highly competitive sector - How are you staying ahead of the pack?

Our goal is always to bring out new and innovative snacks. We were one of the first to market with our Popped Lotus Seed snacks, which are inspired by my childhood in India. We’re constantly responding to feedback we get from our customers to make sure our snacks are the very best they can be and reflect the very latest eating trends (flavour profiles, calories, nutritional worth) regarding what people like to eat.

Biggest lesson to date as an entrepreneur?

COVID itself has been a pretty big lesson – it’s taught me the importance of diversification, customer concentration and learning how to connect with customers when you can’t meet them in shops or sample the product.

How have you innovated your sector and why did you choose that pathway?

Ash and I started Plant Pops because we found it was always the same snacks on offer: crisps & popcorn – we’d work really long hours in our last job and would snack all the time, but the offering was getting tired and predictable. I started taking popped lotus seeds into work in different flavour combinations that I’d created at home (this range is inspired by my childhood growing up in India where we’d munch on these day and night). I was really surprised no-one had ever heard of it, and knew we were onto a winner when everyone started asking for more to be brought in!

We’ve taken a really traditional Indian ingredient, with all the goodness and nourishment that comes with an ancient superfood, and updated the flavours to appeal to people like Ash and I. Our range is Himalayan Salt, Smoked Chilli & Peanut Butter (which is a real crowd pleaser). We even won Best Snacking Innovation at the World Food Innovation Awards a few days after we launched!

Do you ever think about falling short/failure?

I think failure is necessary and to be honest, inevitable at times. Ash is really great at looking at failures as lessons that can only go on to help us and our business, which I found harder at the beginning but on reflection it’s been really helpful (and healthy!) to re-frame failure like this and determine how we can overcome inevitable hurdles.

What morning routines/rituals do you follow?

Pre lockdown, I would start off my day at my local F45 studio. During lockdown, if I’m feeling good, I’ll go for a run – I always find I’m so much more productive if I’ve done some exercise in the morning! Otherwise, I’ll be on my phone checking emails, or reading the news.

Single biggest decision you’ve made thus far?

Manufacturing – how we were going to do it, and where we were going to do it.

At the beginning, we were testing out batches of Plant Pops that we’d make in my kitchen but that was neither a practical or long- term solution. We set out to find a co-packer – our lotus seeds are grown in Northern India (one of the few places you can find them). We went through a couple of different manufacturers and even looked at producing in the UK, but couldn’t find anyone who produced at the quality we wanted. Being more than just a food brand is a core part of our mission and so it was really important for us to continue to produce where the seeds come from. Popped lotus seeds have been eaten in India for centuries and they have so much experience producing this – it was important for us to be as authentic to the original snack as possible, even if we are shaking things up with the flavours. We’re now working with a really experienced manufacturer that completely gets our vision, brand and what we are trying to do.

How important is company culture/do you have a top tip?

I think it’s really important to work with people who match your values and share your vision. These are people who will be working on your product and taking it out into the world, so it’s really important for them to share the same energy!

That said, I’ve found it really helpful to work with people who have different takes on problems and solutions as well.

If you could be in a room with 4 entrepreneurs, who would they be and why?

Sara Blakely – I love her story, positivity and the way she dealt with so many setbacks when trying to get her business off the ground.

Holly Tucker – she’s a champion for small business, creativity and innovation.

Jo Malone – ever since I listened to Jo Malone’s episode of How I Built This – I’ve been fascinated by her story and how she launched Jo Loves.

Pat Brown – Impossible Foods as such an incredible vision and a vital, important mission for the future.

What gives a brand longevity?

Brands need to evolve and innovate – we’re always working on new flavours, and new snacks so we can push the boundaries of the category and create products people might not have ever even heard of but grow to love.

Customer loyalty and their love of a brand & brand story is also key – they have to understand our story and be emotionally connected.

Every worried that you’ve bitten off more than you can chew?

So many times! I had zero food & drink experience before starting Plant Pops and really had no idea how many never-ending challenges there’d be. But it’s about recognising what you can do, and when you might need to ask for some advice. Thankfully, I love a challenge!

How did you finance launch and keep cashflow down?

At the beginning this was a side hustle whilst we got our product up to scratch and tested out our proposition. We financed our launch through savings and at the beginning it was about doing a lot ourselves (we still do!). There are some things we couldn’t do ourselves because it wasn’t either our skillset or something we could pick up quickly – such as brand design, which we worked with a design agency on.

Single most important question entrepreneurs can ask themselves?

Do you love what you do? If you don’t – what’s going on and how can you convince other people to try it and love it? Plant Pops takes up most of my life (which I genuinely enjoy!), and I couldn’t imagine doing this, being so invested and spending the majority of my time on something which I don’t fully love.