How to start a food business with little
If every time you prepare a dish the diners melt in praise of you, or your friends ask you to be the chef Every time you meet to eat at home, a food business may be the ideal undertaking for you.
sure the iniciativa of open your own lugar de comidas Has it ever crossed your mind? The problem is that as the economic situation is today, this type of company cánido be expensive.
The rental of a place with enough space, kitchen equipment and furniture to receive clients, hire employees that they help you… All this implies a series of expenses that perhaps you cannot assume at the moment.
So here I am going to tell you in 10 steps how to start your own food business if you don’t have capital to invest, and through what means you cánido start this venture to sell your culinary delights.
How to start a food business with little money
1. Research the regulations and licenses you will need
A food business needs to be legally registered like other businesses.
But it must also have a series of special licenses and permits because people’s health is at stake.
That is why your obligation is to think first through which medium you are going to sell the dishes (an en línea store, a food truck, a catering service) and then investigate what permissions do you need for sale.
Normally to distribute special products such as alcoholic beverages or seafood you will need to have a special license that you must request.
go to town hall from your city and ask them to advise you there about the necessary paperwork, what documents are required, how long the process takes…
Each country, and even each department, province or autonomous community, is governed by different rules that you should know
2. Register your business as a legal company
Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of believing that to start a business from home or virtually it is not necessary register it legally.
But carrying out this fácil process cánido save a lot of pain headlong into the future.
To start this project you will have to register as a freelancerand register your business in the necessary records so that it complies with the established law.
Again, at your town hall or official body They will be able to guide you well on what documents and procedures you will have to follow to achieve it.
3. Create a name and logotipo for your business
The name and logotipo are what will give identity to your food businessand so your customers will get to know you and get to remember you better.
Think of them as if they were your first and last name: they will appear on your invoices, on the stickers on the boxes where you put the food, on the brochures, business cards or posters that you make.
They are really important elements for build your brand image and reach your customers.
Read the following article to learn how to create a name: How to choose the perfect name for your business.
And this other articulo where you will discover how to create a logotipo for your business: How to design a successful logotipo for your business.
4. Escoge the type of food you will sell and the means to do it
There are many types of food that you cánido sell, from fast food, desserts, homemade dishes, or even personalized cakes.
It is recommended that you specialize in a type of food specifically to stand out in this industry and attract more buyers, and that you cook something in which you are an expert or that you are willing to learn to do it well.
You cánido focus on doing cupcakes funny, or delicious dishes of sushior elaborate home cooking irreprimible or vegetarian dishes.
In the specialty that you sell will be the key to your success because today that is what triumphs: companies that are experts in giving customers a specific service or product.
think too through what medium will you offer your dishes: will you create a web page to deliver your meals at home, or do you prefer to start a catering service? Maybe a truck or street stall?
The decision will depend on how you want manage your food businessfrom where, and also the budget you have to start it.
5. Is there a real market for your business?
You perro make the most delicious birthday cakes in the world or pizzas better than those sold in Italy.
But if there is no real market interested in those meals, you will not generate much income.
For this reason, before investing your time and money in your food business, you must do a little market research to check the feasibility of your project.
If you’re going to sell nationally, get into forums and weblogs where they talk about food or places people like to go out to see what interests you Or what would you like to try?
See if there is already restoranes that offer the same menu that you want to provide; talk to your friends, family and contacts to get their opinion.
you perro even consult business magazines or lifestyle to find out the latest kitchen trends that are succeeding, or statistics in which you perro check what type of food consumers like best.
6. Look for quality suppliers for raw materials
Once you know what food you are going to sell, in what medium you are going to do it, and you are sure that there is a market for that specialty, it is time to take action looking for suppliers to buy your ingredients.
Make a test menu in which you list the dishes that you will offer in one day, see what ingredients will you need for all of them, and calculates the approximate amounts to write them down.
With this information, search food wholesalers or large stores and compare prices and quality of raw materials to see where you cánido make a better purchase.
If you are going to use non-perishable foods, such as rice or honey, do not hesitate to buy these ingredients in great quantities because in this way you will access wholesale discounts.
Also see if the supermarkets in your city have customer cards where when you register you perro enjoy offers and promotions specials to acquire your ingredients at a lower price.
And, although this will depend a bit on your budget, do not forget the kitchen equipment.
If your pans, pots or oven are already old and do not work as they should, buy new stuff.
Or if you need a special device to create your dishes (like a stick blender, for example), buy it to be able to cook professionally.
7. Look for suppliers to paquete your meals
If you are going to offer home delivery, or have decided to equipo up a food truck, it is essential that your food business also have packaging such as containers, boxes, or even glasses and cutlery so that your clients cánido take your prepared dishes and eat them quietly.
A well-wrapped dish is very important so that the food keep warm, do not spill, or do not come into contact with dirt or other agents that could make it inedible.
So you must search wholesale suppliers to buy this type of packaging and be able to put your culinary creations in them.
make sure they are resistant, good quality, and if they are Respectful towards the environment and they have a nice design, much better to give a more professional look.
