THE NAME: Sheli Begum

THE BUSINESS: Sheli's Kitchen
(Catering)

 

Sheli's Kitchen specialises in delightfully authentic home-made Halal foods inspired by an opulent range of South Asian cuisines, catering especially for small sized conferences to make an inclusive, warm and welcoming atmosphere.

 

"For Muslim members of the community, catering at events can often make you feel excluded," says Sheli with concern. "I have been to many a business event and conference; the vegetable products are uninspired and there are seldom any meat options for Muslims. Where there was little being done to address this issue in the past, Sheli's Kitchen is now a solution for social inclusion. Sheli's Kitchen is dedicated to providing an excellent choice of foods for all communities to enjoy, Muslims included.

 

With food as one of her greatest passions, Sheli began her business journey with big, bold and great ideas. Whilst the competition looked absolutely huge, Sheli soon realised that in order to get to where she wanted to be, she needed to start somewhere and pick up on the learning curve. One step at a time she has slowly built up her enterprise, with each brick she once carried becoming a strong, sturdy and informed foundation for her business.

 

"When I was starting out, so many business advice organisations were unhelpful and negative, but Empower were extremely positive. Instead of telling me no, they told me yes, I can do it, but critically I needed to start one step at a time, and be aware of the pitfalls. They said to look at the negatives and be prepared; to not let short-term failures act as a setback, but as a lesson.

 

"Now I can thankfully cater for conferences numbering up to 40. My business is spreading rapidly through word of mouth, and Muslim Women groups especially are asking me to provide for them. If I did not have Empower behind me, I would not already be where I am today."

 

"The biggest thing to remember is to never get disheartened. If you're not happy with one business start-up organisation, go to another for the practical experience. Empower have really helped me to find a starting point. They have showed me the right places to start and have been ironing out the kinks to make my business even bigger and better. You do not need to be afraid of striving for what is completely achievable. Everyday I am still learning something new."  

 

Sheli.begum@gmail.com