// SCALING UP //
Ryan Panchoo , Founder and CEO of Borough 22 networking and being able to rely on business tech , Panchoo built Borough 22 into an entrepreneurial e-commerce venture .
Starting small
Borough 22 began with an order of 1,000 business cards , lots of photos and a whole day on an iPad designing a logo . Panchoo understood that he couldn ’ t just expect the phone to start ringing or for emails to start flying in . He had to build his brand
to selling . He began by reaching out to individuals on social media , asking questions , having conversations and just dropping in the fact he had made gluten-free products .
“ I was very open and honest to people , and I said : ‘ I am not a trained baker . I have made this for my family , they enjoyed it and I think you will too . I think it ’ s something that ’ s missing in the marketplace . I have not seen anything like it and here is when I can deliver it to you ’,” said Panchoo .
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TENACITY AND ADAPTABILITY
ARE NO DOUBT VITAL TO ANY KIND OF BUSINESS
SUCCESS . from scratch to make people aware of what Borough 22 had to offer . He soon realised the best place to start building his new empire was with the very customers he intended to target in the first place , people with food intolerances . This led him to search social media for groups representing his new audience . He quickly identified and contacted coeliac groups to gauge their interest and everything spiralled from there .
The key to Panchoo ’ s success with Borough 22 has always been the personal touch and there was no difference when it came
Things began to accelerate after Panchoo was made redundant . This served to be the trigger for Borough 22 . The very next day , he posted a picture of his gluten-free doughnuts on social media and Borough 22 went from being a passionate side-line to a full-blown commercial enterprise .
When Panchoo got the opportunity to pitch Borough 22 to a buyer at Selfridges , he knew he had to get organised and structured to make it work . This was not an easy transition at all and there was a very steep learning curve . He had to use his project management
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