In the bustling world of restaurant and hospitality, establishing a standout brand is essential for success. With fierce competition around every corner, it’s crucial to implement effective strategies to set your establishment apart. Here are some top tips to guide you in building your brand in a highly competitive market.
Firstly, define your unique value proposition. What sets your restaurant apart from the rest? Whether it’s your innovative menu, exceptional customer service, or inviting ambiance, identifying what makes your brand special will help you create a compelling narrative that resonates with your target audience.
Next, leverage the power of social media. In today’s digital age, platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter offer invaluable opportunities to connect with customers and showcase your brand’s personality. Share mouthwatering photos of your dishes, behind-the-scenes glimpses of your kitchen, and engaging content that sparks conversation and builds community.
Additionally, prioritize customer experience. From the moment guests walk through your doors to the final bite of their meal, every interaction should be memorable and delightful. Train your staff to deliver exceptional service, actively seek feedback from guests, and continuously strive to exceed expectations.
Consistency is key in building brand trust and loyalty. Maintain high standards across all aspects of your restaurant, from food quality to cleanliness to atmosphere. By delivering a consistent experience time and time again, you’ll earn the trust and loyalty of your customers, turning them into enthusiastic brand ambassadors.
Finally, stay true to your brand identity. As you grow and evolve, it’s important to stay authentic and aligned with your core values. Whether you’re launching new menu items, expanding to new locations, or partnering with other businesses, always ensure that your brand’s identity shines through in everything you do.
By following these top tips, you’ll be well-equipped to navigate the competitive landscape of the restaurant and hospitality industry and build a brand that resonates with customers and stands the test of time.
Okay, we know what we did there. This has nothing to do with your privacy. Or maybe it does. No, we were just joking again. We want this article to provide a quick guide on how to improve your business’s digital presence through *crescendo sound of drum beats* backlinks.
WHAT IS A BACKLINK?
This incredible way to boost your awareness on Google is as useful as forgotten.
Backlinks are links on a website that take you to another website. Yes, as simple as it sounds, they have been present since the beginning of the Internet as we know it nowadays.
So, if this is that simple and has been with us all this time, how is it so neglected? Why aren’t many businesses and brands making it a priority for their SEO strategy?
Well, if we want to know the answer to these questions, we will have to clarify what is Google’s position on this and how they want them to be used.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD BACKLINK?
Suppose we had to mention just one aspect that will undoubtedly boost the quality of the backlinks redirecting to your website. In that case, authority is the word that could answer all those questions previously stated.
As we all know, what makes your website rank on Google’s search engine better than other websites, is the quality of your site. In other words, Google gives it authority after considering the value it provides to its audience.
That being said, the authority the website hosting that link holds influences the relevance of the backlink. Therefore, the real challenge for new brands is to get quality backlinks.
But don’t discourage yourself since even the highest-ranked website was a newborn brand that started from zero some while ago.
ARE YOU LOST? DON’T WORRY, WE CAN HELP YOU
Here we will share with you three ways of getting backlinks for new brands:
1.Content has been and always will be king → First things first, you need to provide your audience and future visitors with some value. Start writing posts and articles on your website, content that must be of great value for your current audience and future visitors.
Once your website is valuable enough, you can start sharing your content on your socials or even with other content creators in your field. Knowing that your content is beneficial and trustworthy, your website will begin to be mentioned by other websites or content creators. Soon you will be counting your first backlinks from sources of great authority.
2.Guest posts → Creating content is not an easy task, not to mention keeping consistency over time. Believe it or not, content creators struggle with consistency and lack of ideas.
How can you help them and get some high-quality backlinks in return? Simply by reaching out to them and lending your hand. Offer to write or create some content for them to help them remain consistent and relevant. As a consequence, at the end of every post or article, they will provide their audience with a link taking them directly to your website. That’s what we call a win-win.
