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CEO Secrets: ‘Pumpkins saved my business but almost squashed me’

Kim Innes founded Humble Crumble, a dedicated crumble bakery that’s sold more than half a million sweet treats.

She shares her business advice for our CEO Secrets series.

Video by Sam Everett & Charlotte McDonald

31 October 2023

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Pumpkin can be blended up and used for skin care

What can you do with your pumpkin leftovers?

Kelvin Adabla and mum Rebecca smile in their kitchen on Holloway Road in north London.

Carnival chefs: 'We don't sleep for 48 hours'

Mike from Flake Bake and a tray of Jamaican patties

Family-run London bakery wins supermarket deal

Matt O’Brien standing in his kitchen holding a chef's knife over some meat he has been chopping

I turned my love of barbecues into a business

A tractor flying a union jack flag drives past Big Ben at night

Farmers storm London on go-slow tractor protest

Spud brothers Harley and Jacob Nelson

Jacket potato tram gets TikTok tourism boost

Meals being prepared in 'The Nourish Hub'

Surplus food donations turned into healthy meals

On board the double-decker food bus

On board the double-decker food bus

Vivien Wong

'If you can't see it, you can't be it'

Wynne

Wynne Evans reacts to Celebrity MasterChef result

Balloon biscuits being iced

'We hand-ice millions of biscuits'

Parents are concerned about being able to afford to feed their children over the summer holidays.

Mum eats toast for tea so children can have meals

Crickets (L) are crushed and later used in flour to make tagliatelle pasta (R)

Will insect food take off across Europe?

woman in a factory wearing a white coat and a hair net

High inflation leaves food firm boss in tears

Carly Burd in her salt-covered garden

Charity gardener heartbroken at salt sabotage

Alban bun

'This is the home of the hot cross bun'

Beds, Herts & Bucks

Flooded land

Why California's floods are jacking up food prices

Andrew Chisholm, owner of Christie's the Baker, standing next to bread rolls

'How to make the perfect Scottish morning roll'

Chicken dish

Eating chicken without killing chicken?

Tesco boss Ken Murphy speaking to the BBC

People will spend less this Christmas - Tesco boss

Rachel Reeves

Watch: Reeves 'deeply proud' to be first female chancellor

The Chancellor has presented her first Budget in the Commons.

Twins James and John Makanjuola,

The twins cleaning London's unloved spaces

Entrepreneurs James and John run a cleaning firm, but take it to the next level in their spare time.

Paula Vennells at the Post Office inquiry

Key moments from former Post Office chief's three-day testimony

Paula Vennells faced three days of questions about her role in the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of sub-postmasters.

Paula Vennells reaching for a tissue in the Post Office inqiuiry

Ex-Post Office boss cries while giving evidence

Ex-Post Office boss Paula Vennells is speaking about the incident for the first time in ten years.

Santiago Paredes

Whistleblower claims Boeing supplier sent faulty parts

Spirit AeroSystems supplied Boeing with faulty parts, a former quality inspector has told the BBC.

Tatti Lashes

Tatti Lashes: The school friends who built a beauty empire

Charlotte Tiplady and Elliot Barton explain how together they built up their Tatti Lashes beauty empire from Liverpool.

Ocado has added robotic arms to its newest warehouse near Luton.

Watch Ocado robots in action

Ocado has added robotic arms to its newest warehouse near Luton.

Business Headlines

BBC World News business headlines

The latest international business headlines from BBC World News.

Jo Hamilton

'I feel survivor's guilt' says Post Office victim

Former sub-postmaster Jo Hamilton told BBC Breakfast she feels "guilt" after settling with the government over the Horizon IT scandal.

Woman in sunglasses smiling while answering questions related to the Budget

Watch: 'My biggest financial regret is...'

People in Kent share their finance stories ahead of Wednesday's Budget. Would you share yours?

Mohsin Issa

Issa brother to step back after 'fixing' Asda

Mohsin Issa, one half of the so-called "billionaire brothers" who own Asda, says he plans to hand over the running of the UK's third biggest supermarket.

Robots

'We had to adapt our robots to the AI revolution'

Sandy Enoch of Robotical explains why he had to pivot his educational robot company due to AI.

Picsart

'AI won't steal your job, but people using it may'

Hovhannes Avoyan, founder of picture and video editing app Picsart, shares his advice for our CEO Secrets series.

Picture of The Body Shop storefront in the 80s

'They thought it was a sex shop' - The Body Shop in the '80s

Archive footage shows Dame Anita Roddick talking about her company's success, in an 1984 interview.

Raid on Co-op store

CCTV shows violent raid on Co-op store

The retailer gave the footage to the BBC as it warned of a rise in attacks on retail staff.

Sir Howard Davies

Not that difficult to buy a home, says NatWest chair

Sir Howard Davies says he believes it is not currently "that difficult" for people to get on the housing ladder.

Joanna Jensen

'A viral Facebook post nearly blew up our business'

Joanna Jensen, founder of skincare brand Childs Farm, shares advice for start-ups for our CEO Secrets series.

Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes

Broadband rises must be 'clearer', says Ofcom boss

The regulator has plans to make mobile and broadband firms more upfront about mid-contract price rises.

Earring

'This earring helped me build my £4bn business'

Richard Harpin, co-founder of Homeserve, explains how an earring taught him an early business lesson.

Olivia DeRamus and BBC reporter Lora Jones

'Taking control of my abuse story'

Olivia DeRamus set up an app in the wake of her sexual assault. Now she's ready to take on Big Tech.