We love to hear the stories behind our clients business ideas, especially when that business was started during the unprecedented year of 2020.
This week we caught up with Marion, the culinary talent behind new business, Grandma’s Kitchen. A Bolton based catering business that specialises in the most delicious cakes, treats and home cooking style dishes. We struggled to pick our favourite photos to share with you!
What is Grandma’s Kitchen?
How did the idea come about?
‘I’ve always been a type of feeder; everyone has eaten at my house at some point but when my youngest daughter left home, I thought who am I going to feed now? I like cooking for people There’s no fun cooking just for yourself. My cousin said she wanted some lunch to take to work and that’s how it actually started before I knew it I were making other people lunches too.’
What’s the story behind the name?
‘I started off as more of a food blogger, I’ve always enjoyed watching what other people make who followed my pages from different parts of the world. Me and my granddaughter would make pizza every Friday night and although at that time I didn’t think of it growing into a business, I woke up one day googled when picking a brand name, cafe or food business pick a name people can relate too, I was a Grandma me and my Granddaughter cooked in my Kitchen so decided that everyone can relate to Grandmas Kitchen.’
How will trademark protection help you?
‘I thought it was really important to protect my brand identity. I had put so much work into the business and now not far off opening a shop if I was going to trademark it needed to be now before I actually opened. I think it’s made my brand more official. And also, if there is a similar brand name it is less confusing to people when they’re trying to search for you.’
What would you advise other business owners?
‘If trademarking something you’re thinking about doing and getting it right from the get go I would say the sooner you do it the better.’
What’s next for Grandma’s Kitchen?
‘I’ve worked from home up to now but will be moving into our new premises in the next few months.’
You can follow Grandma’s kitchen through the following channels. Warning – it will make you hungry!
Facebook – grandmaskitchenltd
Instagram- grandmaskitchenltd
Tik Tok- grandmaskitchenltd
YouTube- grandmaskitchenltd
Questions about this
When is the right time for a small business to trademark its name?
Ideally before the business grows into new premises or a wider audience. The owner of Grandma’s Kitchen, a Bolton catering business started in 2020, chose to register the name before opening a shop, because so much work had already gone into the brand. The UK works on a first-to-file basis, so the sooner a name is protected, the less chance there is of someone else registering it first.
Answered by Jonathan Paton, Founder & CEOHow does a trademark help a small local business?
Beyond legal protection, a registered trademark can make a brand feel more official to customers and partners. The owner of Grandma’s Kitchen also found it helps reduce confusion, because where a similar name exists, customers searching online can find the right business more easily. A registration gives a clear record of who owns the name, which becomes more valuable as the business expands.
Answered by Jonathan Paton, Founder & CEOWhat can new business owners learn from Grandma’s Kitchen’s trademark story?
The main lesson is to get it right from the start. The owner’s advice to others was that the sooner you trademark, the better. She picked a name people could relate to, built a following through social media and word of mouth, and protected the brand before taking the next step of opening premises. Securing the name before investing in signage and a shop avoids the cost of changing it later.
Answered by Jonathan Paton, Founder & CEO