Make sure the web you are providing content to is in your niche or field; that way, you will ensure that Google will consider that link as a high-quality one.
3. Influencer outreach → This should not be a way of getting backlinks on its own, just a complementary tool to boost your number of backlinks knowing that you are already providing value through your content.
Once your content and posting are solidified and consistent, you can reach out to some influencers in your field for collaboration. The aim should still be to enrich your audience and genuinely interact with them through content of great value.
If what you have to offer is good enough, you will get those collaborations. And together with them, some high-quality backlinks from websites or socials of paramount authority will expose you enough.
You’re on the right track!
Kajola is dedicated to creating solutions for international hospitality and food start-ups. We’re devoted to making the hospitality and food scenes richer, more diverse and more rewarding for food lovers and experience seekers everywhere.
The future of your company must align with the future of the world: embrace innovation
The complexity of humankind is what makes us move forward and differentiate ourselves from any other species of the world. For us, human beings, survival is not enough to keep going and stay alive, unlike the other species; we rather feel the need to be better than our ancestors were. Our eagerness to constantly renew ourselves is innate in us. Creativity and innovation are in our DNA.
So, knowing the reasons behind our kind’s success and its lead on the world, we apply that exact same key ingredient for our company’s potion of success.
Vertical farming as a way of enriching our world
The start-up Plenty is a great example that shows the path we all should follow: caring for the world’s tomorrow and acting in that regard.
That’s why we decided to share this article on our LinkedInaccount last Tuesday because this is a great example that corroborates the possibility of attaining the previously stated.
The vertical farming proposal brings plenty of benefits for both the companies involved in this field and the wellbeing of the entire world itself. Seeing Walmart investing and supporting this type of business scheme is certainly something to celebrate. This sets an example for many other players in the retail industry and not only.
For that, we will see noticeable improvements regarding the spatial distribution at any kind of store implementing this new concept (in relation to leaving more room for other similar innovations). Moreover, we expect an upgrade regarding sustainable production and eventually its perpetual promotion by industry giants who take corporate social responsibility a level over and above.
What is Our role in this?
At Kajola, our purpose is to provide something valuable to the world. We do this by helping those who are passionate about the food and beverage sector and providing them with the best solutions that will boost their impact in this field and allow them to make a difference by keeping them innovative. Being different keeps you ahead of the game.
Kajola, beyond business?
To sum up, the main goal of this article was to do justice to what Kajola really means, the poetry behind the letters. Kajola’s meaning in Nigerian is Let’s make it together. Because we are here to make the difference, to enrich the hospitality and food & beverage sector, but most importantly, to make it together. That is why we are among the first to be proud of our counterparts’ achievements and share their successes with the world. It is all about our individual contribution to bettering the world measured through our collective blood, sweat and tears.
Innovation is the most difficult thing to achieve, nonetheless the only way of moving forward. Thus, if we all agree on it, let’s handle this challenge shoulder near shoulder. The future is in our hands, and learning with and from each other is easier than struggling alone.
Let’s make it together!
Kajola is dedicated to creating solutions for international hospitality and food start-ups. We’re devoted to making the hospitality and food scenes richer, more diverse and more rewarding for food lovers and experience seekers everywhere.
Hospitality consultancy agencies in the UK - Choose the best
What’s the deal with hospitality consultancy agencies?
Well, one could simply see a hospitality consultancy agency as a professional sports coach. Doing business in the world of hospitality could be both as physically and mentally consuming as training for a sport discipline. Athletes strive to get under the wing of top-skilled coaches in order to take their performance to a different level. But what about businesses? Could they also reach out to a coach?
This is where us, consultants step in. We are the business coaches you look for in order to help your business move forward. Our main purpose is to assist and guide you through the challenges of your business. Therefore, our services are tailor-made to your needs and wishes. From concept and business model development to financial and marketing advice, our expertise models itself in line with the client’s request.
Why should you hire a hospitality consultancy agency?
Why not?