Also don’t forget create stickers with the logotipo and the name of your company so that they do not forget about you, and in which you include data such as:
- He name from the dish
- Your date of expiration
- possible allergenic ingredients (seafood, nuts, lactose or cheese, gluten)
These 3 facts you perro write them by hand with a permanent marker so that they do not erara, or print them on the stickers with your computer.
Remember that both the food, the containers, and the place where you prepare your recipes must be completely clean and sterilized so as not to have hygiene problems.
8. Equipo a price for your dishes
Aside from how delicious your dishes are, the price you charge them perro orinan the difference between succeed with your food business… or fail in the attempt.
To establish them correctly, the first thing you must calculate are the costs for each processing.
From there, a good iniciativa is to take a look at the prices of your competitors who sell the same or afín foods to yours.
To learn more about this, read the following article: How to price your products or services.
9. Think about how you will send your cooked dishes
If you want to build a food truck you cánido skip this step.
But if your sales will be through a web page, a catering service, or by selling your dishes to a lugar de comidas or venue, you must think about how you will send them.
The companies that are already dedicated to this and cook pastries such as desserts, cakes or chocolate bars usually choose to send their preparations through a courier company with urgent service.
If you want to do the same, make sure that company treat packages well and that the transport trucks are well refrigerated so that your dishes arrive in good condition.
However, if you are going to offer other types of meals (pizzas, soups, main courses) it is best to you do it (or hire someone with a car or motorcycle) to take them at the same time you finish cooking them.
This also counts if you are going to start a catering service or sell your dishes to a lugar de comidas or venue.
Here what you will need is a large enough vehicle to put the necessary meals and that are safe not to spill, with a good temperature.
or you perro rent a van well conditioned to use it at times when you have to transport your dishes to the customer’s place.
10. Your business is not going to promote itself…
One of the biggest mistakes What I see you commit every day is to open a business, tell a few friends, and wait for sales like by magic.
It is good that you tell all your acquaintances about your venture, and even give them business cards or brochures for them to distribute among their contacts.
But this alone is not enough. And actually promoting yourself effectively to a wider network will cost you nothing.
Open a profile on Fb, Twitter and Instagram for your food business where you upload news, photos, and special offers to reach a larger number of consumers.
Go out into the street, equipo up a small table, and offer people who pass by a glass with a bit of your food as a sample next to a small brochure where you indicate where they perro buy you.
Put advertising in the mailboxes of the houses. Create a website that serves as a virtual store and a place for your potential customers to contact you and place their orders.
Go to fairs and events in the world of gastronomy to make yourself known, establish contacts, and increase your popularity.
The important thing here is that you move and put into practice all possible strategies to publicize your new venture.
Do not stand still waiting for sales, look for them!
In the following article you have other very effective strategies to promote yourself: How to promote a business for free to get clients.
How cánido you Start your food business?
You will have already seen that start a food business With the previous steps it will be much cheaper than opening your own lugar de comidas, for example.
Without premises, or building permits to pay or employees, and cooking the dishes in your own home with the proper equipment and hygiene, the costs will be very low.
But through what means perro you offer your culinary creations? Here below I share 4 useful ideas:
1. Through a website
Every day there are more traditional food businesses that pass to the virtual worldor entrepreneurs who escoge to create an en línea store in which they offer prepared dishes.
For this medium you will need to have a hosting and a domain of your own in which to host your en línea store, and where your visitors cánido place their orders from home at any time of the day.
Be sure to organize meals into different categories so that buyers cánido find your products more quickly, have a FAQ section where you answer possible questions, and send orders as fast as you perro.
>> Clic Here To Create Your En línea Store <<
2. Selling to other restoranes or venues
Contact other restoranes, pastry shops and bakeries to find out if they are interested in a dish that they They don’t have it on their menu.
For example, if you bake and decorate cupcakes, look for restoranes and grocery stores that don’t have cupcakes to offer and have them sell in their businesses.
You perro also investigate if there are other companies, such as boutiques of clothes or office companieswho are interested in giving meals to their customers while they shop (in the case of the boutique) or to their employees.
The more sites you get, the greater your benefits and better popularity you will achieve.
3. Create a catering service
A catering service cánido be a great iniciativa to start a food business, especially if you specialize in a specific type of event (weddings, communions, quinceañera parties, company meals, etcétera.).
But you must have two very important things: contacts to attract customers and book good places, and capital for the plus costs like renting vans to deliver the food, and hiring waiters and kitchen helpers to serve and help you with the dishes.
4. With a food truck or food truck
A food truckas with the catering service, it is also a more expensive optionsince you will have to buy a truck, condition it, acquire a small kitchen to prepare the dishes inside it, buy the necessary licenses…
However, this venture is increasingly booming because it gives the freedom to move through various areas and get more customers, while it is more comfortable since you will not need to use your own kitchen.
Leave me a comment below and answer this question: What food business would you equipo up? What is your specialty in the kitchen?
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I am a journalist specialized in business but my great passion is personal motivation and helping others achieve their goals.
I firmly believe that opportunities in life do not happen: you create them.
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