£1 Pancake

The hertsentrepreneurs organised an Apprentice Challenge at Hertfordshire University. To get as many students involved as possible, the even was shared on Facebook, Twitter and www.hertsentrepreneurs.com. As it can be seen from the Image above, anybody was welcome to take part. To make things more interesting, four hertentrepreneurs members (including myself) entered the competition. 

Out of a total of 8 sign ups, two teams of 4 where chosen, so the Apprentice Challenge was about to begin! The Brief was to set up a 'pop-up' business for the day, one of the business was a Smoothie making stand and the other was a Pancake making stand. The ultimate purpose of the challenge was to experience the real life complications of running a real business for a day, whilst also putting our skills to practice. 

My team was given the Pancake stand. On the morning of the first day, the team had to create a business plan and run through the costs involved and make a prediction on the sales we would make and how we would make them. To sell pancakes in spring, in a University, outside was going to be difficult. The opposition (selling Smoothies) were indoors, in the Forum lobby (http://www.forumhertfordshire.co.uk). We had to think outside, so I came up with a branding and Marketing solution which could bring the Pancake stand some extra sales.

We named the Business £1 Pancake. The brand was called £1 Pancake because we had decided to price our pancakes at £1, after all, our target market were Students, on a budget! The Logo and branding was simple and the tag line had a nice ring to it. But would £1 Pancake attract custom?? 

Small A5 size fliers were designed, printed and stuck up all around the Campus, in places where students are most likely to spend a moment on their own and reflect on their thoughts. 

All Proceedings were going to Charity, so this it was important to let the customers know that the pancakes were not only cheap but also that all the takings were going to a worthwhile cause. (http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/) The banner and pancake holders were designed and produced for the stand by hand. 

On the day, the stand was decorated with patriotic blue, white and red colours. Classical music was played and there was an area set up for customers to relax and enjoy their £1 Pancake. On the trading day, the stand sold 182 pancakes, topped with a variety of fresh ingredients such as lemon juice, strawberries, cherries and banana. Customers had the option to choose what toppings and sauces. The most common choice throughout the day was a Pancake topped with lemon and sugar. 

Throughout this experience I learned about the difficulty of dealing with food, health and safety and managing a real business. I also enjoyed the opportunity to create a real Business, Costing, Branding and Marketing plan that was put to practice. I also learned how to make a mean pancake! To conclude, the day was very successful with no real issues or disappointed customers, but most importantly the two stands raised £350+ for a great cause.