As a hospitality business owner, whether your company is young or well-established, you are determined to go up to the hilt in order to get your business to flourish.
In other words, you are not afraid of rolling up your sleeves and putting your back into it. But that costs you two of your most valuable resources: time & money. And it wouldn’t be a problem if you: do continuous research, know the market like the back of your hand, have eyes and ears everywhere, market like a pro and the list goes on. However, you are not a superhuman and this is serious workload. Thus, we come to lend a hand so that we could share this workload together.
We provide you with our extensive knowledge. We give advice based on our experience with the industry and we connect you to our network. To come back to the association with sports, Michael Jordan said ‘talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships’.
Kajola Consultants – How could we coach you?
Kajola is lead by Bunmi, a Londoner now based in Amsterdam. We are a small international team of dedicated creatives, designers, strategists, analysts, architects and project managers. The passion of creating solutions that have impact stays at the core of our services. Part creative agency, part consultants and part advisors, Kajola is dedicated to creating solutions for hospitality, food and beverage start-ups, scale-ups, and corporates on an international scale.
Spanning 35 years we have delivered numerous hospitality, hotels, hostels, commercial building developments, restaurants, bars, cafes, retail and the odd film and tv production. Have a look at our portfolio.
Kajola Consultants – Why us?
We’re backed by years of experience and award-winning success stories, but…
At our heart, we’re just people who are passionate about food, drink, and great guest experiences. We’re devoted to making the hospitality, food, and drinks scenes richer, more diverse and more rewarding for experience seekers everywhere.
Let us be your coach!
Kajola is dedicated to creating solutions for international hospitality and food start-ups. We’re devoted to making the hospitality and food scenes richer, more diverse and more rewarding for food lovers and experience seekers everywhere.
Hospitality 2.0: a hybrid of automated customer service and human contact?
Hospitality in its essence
The world seems to continue to reconfigure itself under the irreversible pandemic effect. 2020 was a critical turning point for all business sectors, especially for hospitality. Being a polysemous term, one should not only think of the disastrous effects on the industry. Yet, one should also consider the deeper meaning of the term ‘hospitality’. Hospitality symbolizes the simple and genuine relationship between the host and the guest, the ability to make someone feel welcome, to create a bond. It is essentially the main support for creating dialogue, trust, and long-term relationships with your customers regardless of the product/service you’re selling.
What do we see?
However, 2020 was about everything but creating bonds. Social distancing became the new norm and technology and automation were rapidly introduced to reduce inter-human touchpoints. As a result, hospitality as we all had been knowing it has been threatened. E-commerce and delivery services have started playing strong and driving sales greatly. Digital innovations have stepped more and more bravely into the spotlight and concepts such as ‘ghost kitchen’ and ‘grab & go’ stay at the core of new hospitality business models.
Will hospitality survive the transition to the online environment? Could we say that we are witnessing the development of a new hospitality ‘species’? Hospitality 2.0: a hybrid of automated customer service and human contact?
Certainly, the industry will not be the same. Hospitality as a practical philosophy (Jan Gunnarson’s ‘hostmanship’ theory) will adapt to the new world setting. It is a widely held axiom, that the rarer something becomes the more people place value on it. Thus, service providers who manage to successfully embed traditional hospitality in their customer relationship management will undoubtedly differentiate themselves in the market.
In addition, looking at the popularity of experience retail, the ‘buy-online & pick-up in store’ services or VR shopping are both hospitality-dependent models. As a consequence, customers expect real assistance and care. Amazon Explore’s one-on-one VR retail allows Americans to virtually visit boutiques as far as Tokyo. This does not only require an attendant who has top skills in welcoming and treating people but is knowledgeable about cross-cultural communication and etiquette.
