Being A Food Entrepreneur
It all starts with a dream. Your passion guides your road map and your resilience helps you stay on track. Any entrepreneur must be a high performer. High performance is not for everybody and you cannot be a part time high performer.
Being a food entrepreneur means you need to consider many things you haven’t consider before. This is the beauty of being in the food industry.
Food entrepreneurs must keep an eye on not only their products but also market developments and competitor landscape. Regulations, transportation, customs for exports and imports, finances, marketing are all waiting for your attention. If there is a shortage on one or more of your ingredients, you need to find replacements.
Above all these, your product must be relevant to your target consumers. This includes your products’ taste, ingredients, claims, packaging, shelf life, your pricing and your communication.
Systemic Approach to Food Entrepreneurship
Know your product inside out. Know your ingredients, know your packaging, know your production, know your shelf life, and know all other details about your product.
Follow industry events and news. There are many resources to follow and events to attend. As an example, Vitafoods Europe exhibition is on nowadays, and you can either join in-person or virtually. There are also other shows that give you online attendance option if you cannot be there in-person.
Follow new products and consumer trends.
Have a communication plan. Your voice is important to your consumers. Be active and approach your market with design thinking mindset. Ideate, prototype, test, prototype again, test again. Remember design thinking is a non-linear approach.
Being a food entrepreneur, you need a good support system. Surround yourself with people who has been there and done that.
Finally, enjoy the journey!
Good luck.
