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/

DON'T FORGET THE LEEDS BUSINESS PODCAST ‘FAIR DEAL’

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YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

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https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/north-bar-john-gyngell

From Lockdown to Launchpad – JFDI; The Mexi Bean Express Story with Danielle Best - https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/danielle-best-mexibean/

From start up to M&S supplier to insolvency – Greg Fraser, Bottle Baking Co - https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/bottled-baking-greg-fraser/

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Phil Fraser went from an accidental kitchen table start up, with no investment, all the way to multi-million pound sale to a PLC 18 years later. He’s travelled the full SME business journey of launch, growth, scale and exit.

As well as hosting the Leeds Business Podcast, Phil now works with ambitious SME-owners as a Business Sounding Board (think somewhere between Business Coach and Business Mentor). In simple terms, he’s ‘a pair of ears and an extra pair eyes’ for SME Owners helping them to be better at what they do. Phil’s mantra is It doesn’t need to be ‘lonely at the top’. He helps Business Owners to be better business owners, by helping with their clarity and focus.

As a Business Sounding Board, he gives SME Owners the time & space to regularly discuss their challenges and opportunities, with no sense of judgement or bias, and in complete confidence. This allows them to explore their options in full, culminating with a list of issues to address/clarify, a clear target in mind, a roadmap to success, and a renewed enthusiasm and confidence for the challenges ahead.

Want to work with Phil to help you? See www.philfraser.co.uk.

This podcast is hosted by Captivate. Get your 30 day free trial at https://bit.ly/Captivate-Offer.

LEEDS BUSINESS PODCAST

Leeds, Business in Leeds, Leeds Business, Business in Leeds, Nous of Fraser, Business Sounding Board, Business Coach, Business Mentor,

Email: [email protected]

Mentioned in this episode:

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I have a LIMITED TIME offer for you. We all know running a business can feel a bit lonely, right? I know.... I’ve been there. I grew my own business from a kitchen table start-up, all the way to a multi-million-pound exit. Nowadays I help other business owners, like you, sort out their business problems; whether it's clarifying your forward planning, helping you sort your biggest problem, helping you prioritise your workload, de-fogging your thinking or just being there to download on. I can help. One client recently said, “You gave me clarity in just one session” — and that shift helped them hit 25% growth in following three months. So here’s the deal: your first session with me for just £99. But only if you contact me by this Friday. No bullshit. No fluff. Just a proper conversation about your business, solving your problems. So, if you’re ready to think more clearly, email me at [email protected] today. Quote 'podcast' in the email title to claim your £99 session. And if you want to find out more about me check me out at www.philfraser.co.uk.