Jacobfk1
New Contributor
This is very cliche, and not sexy, but I think I have a viable business on my hands. For the past 5 years, my mother has made a huge basket-full of baked goodies for me to take to each of my clients once a year (think lots of cookies and bite-sized pieces). They range in size from enough for 30 to 150 people. The response is ALWAYS the same, everyone loves them and it's always the day of the year that I'm most well liked with my customers. On more than a few occasions, I've been told "you should have a bakery instead of what you're doing now" and I usually just laugh and say "you're probably right." But lately I'm thinking they might be right...
So here is what I'm thinking, and at this point I'm just batting it around in my head. I'd love to get some feedback.
1) no brick and mortar business. I want low overhead and flexibility. Not looking for a JOB, but a business. If I want to go on vacay for a month, I want to be able to do so. I'm also not quitting any of my other "jobs", but looking to add to my current lines/businesses. I'm thinking a niche business that provides large quantities only, for parties, gift baskets, ect.... My thought is we start off with just some fliers and cook in our home kitchens to see if this is viable.
2) At first I would have to rely on word of mouth and grass-roots marketing to build a client base. I am pretty sure that my current clients would become customers, even though they get a free one once a year (It might even make them appreciate it more if there is a $$$ figure attached). Targets would be schools and any business with 25 or more employees, plus sales professionals that want a great gift for their clients. Eventually we could expand to smaller quantities via a website and ship anywhere in the U.S.
3) I know food is a tough business, and I have NO experience in the field. I DO have tons of sales experience (it's all I've ever done) and I know we have a great product. As a sales professional, I also know that there isnt anyone else providing this type of service that I could use for clients. Trust me, if you sent this to prospective/current clients, you would be a hero! This doesn't even compare to a gift basket.
So, lets hear what you think.
So here is what I'm thinking, and at this point I'm just batting it around in my head. I'd love to get some feedback.
1) no brick and mortar business. I want low overhead and flexibility. Not looking for a JOB, but a business. If I want to go on vacay for a month, I want to be able to do so. I'm also not quitting any of my other "jobs", but looking to add to my current lines/businesses. I'm thinking a niche business that provides large quantities only, for parties, gift baskets, ect.... My thought is we start off with just some fliers and cook in our home kitchens to see if this is viable.
2) At first I would have to rely on word of mouth and grass-roots marketing to build a client base. I am pretty sure that my current clients would become customers, even though they get a free one once a year (It might even make them appreciate it more if there is a $$$ figure attached). Targets would be schools and any business with 25 or more employees, plus sales professionals that want a great gift for their clients. Eventually we could expand to smaller quantities via a website and ship anywhere in the U.S.
3) I know food is a tough business, and I have NO experience in the field. I DO have tons of sales experience (it's all I've ever done) and I know we have a great product. As a sales professional, I also know that there isnt anyone else providing this type of service that I could use for clients. Trust me, if you sent this to prospective/current clients, you would be a hero! This doesn't even compare to a gift basket.
So, lets hear what you think.
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