Simmy Dhillon

A message to fellow employers in England…

Give your team Monday off 😅

If you do, they’ll make up for it in no time 🤝
If not, don’t be surprised when they’re unproductive 🤣

Repost to drop a hint to your boss 👀♻️

IT’S COMING HOME! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏆

PS. Anyone got 2 spare tickets for the final? 🙏

In 2016: I got rejected from one of the best unis in the world.

In 2023: They invited me back as a speaker 😳🎤

As a student, I thought ranking was the most important thing about uni…

But being rejected by my top choice was a huge blessing in disguise 🙏🏽

Because I ended in Bristol, which was the perfect environment for me.

I made friends for life.
Fell in love with the city.
AND it was the ideal birthplace for my business.

Chances are, if I had started Simmer at a London uni, it wouldn’t have taken off…

Nor would I been invited to speak at events like this.

If I could give my 18 year old self one piece of advice…

Don’t optimise for prestige or status, but where you will be able to do your best work.

And understand that for every door that closes, another one opens 😌

P.S If this post resonates, follow me Simmy for more insights into the reality of entrepreneurship, as I scale the UK’s most loved meal delivery service 🍲🔥

Today, I’m taking Dad on his first holiday in 15 years.

We didn’t go on holiday often growing up.

And when we did, it wasn’t much fun.

Why?

Because Dad would save and scrimp.
He’d do overtime in the factory.
Just to be able to afford the most basic trip.

THEN

He’d spend the whole trip worrying about money 💔

I told Dad not to worry about holidays.
To save his money instead. So we did.

15 years on, I’ve built the UK’s fastest growing food business.

Retired Dad from the factory.
Paid off his mortgage.
And now...

I’m taking him on his first EVER stress-free holiday.

One he can enjoy, and I’ll pay for 🤝

We’re off on Dad’s dream trip - can you guess where we’re heading?

♻️ Repost if you enjoyed this post.

🧡 Follow me, Simmy, for daily motivation, inspiration and insight, as I scale the UK’s fastest growing food business.

You don’t need a fancy office to build a successful £1m+ business.

This is my childhood bedroom, where I’ve spent most of the last 5 years growing RNS Meals.

When you think of success, you think: 
✨ Swanky apartments
🏙 Glass offices
🛋 Fancy furniture

You don’t think: 
🛌 Single Bed with old sheets
🔴 Liverpool curtains from 2005
🙋🏽‍♀️ Mum walking in to say hi mid-video call

When you’re building a business from scratch, a flat & an office are overheads most can’t afford.

After uni, I decided to move back in with my parents.

I didn’t *need* an office or my own flat.

But I did need to be resourceful, determined + focused.

And my childhood bedroom has enabled me to do just that 🏡

Shoutout to everyone bringing their childhood dreams to life from the very place they started!

It doesn’t make you any less successful, less professional or less ambitious.

Anyone else still grinding away in their family home? 😌

I can't believe this is real 🤯

Simmer’s just been named the fastest-growing food business in EUROPE!

In the prestigious Financial Times 1000 List 🌏

This feels surreal.

Because the path hasn't been easy:

💰 No investors backing us 
🥄 No silver spoons feeding us 
🔗 No industry connections helping us

In fact, we stick out like a sore thumb on that list… 😅

🤝🏽 Just two working-class brown kids and their parents.
🤝🏽 Starting with £10 of ingredients in a uni kitchen.
🤝🏽 Grafting every day for 8 years.

I remember reading The FT when prepping for my finance internships.

Thinking I needed to follow a playbook to succeed.

But we've never done that.

We're a family business that dared to dream big.

😌 We stick to first principles. 
😌 We make rational, gut decisions. 
😌 We think in generations, not quarters.

Unrestricted by shareholders.

And honestly? I wouldn't change our approach.

We're young, hungry, and more ambitious than ever.

So while this achievement means the world...

We won't let success get to our heads. 
We won't become complacent.

But we WILL let it fuel our fire.

I hope this reminds you:

💼 You don’t need fancy investors.
🏡 You don’t need a privileged background.
🤷🏽‍♂️ You don’t need anyone else’s permission.

Just discipline, belief, and relentless drive.

Keep showing up (especially when it’s tough).

Because one day...

You'll achieve things you didn't think were possible 😌

Thank you to everyone who's backed us on this journey so far 🧡

Next stop:

Fastest-growing food business in the world? 👀

♻️ Repost if you enjoyed reading this!

And follow me, Simmy, for daily motivation, inspiration and insight, as I scale the fastest-growing food business in Europe.

A team member asked if they could start later during Ramadan.

Of course - I said yes.

They didn't have to justify anything to me.

I trust my team to get their work done, on a schedule that suits them.

While Ramadan highlights the importance of flexibility...

It's just one example.

Life happens for everyone.

Whether religious commitments, family needs, or unexpected appointments.

A truly inclusive workplace makes flexibility the norm.

Not the exception.

And at the end of the day, when people feel supported…

They’re not just happier - they do their best work, too.

It just makes sense. Agreed?

PS. Repost ♻️ if this resonated & follow me Simmy Dhillon for more like it.

3 years ago, I started what I thought was my dream job at Google.

Within 6 months, I handed in my notice.

I was leaving to work full time on my own little food business.

Unsurprisingly, a lot of people thought I was crazy 🤷🏽‍♂️

🤔 ‘Do you think the business has enough potential?’
😅 ‘You can’t just quit Google, give it at least 2 years’
🤨 ‘It’s just a food business and… Google is Google!’

But I listened to my gut, and I quit.

And I’ve not looked back since.

But I’ll be the first to admit…

Google was a crucial part of my journey.

My internship and grad role gave me the skills, network and credibility to take my business to the next level.

They nurtured my entrepreneurial mind.

Which is more than can be said for a lot of corporates!

So, to anyone starting a grad scheme this month...
I hope you learn as much as I did.

And whilst some will stay in corporate for decades...

I hope many will someday take the leap to begin their own entrepreneurial journey 🚀🧡

♻️ Repost to inspire those working in corporate roles.

___

➕ Follow me, Simmy, for more of my journey post-Google, as I scale the UK’s fastest growing food business 👀🍲

I don’t care if you:

Start work at 7am or 10am.
Work from a coffee shop or a desk.
Go to the gym in the middle of the day.
Listen to music whilst churning out tasks.

What I DO care about is:

That you deliver results.
That you are a team player.
That you want to learn & grow.
That you communicate effectively.

Everyone has their own style of working.

So long as…

↳ you have the right attitude
↳ it’s not impacting your performance

I trust you to figure the rest out.

Let’s embrace flexibility.

Empowering our teams to create a work environment & schedule...

That WORKS for them.

Agreed?

PS. If you liked this post, ♻️ reshare it with your network & follow me, Simmy, for more like it 🧡

I started my business when I was 19 & it took YEARS for anyone to believe in me.

Even those closest to me.

A flatmate said my food was sh*t.
A friend said no one would buy it.
A family member said it was a waste of time.

Today?

Those same people are Simmer's biggest fans.

AND

We’ve served over 2 million meals.
To 10,000s of customer nationwide.
Built a following of over 250,000.

My point:

Don't wait for other people's validation.

Self-belief comes FIRST.

Before others believe in you.
You need to believe in you.

Over time…

You'll turn doubters into believers.

But listening to armchair spectators is a waste of time.

Agreed? 🧡

♻️ Repost if this resonated and follow me, Simmy for more of the journey.