Pippa Murray; 28; Founder of Pip & Nut, the all-natural nut butter brand

Having my own food brand has, hands down, been the most rewarding thing I've ever done. Granted, there have been moments which have challenged me but the fact that on a day to day basis I can say I've learnt something new is one of the things I love most about my job. 

I love marathon running, and whilst training I often turned to natural sources of protein to fuel on. I often found myself eating peanut butter straight from the jar, but a lot of them were supermarket brands laden with either palm oil and sugar and then the healthy ones were just a little too healthy looking. Having created the business concept, I entered Pip & Nut into a competition - 'Escape to the Shed' run by Escape the City and won. For the next three months I lived, worked and launched the business from a shed in Central London. 

Having never run my own business or worked in food and drink, I've had to learn everything from the ground up and I've done this by surrounding myself with the best mentors, investors, team, suppliers and agencies who share their knowledge and expertise to develop my own and grow the brand.

If you're looking at starting up a business, never be afraid to ask that stupid question or reach out to someone in the industry you admire, as the more support you can get the more your brand – and you – will flourish.