Just a Mother’s Day at the office: How to run a successful business with your Mum

Some say that necessity is the mother of invention. But here at Startups, we think that title actually belongs to Spice Kitchen co-founder, Shashi Aggarwal.

Having grown bored with retirement in 2012, Shashi decided to start the successful artisanal spice and tea company, with her son, Sanjay.

It might sound like a recipe for disaster. After all, business decisions can be difficult enough without adding a sibling or parent into the mix.

But Shashi and Sanjay’s dynamic has seen their kitchen-table startup grow from humble roots in Walsall, to delivering handmade spice products to customers around the world.

Hardly surprising, as our Startups Cities Index found that the Midlands is one of the best places for business support.

Ahead of Mother’s Day, we sat down with them both to chat more about their business journey, and the challenges of navigating such a close personal and business relationship.

Mum’s the Word

Successful entrepreneurs know that a strong brand story is about finding the beating heart of your business. Spice Kitchen’s identity has been shaped naturally – born out of Shashi’s passion for cooking.

Having previously owned a small, but popular, retail shop in Birmingham with her husband, Shashi wanted to find a new hobby. As a result, she pitched the idea to the rest of the Aggarwal family on Christmas Day 2011.

Sashi recalls, “I said, ‘I want to do a little project, which I can just use to keep myself occupied’. Sanjay came up with this idea that I do something with spices, because I’ve always loved cooking.’”

Cooking is a skill that runs in the family – Sanjay remembers much of his childhood as being spent in the kitchen, trialling new recipes with his siblings.

“Obviously, Mum’s got a business background which helped. We’ve always had a working relationship as well as a personal relationship,” Sanjay says. “But the other reason we’ve been really successful is that Mum is an amazing chef. She’s instilled it in me, my brother and sister from a very, very young age.”

We've always had a working relationship as well as a personal relationship.

Recipe for Success

Authenticity is an important ingredient in Spice Kitchen’s business model. Even now, Shashi still does the initial testing for all of the business’s new blends in the family kitchen.

Some, like the garam masala, curry powders and tandoori masala began as family recipes, passed down for generations. But they now sit alongside an expansive range of international spices, developed in consultation with experts from each region.

“When it came to making North African blends or jerk blends, we’ve either consulted with chefs or we’ve found a local person within that country who knows the blend,” says Sanjay. “And then we’ve tweaked it a little bit to make it our own.”

The business has very much been created around Mum’s skills.

I came out of that trade show thinking, wow, this business has got legs

Sanjay’s keenness to grow the business means he often pushes to reinvest. Meanwhile, Shashi usually wants to keep operations smaller, and preserve cash flow.

Because of this difference in preferred tactics, the two have clashed at times. But Sanjay’s obvious entrepreneurial knack seems to have now won out.

“I let him take the risk,” Shashi says. “I let him face the consequences and learn from his mistakes. If I kept on saying, ‘well, it was my business and it’s got to be done my way all the time’ – that’s when all family businesses fall apart. I’m happy to stay back.”

Another rule that both Mother and Son adhere to is distance. Shashi rarely visits the 4,000 square-foot office unit that Spice Kitchen purchased last year, explaining it’s better the two don’t get ‘under each other’s feet’.

In fact, if there have been any spills in the making of Spice Kitchen, they’ve mostly been down to generational differences. “He has a young person’s enthusiasm,” Shashi smiles.

There might be family members reading this article, Startups tells Sanjay and Shashi, who are thinking of going into business together. What kind of advice do the duo have, given the triumph of their own venture?

“Communication is crucial,” Shashi states. “If you have a problem, just discuss it with them. Don’t let yourself sit there in silence. Talk to each other and say, ‘look, we do this, or yes, I can help you wherever I am’.”

A Growing Family

Spice Kitchen might boast two talented co-founders and a compelling brand story. But it’s still the company’s tasty blends which Sanjay credits for the business’s success.

“I would say for me the best thing about Spice Kitchen is seeing Mum’s talent shown for the first time. People love the quality of the spices that they buy from us,” he says.

Brand loyalty is particularly important in the food industry. It’s a competitive sector that can be hard to stand out in – as both founders know only too well.

“Customer service is really key for us,” Sanjay acknowledges. “If you have a bad product that doesn’t taste very good, you can have all the branding in the world, but people just won’t buy it.”

At the moment, customers are mostly discovering the brand as a gift option. But Shashi and Sanjay are aiming high. They want Spice Kitchen’s spice blends to become a household staple, and are also looking at how to break into the North Europe market.

That being said, when it comes to product development, the house kitchen in Walsall is still the business’s main laboratory. Their legacy is very firmly a family one.

The best thing about Spice Kitchen is seeing Mum's talent shown for the first time.