An
Aberdeenshire sweet shop is going from strength to strength after their owners
received specialist start-up and marketing advice from Business
Gateway, Scotland’s national business advisory
service.
Located on West High Street in
Inverurie, Tutti Frutti, sells an extensive range of
retro and American sweet bags, drinks and snacks.
The business was founded in
2022 by couple Leanne Craig and partner Stuart Murray. Leanne who was a former
admin and wages assistant, always had ambitions to start her own
business but was apprehensive of where to begin. Following advice from Business
Gateway, she decided to take the leap.
A dedicated local adviser from Business
Gateway offered her initial start-up advice, providing guidance on operational
requirements for the store opening as well as advice on launch marketing for
Tutti Frutti.
Encouraged by Business Gateway, Leanne
also signed up to the Early Stage
Growth support programme and received one-to-one HR support. Her dedicated
adviser at the programme helped Leanne to create a plan for her business,
including employing staff for the first time.
Opening the shop in December 2022, in
just over three months, Tutti Frutti has enjoyed tremendous popularity with
locals in Inverurie and beyond.
In response to this demand, Leanne has
introduced several new sweet bags, such as the popular Saturday night munchie
box and a TikTok famous pickle kit which is served on first come first service
basis. Leanne plans to open additional outlets in the future, fully equipped
with slushie machines and ice-cream machines for the summer season.
Leanne Craig, Founder of Tutti Frutti
Ltd, said: “When I decided to launch my own business, I had no
experience of the fundamentals such as hiring staff
and finding a premises, which has been a huge learning curve for myself. I
contacted Business Gateway and was put in touch with Keith, whose help,
support, ideas and encouragement have been amazing and just what I needed in a
business mentor.”
Keith Smith, Adviser at Business
Gateway, commented: “Leanne has
worked incredibly hard to launch her own business, focusing on her main goal
which is to provide a unique experience in the confectionary industry. It is
excellent to see how well she is doing, and how her training and mentorship has
ensured a successful launch.
“Like many people starting
out on their own, Business Gateway is here to offer a helping hand in making
that first step. By providing a sounding board for ideas and advice on how to
create a robust business plan, and we’d encourage anyone else thinking of starting
up to get in touch.”
To find out how Business Gateway can
help your business, visit: www.bgateway.com