Beyond the private sector
Apart from the private sector, the art of welcoming is slowly becoming a valuable asset incorporated in public infrastructure. Governments and their customer relationship management have not enjoyed the best reputation over time. With the increase of globalization and work mobility, this factor is of major importance for ex-pats. And the reason is really clear. Cities that manage to integrate newcomers into their community by providing careful guidance and support will overshadow other less hospitable ones. Therefore, the new reference governments should consider is how hospitable the nature of their services is. Carefully designed on-boarding frameworks and accommodation support will instantly make certain cities/countries more attractive.
We believe that authenticity wins
It is irrefutable that society has been deeply wounded during this world crisis. As we emerge, the hospitality of empathy and compassion will be one of its most precious cures. From a business point of view, it will be the source to create profitable and viable customer relationships. As hospitality scholars call them, the ‘moments of truth’ are the guest-host contacts where the magic happens. Take care of them, make them authentic and you will thrive!
Kajola is dedicated to creating solutions for international hospitality and food start-ups. We’re devoted to making the hospitality and food scenes richer, more diverse and more rewarding for food lovers and experience seekers everywhere.
It’s that ‘back to school’ time of year again, which always feels like the beginning of something new and exciting. In honor of that atmosphere, we sat down with one of our favorite market predictors Bunmi Okolosi founder of Kajola to get his predictions, insights and hear about his latest projects. Bunmi has worked as an international consultant for Hospitality, Food & Beverage companies for over 6 years. His company Kajola is dedicated to helping start-ups, scale-ups & corporates become world-class! Bunmi is also a co-founder and moderator of our KR Academy program, that has helped launch +30 start up businesses over the last 4 years.
So spill the beans, what are your predictions for the coming fall and winter months within the industry?
Staffing struggles will continue, well into next summer for most. I think employment methods and practices will need to change for entrepreneurs. They’ll need to do things like reduce hours, increase pay, reduce shifts and most importantly utilize necessary software tools to help streamline their operations.
In New York, for example, major restaurant groups have had to be really creative in order to stay competitive with how they recruit and hire. So some have started to offer a signing bonus. When you sign a contract with them you get a bonus immediately and it’s yours to keep when you stay there for 9-12 months. Hospitality needs to turn to creative tactics in order to stay competitive.
“… mental space and joy will dictate more people’s decisions than perhaps they did before COVID. ”
Interesting! And what more?
I suspect that there will be more people volunteering for a brand because they believe in it and/or want to enhance their experience with that brand. I also think that mental space and joy will dictate more people’s decisions than perhaps they did before COVID.
Which new food opportunity since COVID do you find striking?
We will experience more of the 10-minute grocery market and market of convenience options (like Gorillas and Flink). This type of leisurely up to the individual’s needs will dictate the market. While COVID restrictions had a lot of downsides, people will still want to utilize aspects of the leisurely, on-the-go services that cater to an individual’s needs.
Of course, there will be consolidation in that market too, they won’t all be able to compete in this market together forever. Eventually AH and Jumbo will see the chunk of business that these 10-minute grocers have taken from them and probably by next summer they will start trying to acquire them. This is already happening in Spain and Italy. COVID has just accelerated the dark kitchen wave and the 10-minute grocery delivery has spun that model further.
Speaking of dark kitchens. How do you think this model will continue?
They are here to stay without question but what’s a more interesting question is what will the volume be? Will it maintain or decrease? I say it will decrease because people like to go out, we all want to go out again. What you will see more of within delivery and dark kitchens are the more bespoke experiences. At home food experiences like Rijks and Ron Blaauw’s rijsttafel, these types offer people an exciting food encounter in the comfort of their own home.
For all those people still on the fence about starting a new food business in today’s world, do you have any advice for them?
To me, I would recommend a person to think about several things. Do you understand the market and who you are trying to target? Cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht have a lot to offer already and are highly competitive markets. So if you don’t know your audience you will have an upward battle.
