We Mean Business: ‘This isn’t as lucrative as it was and I’m thinking of pivoting back into the corporate world’
The founder of a family-run and award-winning dessert business has revealed it is not as lucrative as it was, which is making him consider pivoting back into the corporate world.
Launched in February, the Chronicle & Echo’s latest campaign hopes to help curb future business closures after a bleak start to 2026 across the town.
The twice-weekly stories spotlight what Northampton stands to lose if your favourite businesses were to close down, highlight the biggest challenges they currently face, and encourage greater support from the powers that be and the community before it is too late.
Brooklyn Brownie Co. is the next venture to feature, which was launched by father and son duo John and Leo Lashley in July 2019 to help the pair navigate a challenging time in their lives.
The business expanded by opening a self-built dessert shop from their family home in Ixworth Close three years later.
What began as delivering chocolatey treats to locals quickly developed to meeting a worldwide demand, and opening their own space to create the products was the only logical next step.
July 2022 was also when the ‘brownie ambulance’ landed in their possession. Not only is this unique vehicle where orders are collected from on their driveway, but is a staple when attending events across the county and beyond.
The venture has continued to diversify by fulfilling online and wholesale orders, distance events with the ambulance or a pop-up gazebo tent, and now they even have a second vehicle.
Let’s see what John had to say…
How would you summarise your experience of running an independent business in Northampton at the moment?
“It’s changed significantly,” said John. “I’ve spoken to many small business friends all over the country and it seems like everyone is struggling. We used to be able to collaborate with other small businesses, but our product is a luxury and not a necessity. It’s hard to try and market that.”
What are the biggest challenges you currently face as a business owner, and what impact do these have on the daily running of your venture?
John continued: “Budgets have gotten so tight that there’s no money for paid marketing, and organic marketing has stifled. You need to be a full-time content creator to feed their machine and be seen. You need to be posting at least three-to-four times a day, where’s the time to do business?
“It becomes a struggle. You catch that wave and get a significant amount of followers but they stifle out. We reach three percent of the 45,000 people who follow us in total.
“Social media is how we grew initially and we started with Facebook which snowballed. Instagram allowed us to work collaboratively to get our name out there, and then there was TikTok. It feels like organic traction with Snapchat and traditional media, and we get a good amount of orders.”
What small actions can our readers and the Northampton community take to support your business in 2026?
“People come to us for an authentic American dessert experience,” said John. “It’s not just us, but you’ve got to use it or you’re going to lose it.
“Leo works in cyber security and works events on the weekend. I started this business to be as close to Leo as I could after his mum passed away.
“It’s not as lucrative as it was and I’m thinking of pivoting back into the corporate world, going into consulting in the food market. I know that sector needs consultants, especially people who have built something like us.
“We’ll see how things pan out but we want to make sure we’ve tried our best to tap directly into the full potential of Northampton. We haven’t tapped into five percent of the market, and we want more local customers to see us and know we exist.
“We’re ridiculously grateful for our customers, the people who surround us and support us.”