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When you go on an aggressive retail push, you're bound to get a couple of retailers who don't like your product. But, don't let that get you down. In this podcast, I'll cover the 4 strategies I use to get over the no's I've been getting lately. Here are the resources I was talking about: Rebound from Rejection on Entrepreneur.com Effective Objection Handling from Salesforce.com Dealing with Cold-Calling Rejection (my favorite) from Zoho

Test marketing is often over-looked as an "I don't have to do that" step of starting a food business. But, it's arguably the most important step - even more so than packaging design, costing, and distribution strategy. Without test marketing, your product might fail. And failure isn't an option when you've got so much money, time, and resources tied up into your little food company that could (or couldn't). Here's what you'll learn in this podcast: Why test marketing is crucial to the success of your food business Where to do your test marketing (and why you have to be careful with friends and family) The proven 5-step plan to test marketing (this is exactly what I do to test market new flavors for Green Mountain Mustard The Show Notes: I've written about test marketing your food product before. And a link to a test marketing survey template Take a listen. Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher to get notified of new Five Minute Food Business podcast episodes.

Episode two! I made it! Everybody clap your hands. In this episode, a train went by my apartment, so you'll hear it in the background. I'm not audio whiz, so I haven't figured out how to take it out of the track (anybody?). If you missed the first episode, I talked about why you would start a food business. Did you write your reasons down? If not, get it down on paper, and then move onto episode 2. Here's what you'll learn in episode 2: Just how big the specialty food industry is (yes, you're in the right industry!) The downsides of some sections of the food industry Why you need to start with one product The 3 pitfalls of creating lots of products Resources and links mentioned in this post: Specialty Food Association Andy and his animal crackers (no website, yet) Zak Normandin at Little Duck Organics Should you expand your product line? (blog post) Take a listen. Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher to get notified of new Five Minute Food Business podcast episodes.

It's here! I finally started a podcast. I'm excited to start a podcast because there’s lots to share and learn about starting a food business. You all have been asking me questions left and right, so it's time you get some answers. Why the Five Minute Food Business Podcast? Simply put, I know you don't have a lot of time to listen to lengthy interviews. You need quick, actionable tips to help you take your food business to the next level.  And then, you've got to make some sauce. That's why, in just five minutes (sometimes longer), I'll give you a concrete list of things to do to grow your business. From marketing to production, sales to the social media - it'll all be there. So let's get right into the first episode..... I wanted to start with why. Why have you taken the plunge to start a food business? For many people, maybe they've left their job or everyone thinks they make great brownies. Regardless of the reason, it's also important to know why you, personally, started your business. For me, it was creativity. For you, it could be wanting to spend more time with your kids, providing healthy snacks to high schoolers, or bringing your home-country's cuisine state-side. Take a listen to the podcast and then let me know..... Why do you want to start a food business? Leave a comment below with your reasons and let's get a discussion going. I'd love to see how passionate you all are about your food companies! Resources and links mentioned in this post: Simon Sinek's talk on "Start With Why". He also has a book with the same title. I haven't read it, but I can imagine it's equally as motivating. Take a listen. Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher to get notified of new Five Minute Food Business podcast episodes.