It started with a takeaway
In the early 2000s, before Deliveroo existed and before Just Eat had taken off, Bertie and Lee-ann Cordingley built FillMyBelly, the UK's first online takeaway ordering platform. What started as a Nottingham startup grew into the country's third-largest takeaway aggregator.
In 2012, Just Eat acquired FillMyBelly. It wasn't just a business deal; it was validation that a couple from Nottingham could spot an opportunity, build something real, and compete with the big players.
What we learned
Building and selling a company teaches you things that business school can't. You learn what matters (your team, your customers, your word) and what doesn't (most of the things people worry about).
You learn that growth without purpose is just noise. That automation should make things more human, not less. That the best businesses solve problems people actually have, not problems you've convinced them they should care about.
Peppercord today
Peppercord Limited is the holding company for our family of brands. Each one grew from something we genuinely cared about solving:
- NotLuck exists because we saw too many businesses drowning in admin, using tools they hated, losing leads to chaos. We build CRM and automation systems that actually get used.
- Bertiecord came from decades of learning what works in business, and wanting to share that with founders who are brilliant at their craft but struggling with the business side.
- All You Yoga is Lee-ann's passion project turned proper business, making yoga and wellbeing accessible through a virtual studio, courses, and community events.
- With Pleasure addresses something rarely talked about openly: helping women navigate intimacy, desire, and body confidence with professional, qualified support.
- Network Pal is a free service keeping Nottingham's business community connected with event reminders via WhatsApp.
The team behind it
Peppercord is a family affair, quite literally. Bertie and Lee-ann are the directors, but our eldest son Oliver plays a crucial role too. A self-taught tech wizard, Oliver built many of the systems that power NotLuck and keeps our technical infrastructure running smoothly.
We're based in Nottingham, deeply embedded in the local business community, and proud of it. We speak at events, support local charities, and believe that building a business should mean building something good for the place you're in.