Amanda Menzies-Runciman
Amanda’s business, Millionaire Moments, offers a range exciting flavours and shapes to make the ever-popular millionaire shortbread into something bold and new. They are sold in boxes of six.
Getting started
Amanda started off owning and running takeaway Nosh in Auchterarder. She described it as a wonderful experience, but added: “However, in 2020, my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer and for that reason and to a lesser extent the lockdown, I decided to close Nosh to make the most of the remaining time I had with my father.
“I decided to start Millionaire Moments as a business I could work on and run from my home.”
The enterprise journey
“I’d love to say I made a plan and stuck to it, always striving forward,” says Amanda. “Unfortunately, that’s not the case. There has been a lot of two steps forward and one step back, trial and error and luck that goes along with the hard work.”
Since Amanda started her business during the pandemic, she feels it may have grown as quickly as it did partly due to the restrictions, which meant people were at home more and online sales boomed. Her biggest achievement so far was winning a contract last year to supply the corporate Christmas gifts for a national company’s clients. She says of what was involved: “Planning, creating, packaging, and distributing to hundreds of businesses around the UK all in the period before Christmas, on time and in full, whilst also fulfilling all my other local and online Christmas orders. And I am delighted I will be doing it again this year.”
It hasn’t all been plain sailing of course, and Amanda has faced a similar challenge to many home workers: “My biggest mistake has been letting family issues re-arrange my timings. My day is flexible, which is often a good thing, however I have found myself working well into the night at times as I have let family things distract me through the day.”
Support
Amanda appreciate the support she’s received from those closest to her. “My family have been amazing on an emotional and practical level,” she says.
I always feel like I should know all the answers already,’ Amanda adds. “I am a bit of a control freak and asking for help is not my first instinct, so I am relieved that GrowBiz was there to provide the support when I very clearly didn’t have all the answers myself.
“GrowBiz has been an extraordinary help. They have been invaluable giving support and advice whenever required. We are so lucky to have them available to us in this area.”
Looking to the future
Amanda has big plans for the future, aiming to expand further into the markets she’s already in, supplying hospitality and online sales, and also venturing into retail. “I hope to expand with new premises, and a great team working together to make Millionaire Moments available in retail outlets throughout the UK, on top of the online sales,“ she says.
Amanda is also planning to continue to incorporate her net zero goals into her business, with all her packaging already being plastic free, recyclable or biodegradable.
Although Amanda jokes that she doesn’t know what she does to relax (“Any ideas, please let me know!”) she recommends wannabe entrepreneurs to go for their dreams: “Do it! Do it! Do it! You’ll never succeed if you don’t try.”