How to Start a Lucrative Cottage Food Business

You are a culinary genius! Did you know that? Your cottage food success is not going to come from what you think it will. The path you take will not be easy, common, or something you have a passion or expertise in. Wow!

Not what you expected to hear, right?

If you enrolled in this course you either sell food, want to sell food, or have an idea for a food product to sell. Stop! You’re in the right place. The major mistake many people make is thinking their big food idea is something they’re passionate about… I’ll make cupcakes or something they’re good at, and I’ll sell my family’s recipe for elderberry jam, it’s been in the family for more than 100 years.

After being in the Cottage Food business, dabbling in a variety of food-related jobs for more than thirty-six years I’ve learned, that food is not fickle or hard to sell.

It is the gurus and experts that want to muddy the water, so it appears to be the most challenging task in the world. It’s not.

Those who tell you selling food is tough only say this so they can become the gatekeeper and keep you out of the marketplace.

What you will learn

In this course you will learn the basic start-up process, selecting a product that will sell and one that attracts people willing and able to pay the price you’re asking for the product you sell.

You will also learn that one stream of income will not sustain you in the wonderful world of food. Your food is the foundation, but it is only one part of your money-making machine. I’ll talk more about this later in the course.

Your big food idea is not either (something you have a passion for) or your expertise in the production of that food… it is both. You must have both passion and expertise!

By now you should be feeling a bit OVERWHELMED.

· I totally get it.

· I felt the same way when I started my catering business in 1987 and The Charlotte Pie Authority, in 2014. Yep! Two successful businesses.

· Will my customers buy my products?

· Is the price too high? Is it too low?

· What if no one buys anything?

· How do I get my customers to learn about my business?

· Are my products going to be good enough?

· What do I do after the first sale?

· How do I find more customers?

· Do I need a website, and do I have to do the social media stuff?

· Now, there’s this COVID wall that is stopping my sales, what do I do?

It's A Lot!!!

It should be EXCITING knowing you are going to sell out of product, right? You heard me sell out of everything!!! Over the last thirty-six, I have created and implemented various strategies to see which works best. I’ve interviewed hundreds of food entrepreneurs, and marketing and social media experts and we are going to address all of these best practices in this course… so strap yourself in!

What have I learned?

There is more than one way to launch a business and sell your products, and it's about finding the right strategy that feels ALIGNED with you and your product.

My job is to save you from feeling overwhelmed and spending hundreds of hours of launch prep and marketing strategies only to learn… you’re not getting the results you want.

Here’s what we will be covering in this course:

· Understand the Home-based food start-up process

· Complete a mini business plan

· Select a product

· Price your product

· Market your product

· Sell your product

· Use social media

· Find a sales location

· Learn to pivot

· Build streams of income

The course is comprehensive and designed to walk you through the home food processing start-up, product selection phase, marketing phase, sales phase, and more.

It is your responsibility to ask questions and if you need help, ask for it! I am here with a team of food and marketing specialists to guide you every step of the way. If you don’t know something, simply ask!

I created a Facebook page titled, Charlotte Pie Authority Cookbook Facebook page, where I share my story and how I took my pies to market, selling both retail and wholesale! I address tips, tactics, and strategies for building your food business and encourage you to learn and use what is showcased on the page. You can also find a link for the Charlotte Pie Authority Cookbook, filled with the recipes I used. Buy the book, it's $10, modify the recipes and sell them if you choose.

You are not stealing ideas; I want you to use this information. My purpose for creating this course and sharing information on the FB page is to build your confidence, and success and add value. We are in this together. If I can leave anything behind after my days are gone it is a group of successful, profitable food entrepreneurs who themselves share their best practices with others!!! Now… are you ready to get started?

See you in class!