Week 1 — Foundation

Wed 12 Aug – Tue 18 Aug 2026

Day 1Wed 12 AugTODAYGet legally registered

Morning

Register as a sole trader with HMRC at gov.uk — free, ~10 mins. Have your National Insurance number ready.Save the UTR number they send you somewhere safe.

Evening — set up tomorrow

Write a list of every person you know in London who owns their home, or rents somewhere a landlord might say yes to.Message the first three tonight. You need a kitchen address by Saturday.

Your tenancy (clause 4.4.3) blocks trading from the flat. Solving the kitchen is this week's real job.

Day 2Thu 13 AugFood hygiene certificate

Morning

Buy and complete the Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate online (~£15). Do it in one sitting, 2–3 hours.Download and save the PDF certificate — the council will ask for it.

Evening — set up tomorrow

Search shared commercial kitchens: Kentish Town, Camden, Hackney, Bermondsey.For each, note the hourly rate and whether they allow you to register it as your food premises address.

Day 3Fri 14 AugKitchen + spice sourcing

Morning

Email or call three shared kitchens. Ask only two things: can I register my food business at your address, and what's the minimum booking.Chase anyone from Wednesday's list who hasn't replied.

Evening — set up tomorrow

Order spices: whole cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, black pepper, star anise, fennel, nutmeg.Also order coconut sugar and fine black tea powder.Buy small quantities first — Wembley or Southall grocers are cheapest for whole spices.

Day 4Sat 15 AugLock the kitchen, claim the brand

Morning

Decide and confirm your kitchen. Get it in writing — email is fine.If nothing has landed yet, widen the search today. Do not let this drift into next week.

Evening — set up tomorrow

Claim daytimeowl.co.uk and .com.Claim the Instagram and TikTok handles.Set up hello@daytimeowl.co.uk.Search the UK Trade Mark Register for 'Daytime Owl' while you're at it.

Everything downstream — council registration, sampling, first sale — waits on the kitchen address.

Day 5Sun 16 AugBlend batch 1

Morning

Grind and blend all four formulas. Weigh every spice, write down exact grams, number each batch.Formula 1 — Classic: unsweetened, café-grade.Formula 2 — Sweet: 30% coconut sugar, for retail.Formula 3 — Bold/Karak: extra ginger and black pepper.Formula 4 — Signature: your own Daytime Owl twist.

Evening — set up tomorrow

Build a tasting sheet: batch number, spice notes, sweetness, mouthfeel, score out of 10.Photograph the blending process as you go — this is your first month of content.

Day 6Mon 17 AugStart the 28-day clock

Morning

Submit your food business registration to the council for your kitchen's borough. Free.You can legally trade from roughly 14 September — that's your first sample sale window.

Evening — set up tomorrow

Draft your café pitch list: 20 London independents, name, area, why they'd fit.Start with Belsize Park, Camden and Hampstead — walkable from you.

Day 7Tue 18 AugTaste, score, publish

Morning

Taste all four formulas with oat milk, then with whole milk. Use the paste method: 30ml hot water first.Score honestly on the tasting sheet. Write down exactly what to change in batch 2.

Evening — set up tomorrow

Post your first Instagram content — spices laid out, the blending, the logo.Build the audience now, before you have anything to sell.Review the week: what slipped, what's carrying into week 2.

Week 1 is a success if…

You're registered as a sole trader with HMRC
Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate is in hand
A kitchen address is locked in — this is the blocker for everything
Council food business registration is submitted (28-day clock started)
All four formulas blended, tasted and scored once
Brand handles and domain claimed