Yes, take advantage of the opportunity that is there but do your research. Know your target personas, their habits, where they shop, what they like, what they don’t like, what content they consume online and offline, etc. This way you can target them and let them know, you know. Unless you have one of those amazing kickass products that get discovered quickly by influential influencers and trend spotters you are in for a long stoke. Tourism will come back but that’s a long way off from where it was before COVID, I predict it will be almost 2 years before we get back to pre-COVID revenue levels.
“People are not loyal when they have a large amount of choice. ”
Have any tips on creating target personas?
At Kajola we use a ‘buyer mentality matrix’ – and in this method there are 2 persona types: a buyer or a maker. A buyer is a person who prefers the efficiency of buying over making something from scratch, while a maker prefers the opposite. And within those personas there is also a classification of a maximizer or satisfier. A maximizer would rather have the best food experience rather than just a satisfying food experience. This categorization alone can help you establish how to approach and sell. We use and perfected this method in our work with big players in the industry like: Unilever, Nestle, Dr. Oetker, etc.
Where do you see great potential for both food service and retail sectors to venture into?
Partnerships. They are the most cost effective to leverage a business day to day and prevent overexertion in order to get additional sales. Everyone is looking to create a lower threshold partnership in some way or another so it’s a fresh environment to tap into and can benefit all parties involved.
Can you tell us a bit more about your participation in one new initiative called Melting Pot?
Yes, Melting Pot sprung up through my involvement with Joris Bijdendijk, Lowfood Movement, Clubhouse conversations and working alongside other top industry leaders who want to see a bigger push for diversity in the Dutch market. We are just in the phase of defining our plan of action and our mission is:
‘Melting Pot’ is a group of Horeca professionals with an initiative to create more diverse representation within the hospitality industry in the Netherlands. It was born from an idea and the understanding that diversity within the industry is seriously lacking and misrepresented on multiple levels. Melting pot would like to change that for the better. Normalizing a multicultural Dutch cuisine and shining a light on the appropriate people can only enrich the industry, making a more representative and thus tastier culinary landscape.’
Sounds amazing, have you seen any expansion and push for diversity currently?
I’ve been developing an impact fund that focuses on finding investors that truly care about diversity in hospitality, food and beverage and are ready to put their money where their mouth is. I’m talking about investment into LGBTQ and people of color businesses so that they can have the opportunities to grow and be seen. Right now I am working on a big deal with this black female hotel owner who embodies exactly what I think needs to be seen and celebrated today. I think now is the time to talk about diversity. The work that Mitchell Esajas over at Black Archives is doing has caused so much awareness on race and helped momentum. Truly, it’s about having these discussions so that diversity can happen. My team always talks about supporting ‘businesses of tomorrow’ and what that means to be a business of tomorrow is that above all: people, planet and profit are your base for what you accomplish.
These 3 P’s are important and when we talk about the people portion that means we need to think and uplift all people and the market today lacks diversity. All people must be given the same opportunities and chances for development. My impact fund is not only about money but also offering people of color or LGBTQ companies more guidance in a market they have been left out of.
Do you feel like here in the Netherlands we are having a reckoning like what’s happening in the States or France for example?
Nowhere near, it feels a bit mentally cocooned here. But you have to remember the Dutch are on their 3rd or so generation chef like with Joris Bijdendijk, Denis Huwaë, or Sidney Schutte who are pushing to open the culinary landscape beyond their predecessors. Now when you look at immigrant families here, they are only in their 2nd generation chefs. Probably their parents started their food businesses in the 60s-70s and those 2nd gen kids still want to maintain their parents mentality and approach: “Dutch people love our food, they are doing us a favor.” And in this mindset they don’t think or feel a need to break free of the Dutchified commonly bland spiced variation. This is not just in the food industry, it transcends into many other sectors like politics. Did you know that the 1st black female founded political party leader (Sylvana Simons) entered the Dutch government only this year? But don’t get me wrong, Dutch do like the flavors and will frequent places that offer them when they know about it but having open, frequent conversations are just not happening and awareness is how we break barriers.
