Member stories

<p><em>Asher Budwig acquired Lola's Cupcakes five years ago, with a vision to expand the business and grow overseas. He's successfully achieved this through franchising, introducing merchandise, and focusing on what the customer wants.&nbsp;</em></p>

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Interviews

Asher Budwig acquired Lola's Cupcakes five years ago, with a vision to expand the business and grow overseas. He's successfully achieved this through franchising, introducing merchandise, and focusing on what the customer wants. We asked the entrepreneur a few questions.

I was part of a team opening a new coffee concept that was brought over from South Africa called Vida E Caffe. Prior to that I've always worked in retail (restaurants/juice bars/pretsel stores/market stalls/pubs).

What was your vision for the business, on acquisition?

![Lola's Cupcakes](https://enterprisenation.blob.core.windows.net/enterprisenation/system/images/W1siZiIsIjIwMTUvMDMvMzAvMTUvMDAvMjAvODU3L2xvbGFfMS5wbmciXSxbInAiLCJ0aHVtYiIsIjIyNXgyNTU+Il0sWyJwIiwic3RyaXAiXV0/lola 1.png "Lola 1")

To professionalise the business and make a real concept out of it. When we took it over, it was 3 stores, operating out of a small production unit in Primrose Hill. I would get calls at 3am in the morning from neighbours complaining we were waking them up as we bake through the night"¦ so I really wanted to elevate the business forward out of situations such as that. From the retail side, we wanted to re-design the shops to focus more on the exciting products we had on offer, and really define what Lola's should look like to its customer.

How do you recruit and retain quality people?

Wherever possible we recruit internally for positions of greater responsibility. At the start of one's journey with the company it's normally through gumtree or through a local recruitment agency with interns.

With difficulty but we really get everyone involved in the HQ and find out what people think will work, we listen to our customers, and the teams in-stores to see what they are relaying back to us and it all goes into a melting pot from there

Do you source from small suppliers? If so, what do you look for from these suppliers?

![Lola's Cupcakes](https://enterprisenation.blob.core.windows.net/enterprisenation/system/images/W1siZiIsIjIwMTUvMDMvMzAvMTUvMDAvMjQvOTQwL2xvbGFfMy5wbmciXSxbInAiLCJ0aHVtYiIsIjIyNXgyNTU+Il0sWyJwIiwic3RyaXAiXV0/lola 3.png "Lola 3")

We do use literally 100's of suppliers, some small cottage businesses and some much larger organisations. Quality, consistency and reliability are key requirements, and of course a price that allows us to remain competitive.

You have expanded into merchandise with books and candles. Is this a big part of future growth?

Merchandise is a small but important part of the businesses. Whilst it only represents a very small part of the revenue, it allows those at home to get involved with home baking through our cook books, and for those wishing to dress their cake the candles are the finishing touches.

In expanding, through franchise, to Europe and Middle East, how will you keep the brand values and customer service in tact?

It al begins with choosing the right partner"¦. we then bring them over to the UK for local training, and we then send our own team over to the franchisors country for the openings. Regular visits, and good communication are critical to helping our partners achieve the same success we've experienced in London. It's an exciting challenge for us, and something that is fuelling our own development right here in the UK.

Asher Budwig discusses the growth of Lola's Cupcakes

Lola's Cupcakes looks for growth and small business suppliers

Asher Budwig acquired Lola's Cupcakes with a vision to expand the business and grow overseas. Read the story.

&lt;p&gt;Hi!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I am the Co-Founder of &lt;a href="http://www.lorocrisps.com"&gt;Loro Crisps&lt;/a&gt;, we have 100% gluten free &amp;amp; vegan crisps from my home-country Colombia&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In my spare time, I love learning about video editing and digital marketing&lt;/p&gt;

Director & Co-Founder

The friends who turned memories of a childhood snack into a successful business

Daniela&nbsp;Orrego&nbsp;is the co-founder of plantain chips&nbsp;company Loro Crisps.

&lt;p&gt;I am a &lt;b&gt;C&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;hartered Accountant&lt;/b&gt;, having earned a respected reputation in the field of accounting, with more than &lt;b&gt;15 years of experience&lt;/b&gt; in working with small and medium-sized enterprises.&lt;br /&gt;
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Having worked with business owners ranging from one-man start-ups to large companies requiring a different level of services, I have developed a passion for the profession and I am driven by the success of my clients.&lt;br /&gt;
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I have spent many years in business working at boardroom level, holding various positions before being motivated to start my own practice, Makesworth Accountants, where I have blended my technical skills in accounting and tax with my business skills derived from my time in the industry.&lt;br /&gt;
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I have embraced the changing times and technologies and strongly agree that accountants are moving from being number crunchers to being reliable and trusted advisors. Throughout this process, Makesworth has been able to secure various affiliations and awards.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;My objective is to add value to my clients’ businesses through the application of my extensive experience and knowledge in accounting, tax, HMRC investigations, business start-ups, and much more.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You can expect us to provide expert solutions for your business needs no matter what business model you have. You will receive a cost-effective service and a free initial consultation.&lt;/p&gt;

Chartered Accountant

Accountancy, Taxation and Business Advisory

Accountancy, Taxation and Business Advisory Services in the UK

I am a Business Partnership Adviser covering the Kirklees area. I help support SME's to navigate and engage with education via universities, colleges and schools to develop and strengthen their talent pipeline and workforce.&lt;br /&gt;
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I work as part of a team of Business Partnership Advisers covering West and North Yorkshire to help address skills gaps within your business to ensure you have a strong, diverse, future-proofed workforce through accessing talented students to help your business grow. Working with the your local Business Partnership Adviser your business will have access to free one-to-one, impartial support to guide you through the process of engaging with the right people at local universities and colleges to secure student talent on a flexible basis be it short or longer term. A new, fresh pair of eyes can bring an exciting, creative advantage to your business and assist with upcoming live projects.&lt;br /&gt;
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I can also help signpost and make introductions to business, training, grant and networking support in Wakefield and the wider Leeds City Region network. I am able to support B2B, B2C and not for profit organisations.

Business Partnership Adviser (Wakefield)

Helping businesses in Wakefield to address skills gaps and navigate the education landscape

&lt;p&gt;I&amp;rsquo;m Alex Jaques, Business Partnership Adviser in the Wakefield area, part of the &lt;a href="https://www.the-lep.com/business-support/skills-and-training/skills-for-growth/" target="_blank"&gt;Skills for Growth&lt;/a&gt; team within the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the LEP.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;By working with me, your business will have access to free one-to-one, impartial support. I can:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Help you to identify skills gaps within your bu

Marketing and Communications Manager

Daneile Moore

&lt;p&gt;AD:VENTURE provides fully funded support to start&amp;nbsp;ups across the Leeds City Region.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;We can help businesses:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Pre Start or Trading less than 3 Years&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Who have ambitions to grow&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Who trade primariliy business to business, or looking to increase current B2B offering&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Based in Leeds City Region area&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;We offer:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
	&lt;