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A few years ago, selling homemade food was a legal gray area. Maybe you’ve seen it—tacos sold from a backyard grill, tamales out of a cooler, breakfast sandwiches dropped down in a red bucket from an apartment window, sold through Instagram DMs. These were (and still are) the backbone of LA’s underground food scene. Now,…
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After being laid off from my job in financial services, I seriously considered starting a food business. Although I had several products I wanted to make and sell, my research around LA led to a sobering realization: I was going to fail. Not because my ideas weren’t good enough, but because I couldn’t find a…
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Starting a cottage food bakery is a dream for many, but as orders start rolling in, scaling up can feel overwhelming. The good news? It doesn’t have to be. With a few smart tweaks, you can scale your business without losing the charm (or your sanity). Here’s how. 1. Work Smarter, Not Harder As orders increase,…
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From sourcing ingredients to accelerating sales, since the pandemic, the challenges facing small food business owners have become much larger. A specialty confection producer recently told me that if her business doesn’t make money this year, she’s done because she can earn more money working fewer hours back in corporate consulting. The producer is stocked…
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Over and over, when approaching new wholesale buyers, new (and existing!) food businesses make easily correctable tactical errors. Here are the top six pitfalls: As the founder, you’re excited to get a new account. That’s understandable. Saying “yes” to accounts that are outside your region, not aligned with your known target customer, beyond your current…
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Does this sound familiar? “I have this dream of starting a food business. Of being a foodpreneur. I’ve been thinking about making my granola for people; everyone wants my granola, everybody asks me for it.” Is this a good time to start a food business? It’s spring. New You? The barriers to entry for starting…