Thank you so much for having this open conversation with us Bunmi and we hope there will be many more to follow!
For all you who want to learn more about Kajola be sure to visit their website, feel free to contact them through their media outlets. The Kajola Guidance Program is going on now. They work with startups, scale ups and corporates to help in all facets of what each business level needs.
Kajola is dedicated to creating solutions for international hospitality and food start-ups. We’re devoted to making the hospitality and food scenes richer, more diverse and more rewarding for food lovers and experience seekers everywhere.
With so many different crowdfunding models and platforms available, picking the right crowdfunding platform for your project may feel quite confusing… Here’s a beginner’s guide to the different types of crowdfunding platforms, which one you should pick for your project and why.
What is the right crowdfunding platform for my project?
I need to raise a lump sum to pay for something essential to my project
Perhaps you need to buy new equipment, hire a venue for an exhibition or event, or pay to have your tour bus repaired? For this type of project, you want to raise money to pay for one-off costs associated with a project or starting something new.
What is the right crowdfunding platform for this project?
By using a rewards-based crowdfunding platform or a donation-based crowdfunding platform to raise money, you can gather together lots of small payments from your crowd to reach a specific target before a specific deadline. You are likely to be able to attract larger contributions by using a rewards-based crowdfunding platform as opposed to a donation-based crowdfunding platform.
You’ll need to communicate to your backers why you need to make this one-off purchase and how it will improve your life, their life and the lives of people they care about.
Example 2: Regular Support
I run a regular event or produce regular content for people to enjoy
Perhaps you produce things like podcasts, community events, online videos or other things that you don’t charge money for? For this type of project, you want to raise money to pay for on-going costs associated with keeping different activities going.
What is the right crowdfunding platform for this project?
By using a subscription-based crowdfundingplatform to raise money, you can gather together lots of small payments from your crowd each month to provide a regular income for your project. This is a way to set up a regular ‘tip jar’ for people who like (or benefit from) what you do to show their appreciation, with lots of small contributions adding up over time.
You’ll need to communicate to your backers how their contributions support you to keep your project going, and what value it brings to their life and the lives of people they care about.
Example 3: Making a new ‘thing’
My project will result in a ‘product’ that people want to own or take part in
Perhaps you are planning to publish a new book / album / game etc., devise & show a new theatre piece, or produce a series of artists multiples? For this type of project, you want to raise money to pay for the up-front costs associated with publishing, production or manufacturing.
What is the right crowdfunding platform for this project?
By using a rewards-based crowdfundingplatform to raise money, you’ll be able to raise the money for all the up-front costs ahead of the project (through lots of small payments from your crowd) and at the same time have a way to distribute your products (as rewards) to people who want them.
You’ll need to communicate to your backers that your campaign is their opportunity to support your new project by ‘pre-ordering’ (ie making an up-front payment for a reward they will receive later. You’ll also need to communicate how their contributions make a massive difference at this stage of the project (ie allow the project to happen at all!) and what value the finished product will bring to their life and the lives of people they care about.
What else should I consider when choosing my crowdfunding platform?
There are a few other special things to note when deciding on which crowdfunding platform to use.
Do I go for “all-or-nothing” or “flexible funding”?
Here’s a quick overview of the differences between All Or Nothing and Flexible Funding models in crowdfunding, with examples of the platforms that use each model.
All Or Nothing
Flexible Funding
You only receive your pledges if you hit your target.
You keep all your pledges, whether your projects hits the target or not.
This is usually the default option for donation-based crowdfunding platforms like JustGiving and GoFundMe and is available on some of the rewards-based crowdfunding platforms like Crowdfunder and IndieGoGo.
For example:
For example:
If you set your crowdfunding target at £10,000 and have only raised £9,000 by the end of your 30 day campaign, in an all-or-nothing campaign you will not receive any funds and no money will be taken from your backers cards.
