It's time for episode 28 of our podcast, the Small Business Sessions.

The tea mixologist causing a stir

Podcast

With her partner Mike, tea mixologist and Enterprise Nation member Krisi Smith founded 

The couple are on a mission to do what other people do with cocktails but using tea blends instead. Big and unusual flavours are their thing with combos like rhubarb and custard, cherry bakewell and mulled cider alongside more familiar blends such as Earl Grey and English breakfast.

Adamant that it would be a retail business above everything else, the entrepreneurs turned down offers from supermarkets including Waitrose and Tesco and now have three of their own stores in Brighton, Bristol and Tunbridge Wells, a successful e-commerce platform, a team of 30 people and have recently taken on their second warehouse. That all seems a very long way from the oh-so-familiar spare bedroom operation that kicked it all off.

Meet Krisi at our small business meet-up in Bluebird Tea Co's Bristol store on 7 December. 

To ensure you don't miss out on the podcast, 

Any Enterprise Nation member can apply to feature in a podcast. If you're a member, 

Other episodes of the Small Business Sessions:

I specialise in helping your business to generate income, develop and grow, with practical help, advice and support to grow sales and win more business.
I specialise in Bid and Proposal Management, Sales, Capture Management (ask me if you don&apos;t know what Capture is!), Key Account Management and can help you get &apos;Bid Ready&quot; if you are interested in competing for part of the 33% (£131bn) of annual Government spend earmarked for Small Business in the UK.
I provide consultancy services to add capacity and capability to your business or I can arrange training in all of the key disciplines where I provide support to help you to learn, develop and grow.
We also provide business intelligence and bid writing services and support for companies looking to compete to win public sector contracts.
To complement this work we also offer training and development opportunities in Capture Management, Sales, Key Account Management, CRM, Bid Management, Bid Writing and will shortly be launching our new Social Value workshops.
On a personal level, I am partnering with Jeremy Brim on his <a href=&apos;https://www.growthignition.co.uk/financial-freedom&apos; target=&apos;_self&apos;>Destination Freedom</a> programme that offers resources and advice in a community setting to help members to achieve financial literacy and freedom.
I&apos;m an experienced entrepreneur having lost one business but subsequently successfully built and sold two others, I&apos;m currently working on this, my fourth and am an investor in <a href=&apos;https://www.justablip.co.uk/&apos; target=&apos;_self&apos;>blip</a>, the new, innovative and specialist small business insurer,
I have been a mentor with the School of Hard Knocks, am Sfedi trained and my passion is for making things work, my personal motto is
‘Aut inveniam viam aut faciam’ which means &apos;I will find a way or make one&apos; and that pretty much sums up my approach to helping my clients

Director

Lunch and Learn: How to find and win public sector contracts

Discover where to find public sector contract opportunities, what to look for and how to identify the right opportunity.

Karla is the associate programmes manager at Enterprise Nation; she is responsible for providing support across the various projects. She has a degree in Political Science and a MSc in Public Policy and Administration from London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Her background is in project management in the public and private sector in Peru, and international organisations. Karla is passionate about helping the most vulnerable communities and having a positive impact in the lives of small business owners.

Associate Programmes Manager

TikTok Takeoff

Join our TikTok Takeoff group to share your TikTok tips and learnings with like-minded small business owners.



Insight analysing Google reviews

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AI-powered dashboard analysing Google reviews to improve your restaurant's rating.
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As a highly skilled award winning marketing strategist with a passion for elevating brands within the creative industries. With a wealth of expertise in both digital and traditional marketing channels, Brent excels in fostering growth and innovation. His background includes comprehensive brand strategy development, meticulous market positioning, impactful communications, and the execution of sophisticated paid media campaigns on a global scale. Brent&apos;s strategic vision and data-driven insights have consistently delivered measurable business outcomes, making him a key player in enhancing consumer engagement and brand loyalty. About 6 months ago I started a boutique marketing agency with former colleagues where you can find more information about our services and previous work below:

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Who We Are:
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Marketing Consultant

Brent Raynor

As a highly skilled award winning marketing strategist with a passion for elevating brands within the creative industries. With a wealth of expertise in both digital and traditional marketing channels, Brent excels in fostering growth and innovation. His background includes comprehensive brand strategy development, meticulous market positioning, impactful communications, and the execution of sophisticated paid media campaigns on a global scale. Brent&apos;s strategic vision and data-driven in

The tea mixologist causing a stir

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