Hamilton café owner cooking up success ☕

Icehouse provides a clear roadmap for business growth through two tailored programmes: the Business Owner Programme, designed for companies with $1–3M in revenue, and the Owner Manager Programme, created for businesses generating more than $3M.

The Business Owner Programme is delivered in regions across New Zealand, including in Hamilton where it runs in partnership with the Waikato Chamber of Commerce.

Waikato Chamber of Commerce members receive discounted rates thanks to the partnership with Icehouse.

 Kendall Steele is the owner of Hamilton’s well-known Café Fresca.

Buying the business three years ago, Kendall almost doubled previous revenue in the first year. However, going from management to ownership has been a steep learning curve……

Kendall took the plunge and joined the Icehouse Business Owner Programme earlier this year.

How long have you owned the business, and did you always have an ambition to own your own business?

We’ve owned Café Fresca since December 2022 so coming up three years! I think somewhere deep down I did always see a path of ownership though I’m not much of a planner so couldn’t say I had a 10-year plan leading to this moment.

Did you grow up learning about business ownership?

I don’t think I was directly taught about business ownership but my mum is a lawyer who has worked for herself for years and my Dad had a butchers shop for years (sadly closed before I was born when Pak n Save came to town) so I think being around adults as a kid and listening to conversations between people who were business owners definitely helped me to believe it was an option for me.

What experience did you have running a business before you bought Café Fresca and what was the hardest aspect, going from management to ownership?

The transition from manager to owner was a very steep learning curve but I’m not one to run away from a challenge.

I have been in hospitality for over 13 years across NZ, Australia, Scotland and England. Many years as the assistant manager, in multiple venues, learning from some great leaders. I was also general manager of a large-scale restaurant for three years, so I think at the time of buying Café Fresca I had a pretty good grasp on what a successful hospitality business looked like.

In saying that, there is a lot of back of house stuff that I had never done, so there was (and still is) a lot of googling, talking to my accountant and asking questions to friends who own businesses. I think you really need to be confident in the stuff you are good at, but also confident to put your hand up when you don’t know. I love learning something new so when I come across a new topic or task, I am the first to ask for help or look for a solution.

I also really love numbers, and I had spent a lot of time in previous roles learning how to understand the numbers and use them to benefit the business, which I think has really helped.

What was happening in the business that made you think you should join the Icehouse programme and how did you hear about it?

In the first two years of business, we managed to almost double the annual turnover and if I’m honest, it felt a lot like I was making it up as I went along.

While something was working, there was so much I didn’t know about running a business and I had a lot to figure out. However, I could see that with some fine-tuning, new ideas, better processes, or reassurance that my systems were best practice, we could keep growing and increase profit.

A friend, Mark, who is a very successful business owner, highly recommended Icehouse early on. I had been looking at Icehouse courses for a while though hadn’t committed and when I saw the Chamber of Commerce had teamed up for this particular Programme I thought it was time to lock it in. Everyone I spoke to who knows the Icehouse had only praise to say so it made the decision a lot easier. 

What have been some of the highlights of doing the Business Owner Programme and how have you implemented the learning back into the business?

I found a lot of value in the focus on looking after your team, learning how to communicate effectively and learning from them what you are doing right or what we could improve on. I spend a lot of time trying to cultivate a happy and successful team culture so to gain new skills to be able to achieve this was excellent. I have utilised the team management templates that open us up for better connection with the team. I believe if the whole team are on board with the vision then the execution of the plan becomes a lot easier.

I really enjoyed the emphasis on how important it is to take time to reflect and plan. All business owners know how easy it is to get stuck in the day-to-day operations of running a business so to be reminded and given techniques and templates to reflect, plan and execute a stronger operation was what I needed!

I also think it was great to sit in a room with other business owners from different industries and see that we are all in the same boat.

Business ownership can be quite isolating and lonely, so it was great to connect with people who understand the daily stress and finally get reassurance that the things I’m doing are great!

Quick fire questions…

What’s the best thing about owning your own café?

Free coffee for sure! I know you probably aren’t supposed to consume the profits but when it tastes as good as ours, it’s hard not to!

What’s the most popular item/s on the menu?

It’s hard for people to go past the classics so our top menu item is definitely our Fresca Big Breakfast followed closely by the Eggs Bene with Bacon! Off menu/smaller item though would be our Cheesy Scones and Bacon Buttys. World famous in Hamilton (or at least with our regulars!)

In the business , I couldn’t do without……..

My Team!! They are the life of Fresca and we wouldn’t be as busy if it wasn’t for each and everyone of them!

If I wasn’t doing this, I would be doing……..

I’m more of a live in the moment not in the plan kinda gal so not doing this isn’t really something I’ve considered. I did once leave the hospitality industry thinking a 9-5 office job was the life for me but while I did learn some valuable skills that have transitioned into my current role, it didn’t take long to come running back to the hustle and bustle of hospo life!