August talk with Julianne Ponan

It’s the first week of August – the month of holidays, summer fun and time off for many people. How are small business owners coping with the month often known as ‘silly season’?
Today we’re talking to Julianne Ponan, founder of Creative Nature who are based in Surrey. Creative Nature is a brand that makes products that are always free from the 14 top allergens including dairy, gluten and nuts. They have a range of baking mixes, snacks and superfoods.

How is August looking in your business? Does this month hold any special significance in your business? Anniversary, milestone, accreditation, new premises? New staff?
We have a lot of different things to celebrate this month! It will be our 10th birthday which is a huge milestone to celebrate. Our apprentice has also graduated, and we’ve had two new members of staff come and join the Creative Nature team.

We’re also holding our annual summer bake off event which is not to be missed. We’re recreating the Great British Bake Off but with vegan and top 14 free ingredients.

August 20 is World Photo Day – can you share a photo which means something to you this year so far? It can be business or personal.
In July this year we attended the Allergy and Free From Show. I was a speaker at the event and spoke about growing up with serious allergies whilst offering advice to parents who have children who have allergies and intolerance.
We also had a trade stand at the event and it was great to meet so many people who took the time to stop by and say hello to us!

Did you know August 21 is World Entrepreneurs Day? What does this word mean to you and do you apply it to yourself?  
I think it’s really important to recognise entrepreneurs because there are days where it can feel like a crazy journey. The life of an entrepreneur can feel like you’re on a rollercoaster when your days can have a million ups and downs. The word entrepreneur to me mean resilience, tenacity and the ability to turn a problem into a solution.

Can you name one business you’d like to give a summer shout out too? Who has gone the extra mile for you recently?
I would love to shout out to my amazing team at Creative Nature. They’re all such amazing people and I cannot wait to grow Creative Nature with them and see where we go!

On a more personal note, my wedding specialist planner Georgina from Kuoni. She was an absolute star last year and I cannot thank her enough for her support.

We are in a cost-of-living crisis at the moment? Is that impacting you at all in life or business? Do you have any money-saving tips you can share? 
It might sound really simple but keeping an Excel spreadsheet is a great way to keep track of your expenses and income. By keeping it simple you can easily see where you are overspending.

We love to eat out, but it can be really expensive too. Why not eat at home in style at half the cost with desserts like our Creative Nature mixes with a twist? You can try out our Caketails that are much more affordable per portion: https://www.creativenaturesuperfoods.co.uk/blog/recipes/spiced-rum-carrot-caketails-2/

Have you got any events planned for the autumn you’d like to shout about – either that you are running or attending?
This year we have our annual Creative Nature summer bake off. We’re recreating the Great British Bake Off but with allergen free products! You can keep up with the event on our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativenature/

Have you got any services or special offers you’d like to mention?
Organic September is coming up and you’ll be able to find lots of our organic ranges on offer in stores. You can stock up from Abel and Cole, Sainsburys and online on our website.  

For more information head to https://www.creativenaturesuperfoods.co.uk