My Biz competition winner Ashley Beebe wins £250 to kickstart tasty loaded fries business Fries for Days

My Biz Start Up business workshop participant and recent winner, Ashley Beebe, aims to add to the tasty streetfood offering in Hastings with business idea Fries for Days.

The My Biz programme, delivered by Let’s Do Business Group under the CHART programme, supports aspiring entrepreneurs in Hastings and Bexhill, and aims to support more people to follow their career aspirations. Ran in-person in Hastings Library throughout the year by our expert business manager Lisa Young, the programme got off to a positive start in September 2021 after most workshops had been taken online during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Fries for Days aims to be a laid back, accessible and food-craving satisfier for Hastings and surrounding areas, and will offer heaped portions of loaded fries that aren’t currently on offer on the street food scene in the area. Ashley hopes that she can start offering ‘dirty fries’ which are french-fries that are usually topped with cheese, spices, and various other toppings of choice, either out of a food van or trailer that will be able to attend local and surrounding events, festivals, corporate and private hire, as well as maintaining a permanent pitch somewhere in the area through selected months of the year.

Ashley attended the My Biz Start Up Business workshops on offer by Let’s Do Business at Hastings Library to gain some insight into running her own business, and how to get the ball rolling with marketing, finance and all things to do with launching business idea Fries for Days. She submitted her winning business plan alongside other winner Safia Khan from Chocaterre, and split the winning prize of £500 between them. On her experience with the workshops, Ashley said:

“For me, it has been one of the most educational/interesting/enlightening things I’ve done in a long time.”

Her experience in hospitality and knowledge of social media and the towns current offerings is what has prepared her for her journey with Fries for Days – she even has experience working with another start up business, so she’s aware of the challenges and believes she’s able to identify the key errors, market weaknesses, customer preferences and what works.

She’s first planning to create a website and social media presence for Fries for Days, which she’s already made a start on by gaining an audience on Instagram. She aims to then secure a business premises by the summer of 2022, and soon register as a sole trader so she can start trading at the beginning of 2023.

We wish Ashley and Fries for Days the best of luck for the future.

If you are thinking of starting your own business and would like more information on our Start Up workshop programmes, visit our events page for details on our next start dates.