What made you decide to launch your own business?

I went to Oxford University and afterwards, almost by accident, I went down the path of training to become a lawyer by doing a post-graduate diploma in law. It didn't sit right with me though, my gut told me it just wasn't what I ought to be doing. I had actually always wanted to work for myself and I found myself yearning to fill my days with something I was passionate about. Having always loved food and cooking, it just seemed to make sense that I should launch my own business in the world of food. So I quit training in law, and instead trained as a chef. I honed my skills working in restaurants and catering companies across London, before taking the leap and starting my own catering company Made by Margie.

Have you had help along the way, or a piece of advice that really stuck?

I've had so many amazing pieces of advice over the years - I'm always asking people for their input and there's so much to learn when you are an entrepreneur and starting out on your own. I think it's really easy to get fixated on an end result, but you've got to enjoy the process of getting there too, because ultimately that's what it's all about. A nugget of advice I really took heed of was to celebrate the little day-to-day victories as much as any bigger successes.

What makes up a typical week for you and what aspect of your business life has your priority at this time?

It really does vary week on week but I usually plan my work around cooking jobs. I tend to do 2-3 cooking jobs a week and they could be anything from a big canapé event for a brand, to cooking a dinner party for a private client or filling someone's fridge for the weekend (really!)

On any given week I will be in the kitchen for at least three days, whether that's prepping for cooking jobs or testing out new recipes for my food writing or getting food ready for a shoot.

I set aside at least a day and a half to work on my podcast, Desert Island Dishes, as I try to do a really thorough job of researching my guest and making sure I know as much about them as possible so that I can ask the best questions I can and really think about what it is the listener wants to hear from them.

The rest of the week and any spare time is spent writing for my websites, creating recipes and editing photos.

The podcast has really grown and I was so excited when it topped the iTunes food podcast charts! With the number of people listening each week growing incredibly quickly, it's definitely becoming more of a priority and I'm so excited about where it will take me.

What do you think about the newly coined term ‘multi-hyphenate' - is this something new?

I don't think it's necessarily a new thing as people in creative roles have been doing multi faceted jobs for years. I think the change has come because we used to be more focused on just one particular job title and with other projects were assigned to a "side hustle". I think the change is that now we are much more vocal about the different jobs we do and it's a case of the multi-hyphenate career being greater than the sum of its parts.  When I trained to be a chef people seemed very keen to be able to label what I was doing and the term chef seemed to satisfy that. I think traditionally people would pick a career and do it for life but with the rise of self employment and flexible working, the way we work and the way we earn money does seem to be changing in a more mainstream way.

What do you hope to achieve in terms of business goals over the next five years?

The exciting thing about the business I'm in is that the opportunities are always changing and expanding. I try not to over plan and tend to grow the businesses organically. The popularity of the podcast is so exciting and beyond anything I expected so I'm already working on a few projects that have come from that and I'm very excited to see where they will take me. I just want to keep working hard and doing the things I love.

What are you most proud of?

I find it really hard to give myself credit and it's only really when I'm asked questions like this that I reflect on the things I've done. I think ultimately the thing I'm most proud of is taking the leap to work in food and walking away from a career in law. It was scary and I pushed myself really far out of my comfort zone but it's definitely the best decision I ever made.

How do you keep an episodic podcast fresh and compelling?

I think it's crucial that you are passionate about what you are talking about. I love talking about food and asking questions, so I will never tire of interviewing people for Desert Island Dishes. With an interview format it's obviously important to pick the right kind of guest and ensure they are going to inspire the listener and spark their imagination. I'm constantly inspired by the people I meet and the incredible and varied things they are doing.

What are the tools or secrets to help you find the balance between your role as a chef, blogger and podcaster?

You've got to be organised, that's for sure. When you work for yourself, doing a variety of different things, there isn't a structure to your working week per se. So I think applying a certain amount of structure is very helpful. I'm a very quick worker and I've become very good at making decisions quickly, which I think has stood me in good stead for juggling lots of different things career wise.