hurry that process up because hurrying that process isn't going to make them come quicker.'"
You're nothing without a business plan
To attract investment, you have to back yourself up with numbers. Even Pip's mentor, Angela Hartnett, only agreed to pitch in on the basis of a solid business plan.
The chef said that finding a location for the restaurant helped too, as it gave them "a tangible thing to say to someone: 'look, this is the site, this is the dream' - rather than just a drawing on a piece of paper."
Learn how to pitch and negotiate - and don't back down
When you're looking for investors, the chef explained, you have to get your name out there.
From pop-ups, social media and angel investment pitches to asking friends of friends, Pip and Gordy did as much as they could bear. "It's a bit like selling your soul," she joked.
Despite having found the ideal investors, the chef regrets having "rolled over" on certain things.
"Just because you want things so badly, sometimes you just go: 'yeah okay, we'll do that, we'll pay that' and then afterwards you're like 'f**k's sake, we didn't have to pay that.'"
Another important thing to learn once you've found backers, she said, is to stand your ground; and a hefty helping of self-belief comes in handy.
"You have to have some conviction in the end - without crossing over to arrogance - otherwise why are you doing it."
Having a business partner could well see you through
Now that they're settled in, she said, the day-to-day at Hicce is the same as running any other restaurant - but "no way in hell" would she have done it on her own.
"For something this size, you need that compadre person, that other person to bounce off and to pick you up."
