How This Business Stays in Top Shape
After years as a chef, cookbook author and café owner, Teresa Cutter and husband Paul took on the health supplements market and are growing fast with the help of a Qantas Points earning Business Card.
“It started about 10 years ago; there weren’t any health products on the market that I wanted to take,” explains The Healthy Chef founder Teresa Cutter. “At the time I was going through my own health challenges with digestion and wellbeing and I couldn’t find a protein powder on the market that was actually good for you and tasted delicious.”
From that single idea, Teresa and her husband, Paul, developed The Healthy Chef into a multi-million-dollar business that has grown by as much as 30 per cent annually since its launch in 2012.
Now the company employs seven full-time staff and stocks nearly 40 products including collagen, magnesium and lactose-free protein supplements, prebiotics and probiotics and a range of teas all aimed at boosting your wellbeing.
The key to The Healthy Chef’s success comes down to prioritising the quality of the product above all else, according to Teresa. “When we make a product, we’re always trying to make it as naturally and as high quality as we can. We do our research and find the best of something – and then we try and make it delicious. All our products are made in Australia.”
And while the business has enjoyed steady growth, a recent transition between banks prompted the Cutters to look to the American Express® Qantas Business Rewards Card as a means of managing their cash flow.
The Card’s flexible spending power¹ is what first drew the Cutters to American Express. “The Card really helped us out while we moved banks late last year,” says Paul. “We needed something that could stay on top of all our automated and recurring bills like the cost of the website, suppliers and shipping – especially during that in-between period. The dynamic line of unsecured funding¹ on our Card was a really powerful tool.”
Beyond the Card, it’s also American Express’s customer service that won the Cutters over. “I love the Amex app. I can go in and check our spending power. It’s just so convenient. Now we use the American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card to pay for our digital platforms and software,” says Paul.
Manage your cash flow
Until now, The Healthy Chef has been largely reliant on its database, email marketing and its ecommerce platform – which has millions of visitors over the years to generate revenue. In order to continue its rapid growth, the business has recently secured national distributors for its products and is set to gain visibility in retailers across the country later in the year.
With major development on the horizon, Teresa and Paul are forecasting the need for greater cash flow as supply needs increase and have looked to alternative funding methods to help them grow. “Having up to 51 days to pay for purchases² on the American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card and knowing that buffer is there – in case we need to pay for more advertising or boost production as we go into this new phase – is comforting,” says Paul Cutter.
Unlock the possibilities for your business. Earn 170,000 bonus Qantas Points* when you apply by 8 April 2025, are approved and spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card within 3 months of your approval date. T&Cs apply. Available for new American Express Card Members only. Annual fee of $450 applies. Learn more.
The Card has also helped The Healthy Chef earn more than half a million Qantas Points. The business earns up to 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 spent on everyday business expenses³ with its American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card – and 2 Qantas Points per $1 spent on Qantas products and services.³
The points are reinvested back into The Healthy Chef by booking seats on Qantas flights for business meetings and promotion of the brand’s new ventures. “We’re originally from Perth and our lawyers and accountants are all based over there,” says Teresa. “We’re flying around all the time, meeting with suppliers, distributors and we’ve got a new book coming out called Simple Healthy Recipes so I’ll be travelling around the country doing TV appearances and masterclasses to promote that. It’s an exciting time for our business.”
Unlock the possibilities for your business. Earn 170,000 bonus Qantas Points* when you apply by 8 April 2025, are approved and spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card within 3 months of your approval date. T&Cs apply. Available for new American Express Card Members only. Annual fee of $450 applies. Learn more.
Unlock the possibilities
Teresa and Paul Cutter share their top small-business tips…
The key to… funding your ideas
The Healthy Chef has always been self-funded, meaning Teresa and Paul have had to be smarter about the way they manage their cash. “We are a family-owned business, we don’t have backers, it’s just Teresa and I, so knowing we can manage cash flow with up to 51 days to pay² for purchases on the Card and toggle investment into production and marketing as needed is a great feature.”
The key to… hiring the right team
As a small business, the Cutters recognise how important it is to hire the right staff but have taken a rather unconventional approach in order to protect the culture they’ve built. “I think that we’ve been lucky,” says Paul. “A couple of times we’ve hired more on personality – we’ve met people who we thought would be really great fits, that understand our brand, even when we’ve had no real position ready for them. And it’s always worked out.”
Amex Qantas Business Rewards
The key to… travelling comfortably
The American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card comes with complimentary travel insurance⁴, as well as 2 complimentary domestic Qantas Club Lounge passes each Card Membership year⁵. For small-business owners, it’s an oasis at the gates. “We love the lounge,” says Paul. “It makes the trip more comfortable, especially on a tight schedule. It’s another way that the Card adds a level of customer service.”
The key to… being proud of your product
“I’ve always wanted to make things that help people who might be going through the same health problems I am,” says Teresa. “With the Healthy Chef it’s about answering health concerns, like needing more protein in my diet, or adding the benefits of collagen and finding the best ingredients we can, to make a product that I want to take. You need to be able to fully back your own product and for me it needs to be free from fillers,artificial sweeteners and additives and it has to be delicious. You have to want to keep using the product.”
The key to… pulling people together
The American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card also has come in handy when getting a range of stakeholders in the same room. The Qantas Points your business earns when flying will be tripled when you book eligible flights with your Card⁶. “We had a big meeting in Melbourne,” says Paul. “We flew in people from mainly Sydney and Perth. It’s important to be able to have those meetings face-to-face. Qantas Points allow us to do this in a cost-efficient way.”
Click here for Terms and Conditions.
Unlock the possibilities for your business. Earn 170,000 bonus Qantas Points* when you apply by 8 April 2025, are approved and spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card within 3 months of your approval date. T&Cs apply. Available for new American Express Card Members only. Annual fee of $450 applies. Learn more.
*170,000 bonus Qantas Points: Offer only available to new American Express Card Members who apply 8 April 2025, are approved and spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on their new Card in the first three (3) months from the Card approval date. Eligible purchases do not include Card fees and charges, for example annual fees, interest, late payment, cash advances, balance transfers, traveller’s cheques and foreign currency conversion. Card Members who currently hold or who have previously held any Card product issued by American Express Australia Limited in the past 18 months are ineligible for this offer. 170,000 bonus Qantas Points will be awarded to the eligible Card Member's Account 8-10 weeks after the spend criteria has been met. Subject to the American Express® Qantas Business Rewards Card Points Terms and Conditions. $450 annual fee applies. This advertised offer is not applicable or valid in conjunction with any other advertised or promotional offer.
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American Express approval criteria applies. Subject to Terms and Conditions. Fees and charges apply. All information is correct as at 1 July 2023 and is subject to change. This offer is only available to those who reside in Australia. Cards are offered, issued and administered by American Express Australia Limited (ABN 92 108 952 085). ®Registered Trademark of American Express Company.