Meet Carolyn and Richard, the small business owners of “Bella Pizza and Gelato Bar” based in Nowra, NSW.
Carolyn and Richard have been running their own small business “Bella Pizza and Gelato Bar” in Nowra since April 2024. They serve freshly baked pizza, pasta, ribs, wings, and gelato. Besides this, they also do catering at the Shoalhaven City Turf Club along with hosting weddings and functions.
“Shelley gave us business coaching which was really helpful for us. She helped with social media, bookkeeping, and managing cashflow. We also talked about the possibility of a loan. She connected us with suppliers and helped with emails and internet stuff.” – Carolyn
Read more about Carolyn and Richard’s business journey so far:
Carolyn and Richard’s Business
We run a pizza and gelato bar. We opened 7 months ago and are open 6 days a week, closed on Tuesdays. We serve pizza, pasta, ribs, wings, and gelato. We started in April 2024.
What were you doing before you made contact with Many Rivers? Why did you want to go into business?
We used to run a cafe and deli that also served pizza in Berry. We also do catering at the Shoalhaven City Turf Club. We still manage that along with full à la carte catering and hosting weddings and functions.
Working with Many Rivers
We met Shelley when we catered her wedding in Kiama.
Why did you want to go into business?
We wanted to start this business because we have always worked in food and catering. After selling our business in Berry, we wanted to try something new. We’ve always loved making pizza, so we decided to start this.
What services did you receive from Many Rivers? How did it help?
Shelley gave us business coaching which was really helpful for us. She helped with social media, bookkeeping, and managing cashflow. We also talked about the possibility of a loan. She connected us with suppliers and helped with emails and internet stuff. Meeting her in person to discuss ideas and challenges has been great.
What did you find the most useful about the assistance from Many Rivers?
The general business coaching has been very useful.
Did you get a loan from MR? How did you use the loan?
We are in the process of applying for a loan. We are planning to expand and buy a second pizza oven from our loan once it gets approved.
Do you have any current employees? If so, how many employees? Are they full-time or part-time?
It’s just me and my partner running the business. We do not have any employees as of yet.
Biggest Challenge
Setting up our social media and website has been tricky with a few setbacks. The hardest part is getting the word out, so people know about our pizza shop.
Biggest Success
We won a “Best of the Best” award! It’s voted by our customers, and we use fresh, local ingredients. We’ve also added beautiful signage and reinvested our earnings back into the business.
Future Goals
We want to install digital menus on TV screens in the shop and invest more in the business. We’re planning to launch online soon with a website and offer delivery through Uber, DoorDash, and Menulog. We also hope to double our sales, possibly open for Friday lunches, and take corporate orders, delivering for free to local businesses.
Thank you, Carolyn and Richard for sharing your business journey with us. We wish you the best of luck with future endeavours and business success.
If you would like to stay updated with Carolyn and Richard’s small business, follow “Bella Pizza and Gelato Bar” through the following link:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Bella-Pizza-Gelato-Bar-61558156148108/
Email: [email protected]
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