If you set your crowdfunding target at £10,000 and have only raised £4,000 by the end of your 30 day campaign, in an flexible funding campaign you will receive all of the funds you have raised.
All Or Nothing campaigns are best for:
Flexible Funding campaigns are best for:
projects that need to reach a certain target to be able to actually start the project
eg – publishing projects that have a minimum ‘print run’, or something large you need to purchase
projects where any amount of money raised will be useful to help the project happen
eg – an on-going project where other sources of funding are available, or where the project creator can make up any shortfall in funding themselves
introducing a feeling of jeopardy to your campaign
where backers and the project creator respond to the ‘risk’ of not reaching the target, by pushing harder for support and (usually) making higher average pledges.
campaigns for charities or ’causes’
flexible funding campaigns are more like a way to collect together donations
raising more money overall
REMEMBER: you need to set your target carefully (to make sure it is achievable, but still covers the costs you need to deliver the project & rewards)
raising smaller amounts of money
Using a flexible funding campaign will usually lead to lower individual pledges (averaging around £10 per backer)
Is my project eligible for match-funding?
Depending on where you live, or the type of project you are fundraising for, you may be eligible for matched crowdfunding. Matched funding is the potential to attract extra funds into your campaign from organisations like local authorities, grant-giving bodies or charitable foundations.
I have moved this section to its own post, which you’ll find at the link below:
This type of match-funding for crowdfunded projects is only available on a small number of crowdfunding platforms, and the types of funds available change all the time. You’ll find some examples at:
If you are eligible for matched crowdfunding, this may effect which is the right crowdfunding platform for you, how you set your funding target, the type of information your include in your project pitch and whether you run an All Or Nothing or Flexible Funding campaign.
Project creators offer a small financial stake (or micro-investment) in the project based on how much money a backer contributes to the project.
Project creators acquire a loan, financed by backers who lend a small amount of money to the project creator (via a peer lending platform).
Backers receive a financial return on their donations, once the project they have invested in makes an ‘exit’ in the future (eg the company is sold, or shares in the company are launched on the stock market).
Backers receive both their original stake and a fixed rate of interest at an agreed later date (like a fixed-term savings account). However, these returns are not guaranteed in the same way as traditional savings and this is a high-risk investment for backers.
This is a type of ‘share offer’, and is an alternative way for start-up businesses to raise money through selling shares in the future success of their projects.
This is a type of peer-to-peer lending, sometimes refered to as mini-bonds, and is an alternative to getting a bank loan to fund a project (usually with a lower rate of interest to the project creator / borrower).
Extra regulations & work involved
Extra regulations & work involved
Project creators need to prepare & publish a clear business plan, income projections and other documents for potential backers to examine.
Project creators need to demonstrate their ability to repay the loan in the time required and projects must be approved by the lending platform.
Alternatives to crowdfunding – other platforms you can use to gather money from backers
If you want to set up a ‘tip-jar’ for one-off donations, or simple regular subscriptions:
Use Libreapay – low-cost recurrent donations platform (only takes donations in € and $, but can be used by UK users)
Use Open Collective – collect recurring contributions from supporters, reimbursing expenses & manage group accounts (publicly, in a transparent way) – potentially useful for meetups, open source projects, small membership organisations, clubs and associations etc.
Use a payment processor (like Paypal or Stripe) to set up a “Donate” payment button or recurring payment options to include in mailshots or on your website.
If you want to set up a way for people to make Pre-Order Payments & Delayed Payments, Installments and Split Payments, or embedding these things in your own website:
Check out Celery – a custom pre-order payments platform
If you want to sell memberships, online courses, and digital downloads to your audience:
Try Podia (although the up-front costs are quite high)
For advanced users: If you’re interested in setting up your own Custom Donation Forms, Donation Pages, Peer-to-Peer Fundraising or Recurring Donations, or embedding these things in your own website:
Check out Donately – especially useful for setting up hybrid projects (combine reward-based campaigns with one-off donations, or regular subscription payments)
Kajola is dedicated to creating solutions for international hospitality and food start-ups. We’re devoted to making the hospitality and food scenes richer, more diverse and more rewarding for food lovers and experience seekers everywhere.
