The seven deadly sins of running a small business were laid bare by Hotel Inspector star Alex Polizzi at a gathering of start-up firms.

Seen turning unprofitable ventures into successful outfits on BBC Two show The Fixer, the presenter spoke to company owners at a night school mentoring session in Ashford run by Vistaprint.

The straight-talking businesswoman was not afraid to tackle any “delusions of grandeur” at the event, sharing experiences of running her wholesale Millers Bespoke Bakery business with husband Marcus Miller.

She also gave tips and advice during a Q&A at the PopUp store in the town centre, a retail initative giving small companies a retail presence in empty high-street shops.

Mrs Polizzi said: “The initial mistake small businesses make is they don’t do a realistic small business plan.

“They have delusions of grandeur and if I had a pound for every business plan I’ve seen that shows immense profit over the course of a year, I would be a richer woman than I am now.

“It helps to have some idea of where you are going to keep your cashflow coming in during the initial stages before you reach profitability.

“Otherwise it is really easy to get disheartened because you have these unrealistic goals and when you don’t achieve them, you feel as if you’ve failed.

“It takes a long time to get your product to market, get your name known and reach the critical point where you are making a profit.

“You can’t hurry the process I’m afraid.”

Before the talk, Mrs Polizzi was shown around the store by business-owner Aly Cranston, 37, from Meopham, who has experienced a three-fold increase in sales since setting up a stand for her Rainy Day Box Co. at the PopUp store, selling children’s crafts.

She said: “Alex is fabulous. She has got two little ones, so is a mumpreneur like myself, and she liked the product.

“She said we are doing the right things and couldn’t believe how enthusiastic we were a year down the line.”

Aly added: “Coming into the store at PopUp Ashford has been brilliant for us because it has given us a prescence where people can come and see and touch our product.”

For more details on Vistaprint Night Schools, visit www.facebook.com/vistaprintuk

Read a full interview with Alex Polizzi in next month’s issue of Kent Business, out next week inside your local KM paper.