James Ooi, the founder of Little Bao Boy tells us how he transitioned from a career in sales to launching a successful street food business, starting from a side hustle in his flat to expanding into multiple locations.

James shares insights on the challenges of building a food business, the importance of building a personal brand, and the strategic moves that helped Little Bao Boy thrive. Tune in for an inspiring journey of passion, perseverance, and innovation in the food industry.

If you're looking for a business and entrepreneurship podcast that will inspire, motivate and educate you, through the personal business journeys and entrepreneurial lessons learnt of Leeds business owners then this is the podcast for you.

INTRODUCING JAMES OOI

Growing up in his parents noodles shop hospitality has always been a part of James' life. Starting in corporate sales he always missed the buzz if hospitality. Almost a decade ago he launched Little Bao Boy, which has grown from a small street food set up to 38 franchises across the UK.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

[00:00:00] From sales to street food

[00:03:00] The birth of Little Bao Boy

[00:06:00] Taking the leap: leaving a steady job

[00:09:30] Navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship

[00:12:00] The Importance of community when building a brand

[00:15:00] Expanding horizons: franchising and growth

[00:18:00] Quality control and the evolution of business operations

[00:24:00] Building a personal brand in the Digital Age

[00:28:00] Advice for aspiring food entrepreneurs

[00:30:00] My brilliant business idea

3 KEY TAKEAWAYS & BUSINESS LEARNINGS

• When you start a business you have to become an accountant

• It’s not just how good your product is. People invest in you as a person.

• Don’t overthink your personal brand. Just go out there and create content

3 MOMENTS TO LOOK OUT FOR

“no-one gets into business because they want to learn how to read a P&L sheet”

“It took a year and a half to sort out the franchising side of things”

“One of our videos has 2.6m views on it”

VALUABLE RESOURCES FOR YOU

Website: www.leedsbusinesspodcast.com

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/leeds-business-podcast/

Work with Phil - www.philfraser.co.uk

Website: https://www.littlebaoboy.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-ooi-7b740b86/

Shout out: https://dohhut.com/ https://www.thingsinbread.com/

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