JKR

Tom Mercer

Lessons from Tom Mercer at Platform.

Platform met again on Tuesday when our speaker was Tom Mercer, Founder and Managing Director of MOMA! He’s on a mission to make Britons eat better breakfasts, in the form of jumbo oats, probiotic yoghurt and fresh fruit.

You’ll most likely have come across them at one of London’s main stations or possibly on a Virgin Atlantic flight. You’re increasingly likely to see them on supermarket shelves too, so keep your eye out. I can personally testify that they are mighty tasty and you get the added bonus of feeling pretty virtuous for the rest of the day.

It is the classic case of spotting a gap in the market. Amid the bacon butties, muffins and pastries there was a glaring absence of a healthy but substantial breakfast for people on the go.  What separates Tom from the rest of us and meant he’s joined the elite group we call entrepreneurs, is that he had the courage and drive to actually do something about what he observed. As they say, “An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory”.

Thankfully, there seems to be a market in the gap. From his first stall in Waterloo East train station made out of a converted filing cabinet, he now has (proper!) sites at 7 London stations, listings with Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Ocado, Selfridges, Boots and even on-board both BA and Virgin Atlantic.

Here are 4 key lessons we picked out from Tom’s talk:

1.    Focus on your passion – it’s what keeps you going
2.    Don’t stray from your core product – be clear about what defines you
3.    Own a channel - you think of MOMA! and you think of a station concourse
4.    Remember that marketing and branding are key – it’s ultimately what sets you apart from your competitors and stops you being imitated

Platform has a summer break in August so our next event will be on the 20th September when our speaker will be Simon Gulliford, former CMO of Standard Life. If you’d like to come along, e-mail Amy at amymaw@jkr.co.uk and she’ll get you onto the list.