How to Start a Food Business: Take Control and Empower Your Passion
There has never been a time in our lives where turning your passion into your profession was so achievable. Whitney Wolfe Herd, the Founder/CEO that turned Bumble into a billion dollar company, went as far as to claim that “you can monetize anything.”
Not only can you monetize your passion, there are companies designed to help you do it. Endless tools and resources allow you to create an international brand without leaving your home. Companies like Shopify make the entrepreneurial lifestyle much more approachable. Amazon allows you to reach customers anywhere in the world. Social media gives your business a voice and platform to build brand awareness.
So how do you get the ball rolling? There are plenty of unexciting administrative tasks ahead (as we outlined in our previous article). Considering the time and effort that goes along with creating a business, deeply caring about your work is a great prerequisite and will serve as the driving force to keep you moving forward.
Wolfe Herd went on to say, “figure out what you’re passionate about and if you’re really good at it, there’s some way to turn it into a business. You have to start somewhere. Just find your passion and lean into it.”
A strong brand narrative is at the heart of every great entrepreneur’s story. If you can align your passion, knowledge, and skills with your business, you’re better positioned to build something people can’t stop talking about.
A great starting point is to write down the things you are passionate about. Create a vision board. Whatever it takes for you to have a high level view of ALL of your passions. If nothing else, this is a fantastic way to see what holds the most weight in your life and where you should spend more of your time. Don’t just lean into your passions professionally, find ways to incorporate them into your daily life.
A bird’s eye view allows you to begin dissecting. Of your passions, do any overlap? Which do you have the strongest knowledge of? Are there any that you could explain down to the last detail? Don’t just stop at existing knowledge. Do you get excited by the idea of broadening your understanding and developing an expertise in this passion? Knowledge allows you to build on your passion’s foundation…but there is one more piece to this puzzle.
Someone may love the NFL and have extensive knowledge about the game but are they going to pursue a career as a professional football player? For some…maybe. For most…it isn’t the right use of their skills. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a way to monetize that passion and knowledge.
What comes naturally to you that is more difficult for others? When your skills collide with passion and knowledge, that’s the sweet spot. Sadly, most of us are our own worst critics. We tend to focus on our weaknesses and downplay our strengths. A possible solution? Talk to the people that know you best. They’ll happily shine a light on your value.
It may feel a little uncomfortable but there’s no shame in asking friends and family what they think you are good at — especially if you provide the context that you’re looking to start your own business. If you want to be more discrete, request that they write you a recommendation letter for a potential job. This is a sneaky-good way to identify what your value is through the eyes of those closest to you. Either way, their feedback will give you an outside look at what you bring to the table.
Imagine you are a meetings & events professional that was furloughed. You have a love for the industry and people find you very easy to talk to. When you meet new people, you ooze a genuine interest in learning about them. Why not start a podcast interviewing people within the industry? Offer a platform for them to share their experiences and how they have adapted after a rocky 2020. This isn’t just a random example — it is actually the story of one of our founders, Alyssa McDonald, who also hosts The Ketchup Thyme Podcast.
Everyone’s journey will be a little different. You may already know exactly what direction to head after reading this. A moment may come months from now when it finally clicks. The important takeaway is that it can be done. You CAN turn your passion into something that satisfies you on a personal and professional level. You just have to get started.
UP NEXT: After Step 1 — honing in the on the passion, skills, and knowledge that you want to turn into a business — it is important to determine where you fit in that market. How can you position your business to have a unique spot in your market that brings new value or solves an existing problem?
We are passionate about providing food entrepreneurs and culinary professionals the ingredients they need to start and expand their food businesses. In addition to offering commercial kitchens across the United States, Ingredients works with food business owners to acquire the proper business licensing, insurance, and certifications required by city, county, and state regulations.
If you’re interested in finding a commercial kitchen or need guidance in starting your own food business, visit Ingredients.Kitchen to learn more!
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