Role: Director and Principal Trainer
Company: Montgomery Food Consulting
Track Record:
TRACK RECORD
Rhonda has worked in the food industry for 16 years in a number of roles, progressing to a variety of management positions. She has an HND in Supply Food Management, a PgDip in Communications (training and development) and a BSc Hons degree in Supply Food Management. Rhonda is a member of a number of professional bodies and a Board Member of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health regional committee.
6.30am
My average day begins at 6.30am when I get 30 minutes to prepare myself for the day ahead before my young daughter, Elle-Jo wakes up, full of beans.
However, as I work in the food manufacturing sector, often clients’ businesses operate around the clock, so on occasion, my day can start with client audits at 5.30am, meaning a wakeup call of 4am!
7.00am
Once Elle-Jo and I are both ready, I prepare breakfast for the family ahead of a busy ahead. For my husband Evan and I, it’s usually just something quick with a good strong cup of coffee, however for Elle-Jo I like to ensure she has some hearty porridge before heading off to nursery.
8.00am
Drop off Elle-Jo, check in with my team and then head to my first client visit of the day. At Montgomery Food Consulting, we have a client base that spans Ireland so the first appointment could be anywhere from Drogheda to Dromore.
My team and I have are currently working with a desserts manufacturer and a mushroom producer on food and nutritional labelling for packaging.
We are also working with butcher shops in relation to food handling and with large manufactures in providing training in hygiene monitoring improvement.
9.00am
Every day is different. Daily, I could be consulting, delivering training, advising on food legislation and overseeing audits…or more often than not, doing all of the above!
At Montgomery Food Consulting, we solve problems for clients in the food sector – whether that’s in food manufacturing, foodservice or food retail. My team and I design, implement and maintain food safety and quality management systems in food manufacturing, retail and catering businesses.
We also offer clients interim technical support packages so I’m often found on site visits or could be developing up a support package that will eventually be implemented and maintained by the client.
1.00pm
Around lunchtime, I normally have lunch with the client, as it offers us time out from analysing processes. It gives me a chance to find out more about how the client’s business is performing overall and also to update them on our progress to date.
In addition, this can be a good time, in a more relaxed environment, to discuss any challenges or areas of improvement. A large part of our role is in helping businesses in the food retail or hospitality sector improve their food hygiene ratings, and this can involve some ‘tough love’ at the outset in order to set realistic targets ahead.
2.00pm
Being the proprietor, my day is never 9-5 however I do try to keep my time on site-visits and with clients during normal working hours so I will aim to fit in at least one further client visit in the afternoon.
If it’s the initial visit, often this involves listening to the owner’s concerns and what he or she is trying to achieve. Or it could be solving food legislation issues within the business.
With the increase in the volume of regulation changes, business owners no longer have the time or expertise, to oversee all of the stages, so this is where we offer our services. Should it be in food labelling, calorie counting, or even food safety and hygiene, my team and I are well equipped to advise businesses in the sector of the most effective and cost effective way forward.
For current clients, in addition to updating them on projects, I could be analysing the steps taken since our last visit, carrying out interim technical support or conducting an audit of the business prior to a forthcoming official audit.
5.00pm
Finish up last meeting of the day. This time varies greatly and is dependent on the location of my last appointment but I do aim to be home for 6pm at the latest as my time with Elle-Jo in the evenings is precious. She’s almost two and is real wee character so in the evenings she wants to tell me everything about her ‘fun’ day.
6.00pm
I have an amazing husband, Ivan, who is a great cook. He normally has dinner prepared for Elle-Jo and once she’s had her dinner, bath and PJs on, it’s time for her to be tucked up in bed with a little story.
7.30pm
Eventually Ivan and I sit down for dinner after a long day. It was actually Ivan who inspired me to start up Montgomery Food Consulting so he’s always keen to hear about my day. He’s a great sounding board and is hugely supportive of my ambitions for the business.
9.00pm
As I run the business, accounts, staffing and targets all fall under my remit. So it’s normally around this time when the paperwork and email catch up begins.
9.45pm
I always section off time every evening to either focus on new business development or training.
In August 2010, I set up Montgomery Food Consulting and in three years, we have built a really strong client base that spans NI, ROI and GB. One of our points of difference is that we offer a vast portfolio on services, and if we don’t have a specific product for a client, then I will create a bespoke plan for them.
So I could be identifying potential new markets or developing up new products to offer new and existing customers. Currently one of our most in demand products is for food labelling which outlines allergens, ahead of the changes to legislation in December 2014.
From a training point of view, I’m very passionate about Continual Professional Development, and invest considerably in ensuring that the team and I are fully up to speed with all new legislation in both the North and South of Ireland. Over the past 15 years, I have achieved over 20 professional qualifications so weekly, I research that’s coming up in NI and ROI and identify which team member it would be most suitable for.
11.00pm
Bed time! Running you own business is hard work and long hours but I thoroughly enjoy it!