Making sure your concept evolves is key to staying relevant. We agree that the best goal for restaurant owners is to be the leader of the pack, setting the standards. What this article overlooks though, are steps to ensure that a restaurant remodel is profitable. We would like to add the things that in our point of view are important to consider. Read on for our top tips and takeaways.
Realize that a remodel creates a special opportunity for your business. With proper planning, a remodel can help you profitably fine-tune your image. Customers place added value on a sleeker experience. When you improve the restaurant with an updated design and new features to enhance the eating experience, customer perception can be transformed. In turn, the customer will be more willing to pay for the added benefits. Refreshes can also attract new customers which in turn generate new revenue.
To help win more people over, consider an investment in doing more training with your employees to match this new experience with exceptional service. The value of a visit is based on the entire experience If you increase the value of a visit, customers are willing to pay a higher price, and they’ll come back.
Determine your expectations for return on investment and revisit menu pricing before you reopen. A remodel is a big investment on many fronts. Before you start, it’s important to plan for recouping the expenditures and to be realistic about how long it may take. Also, as you estimate the return on investment, consider lease terms and potential loss of revenue due to paused operation during the remodel.
The ROI analysis needs to include updated menu pricing in the equation. With smart menu pricing decisions, you can offset the costs of the work overtime, without hurting customer traffic. When it comes to adjusting menu prices, this should be determined while the remodel is underway, not after reopening as your opportunity to make significant menu price changes will generally decline once you’ve opened your doors again.
Invest in improving the restaurant when it is doing well Don’t wait until your location is in trouble. Think about making improvements when you are performing well. If your location is viable, you should always consider how to attract and retain customers, working towards same-store sales improvement.
Kajola is dedicated to creating solutions for international hospitality and food start-ups. We’re devoted to making the hospitality and food scenes richer, more diverse and more rewarding for food lovers and experience seekers everywhere.
The future of the office space in a remote work world
In this strange pandemic era, we all have very different experiences of the workplace, and it’s been fascinating to watch this develop over the past year. As the rise of remote work accelerated, the immediate hypothesis was that working from home would be the new normal. According to McKinsey 2020 research, 80 percent of people questioned reported that they enjoyed working from home more than going to the office.
In 2021 we are not so sure anymore. Recent research suggests that there is a negative emotional impact of remote working compared to office-based work. People are feeling lonely and having trouble disconnecting at the end of the day. It seems that even though we can be productive from home, the physical office will not become irrelevant. However, when people come back to the office they will be forever changed by their pandemic experience. This means that what they want will also be different.
So, what will the new normal really look like?
Workspaces are becoming multi-purpose and multi-modal
The workplace must be a hybrid experience that leverage the best of both remote and office work.The future office is a place that incorporates the best aspects of the office, your home, coffee shops, co-working, and hotel lobbies.
The future office is a smarter shared workspace
The focus should be on creating a space for the shared activities that work best in person. This means more collaborative workspaces, with fully loaded videoconferencing options to link up in-person and work-from-home staffs.
The future office uses tech to make things easy and ensure health and safety
In the new normal, office workers will want to avoid crowded spaces and long lines. You might see more usage of mobile apps, where employees can check what’s for lunch or book a conference space.
The office of the future will succeed or fail based on whether it provides what the future office workers demand. Forget bad coffee and fluorescent lighting. To compete, offices must be a space that holds a thriving community and that is the perfect spot for collaboration, meeting new people and learning new things.
Kajola is dedicated to creating solutions for international hospitality and food start-ups. We’re devoted to making the hospitality and food scenes richer, more diverse and more rewarding for food lovers and experience seekers everywhere.
