Food Circle Supermarket | Case Study

We’d worked with Ben before, so we knew he was a good guy we could trust

I’m James, and I run Food Circle Supermarket with my business partner and co-founder, Paul Simpson. We’re an online surplus food retailer, so we buy excess food and drink with short expiry dates, and sell it on at great prices, reducing the amount of waste going to landfill.

We launched in 2018 and, for the first few years, we ran the business solo, handling everything in-house. But as we grew, it became clear we needed to know our numbers inside out. We’d reached a point when bringing someone on board to support us made sense.

Ben had been the head of finance at a company Paul and I had worked at before setting up Food Circle Supermarket. When we saw his post on LinkedIn saying he’d started his own business, it was a bit of a no-brainer to give him a call and see if he was up for working with us again. Thankfully, he said yes!

Ben makes sure we understand the story our numbers tell and what that means for our business

By the time we got in touch with Ben, we already had an accountant on board. They’re great at doing our year-end accounts and running our payroll, but we needed some high-level strategic advice they couldn’t bring. We’d been in the same position and turning over the same profit for a few years – we wanted a portfolio FD of Ben’s calibre to come and help us get to the next level.

Ben started to delve into our numbers in detail, and it wasn’t long before we could see the big picture. His reporting and forecasting make our data not only more accurate but easier to understand, as he combines these figures and his expertise to give us clarity about how our business can grow.

For example, when we need to finance new stock, Ben gives us options about how to do that and spells out the process clearly. At first, I was nervous about borrowing money. But Ben explained the capital loans and funding available, showing us what borrowing rates we’d be looking at and what we’d be paying back. Knowing our options and what they mean long term gave me a lot of comfort.

With Ben on board, it feels like we have a finance mentor we can truly collaborate with

Ben’s worked with us in a couple of ways, and that mix of methods has been really great. Sometimes, Ben’s worked independently off site, sorting everything out behind the scenes. That’s included stock file analysis and stock reconciliation to make sure our balance sheet and stock data are completely accurate – pretty crucial stuff for a business like ours!

On other occasions, Ben’s joined us on site, and we’ve spent a day together working on our finances and looking at forecasting. He’s here mainly to discuss the figures, but he also brings value as a mentor. We have conversations in person that we might not have over email and benefit from his insights and experience.

On other occasions, Ben’s joined us on site, and we’ve spent a day together working on our finances and looking at forecasting. He’s here mainly to discuss the figures, but he also brings value as a mentor. We have conversations in person that we might not have over email and benefit from his insights and experience.

Ben’s so level-headed and looks at everything in a positive, practical way

Ben’s a really helpful person to have around. He doesn’t dwell on problems, but looks at ways to get around issues and what the outcomes would be. It’s a massive weight off my shoulders knowing we can work through decisions together.

I’ve found one of the biggest wins from working with Ben is the strong methodology he has in place. Ben bases everything on facts – you can tell he has plenty of experience, with tried and tested approaches he can bring into our business. There’s a clear recipe behind the work he does, so we can trust it, repeat it, and embed it into Food Circle Supermarket – now and in the future.

Whether on a retained or an ad hoc basis, Ben’s insights are invaluable. He’ll always be my go-to whenever we need a portfolio FD.