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Business Gateway helps Argyll & Bute’s Rolling Pizza succeed
An Argyll & Bute-based company that makes fresh pizzas to order has enjoyed huge success after the owner accessed Business Gateway’s specialist start-up support.
Rolling Pizza was created by Dace McLellan in December 2023. Dace set up the business to accommodate her two young children, which means she can work close to school drop-off and pick-up times and can take them with her on the weekends for a fun day out. Fitting the business around her family was a priority and she managed to make it work.
Dace converted an old horse stall into a van with a wood-burning oven, allowing him to cook fresh, made-to-order pizzas at any location. The van travels around the region to fairs, concerts, sporting events, caravan parks and weddings, and makes regular appearances at venues such as the Kilmartin Hotel, Machrihanish Holiday Park and Lochgilphead Caravan Park.
She approached Business Gateway last year when the business idea began.
With support and guidance from your local counselor, Donald Melvilleit accessed initial funding through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which helped with initial set-up costs.
She also received advice on cash flow forecasting, enabling her to monitor the financial performance of the business to address any concerns early on. With all the basic elements in place, the business is now booming, with Dace expanding its offering.
Business Gateway also provided one-on-one support from a digital expert to help you make the most of your social media accounts. It recently set up an online reservation system to allow visitors to select sites to pre-book their orders and select a pickup time.
Customers can go to the Rolling Pizza website and pre-book their pizzas for a specific order and choose a time to pick them up. This guarantees your custom for each pitch and gives you an idea of how much of each ingredient Dace will need. She always takes extra for those who haven’t pre-booked yet.
The pre-order system has proven popular with customers, with the van selling out on many occasions.
Dace McLellan, owner of Rolling Pizza, said: “Donald and the team at Business Gateway were a huge support to me during the creation of Rolling Pizza and continue to be so now that we are up and running.
“The online system has been great for encouraging people to order ahead and gives me an indication of potential earnings, and I couldn’t have done it without Business Gateway.
“Being in a rural area can often make it more difficult to find business support, but Donald has been a fantastic help and I really appreciate his guidance.”
Donald Melville, consultant at Business Gateway, said: “Dace is doing really well, especially considering he only started a few months ago. She has a great setup and we were happy to support her on her journey and provide her with advice that was instrumental in starting and growing her business.”