Eric from Erics Cheesecakes

[Scot]

Im not big enough to franchise. I am no where near that.
There is a local Brewery in my town. My only demon is the DPA and regulations that prevents me from being able to sell there.
I actually made a cheesecake from one of the Ales from that brewery. Coffee/Oatmeal....Big hit but no deal.
Yes there is so much opportunity for brick and mortar, but not home bakery in NC. Any other state, we would not be having this forum dscussion. I have definitely tried.

The first thing you need to do is get out of your kitchen. I don't know what cottage food laws are like in NC, but in Florida, the minute you make more than $10,000 per year, home made is a no go.

Start looking into commercial kitchen rentals. We have a bunch near me, where you pay hourly or daily. They have the facilities to bake and freeze, plus all inspections necessary for a legal food facility.

Once you've got that, then you can start expanding.

You need to do what every food brand does when they start.

HUSTLE

Get a booth at every farmers market in your area. Sample them and sell them there. Go into every local grocery story and find someone to stock them in their freezer section. Grind out every sale until you have the capital and the brand to scale.

Your brewery partnership thing, beer cheesecake, that right there is your USP. Make more stuff like that and you'll be selling cheesecakes left and right.

 

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[Ericito]

Any updates @Ericito ?

Eric, I’ve been thinking about your business too. Any updates? How’s cheese on a stick going?

Hello Everyone,
Thanks for asking and wanting to keep updated. At the moment, all l am allowed to say is that "Im working on getting into a chain that you all know". Since this is a public forum, it best that l not reveal that information. However, once things are etched in stone, l will be happy to announce it. Its just taking time and red tape.
Thanks again for all your interest in me.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Hello,
Im Eric from Eric's Cheesecakes in NC. Its a home business bakery. Just want to get ideas on how to expand or grow my business or is it even a good idea to try to expand a food type business. I do have an amazing cheesecake, as l have been told. But in my situation, it cant go anywhere, even though l have a good customer base, its only local. So l just need information on how grow it, or is it a waste of time.
Thank You

Welcome Eric.

If your product constitutes a productocracy, I'd say "Yes" it would be worth it to scale and expand.

Core obstacles in this objective would be:

A) Branding -- My gut tells me you would have to target the gift category as a primary market and go upscale with premium pricing.
B) Cold shipping -- the primary obstacle in expanding. How does Omaha steaks do it? How do other consumable products do it?

Again, this assumes a productocracy exists.

 

[Vigilante]

Allow me to illiustrate an alternate ending for those of you using this thread in your own application. Imagine...

Eric, after getting a test package from Harry&David and looking at how they pack their consumable shipments...

Packs out a gift box including four of his best cheesecakes, along with a personal thank you note to @AllenCrawley. The shipment costs him a ton, but that wasn't the point.

Allen gets home from a long hike in the desert, only to find the shipment from @Ericito waiting for him. The shipment was HUGE! He opens it up, and the first thing he notices is the thank you note on top, and then the chill from the package because Eric used a crazy amount of temperature controlled dry ice.

Allen unpacks the surprise. Four of the most delicious cheesecakes your eyes have ever seen - what looks like a chocolate one, fresh berries, peanut butter... everything.

Eric doesn't know but Allen is an artistic photographer. He won't allow his family to dig into them until Allen takes the photos. He gets out some cake plates, and after his fistigious arranging, he posts an upload of the cakes to the FastLane forum. Before he even hits send, a half dozen people inquire as to how they can order. Its 11PM before his family is allowed to dig in to the cakes.

The next day, Allen has to figure out to do with these amazing cheesecakes. He calls @biophase and several other prominent forum members, and they agree to attend his cheesecake pool party the following night.

Allen chills the champagne for the perfect evening, as the Fastlane Forum powerhouses converge on his place. Even @MJ DeMarco, who doesn't eat cheesecake, stops over to check out the spectacle.

More photos, as people devour the amazing exotic byproduct of a story that unfolded through the forum. They love it. They want more. They each individually start posting their own reviews. The thread takes an amazing turn as one by one they each endorse Eric's Cheesecakes.

And...

a brand is born.

All it cost him was four cheesecakes, a thank you card, and a bit of ingenuity. Epic. Does anyone watching debate this was a possible outcome? If ever given the chance, this is what you do.

 

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[JAJT]

Super Great Idea. But there is a very important part of the equation that you left out.
(I) am Eric's Cheesecake. There is no Eric's Cheesecake without Eric.
So unless you can produce a better cheesecake then me....
All l can say is "Bring It".

Sounds like you you've fallen into the trap of thinking you aren't replaceable.

Have you read E-Myth Revisited?
Because you REALLY need to.
Hell, I even think the MAIN case study in that book is a bakery.

Look, here's the bottom line - if you aren't replaceable, this is the math:

E = Number of employees making cheesecakes (just you, so "1")
C = Cheesecake output per person
P = Profit per cheesecake

Your equation:

E x C x P = your total earning potential

That's it.
That's the entire math equation.
Cheesecakes you can make times profit per unit.
Done.

The problem:

- "E" is a scaling variable, and it's capped right now at "1"
- "C" is capped by hours in a day
- "P" is capped by market forces

Now, let's say you E-Myth this thing and accept that you are replaceable.

Well, now the equation changes, significantly:

- You can hire/train 10 people to do the cheesecake making, making "E" whatever number you need it to be. You can even franchise it. Scaling becomes possible.
- You can use a machine set to automate aspects of the cheesecake making, which turns "C" into whatever number you need it to be. Scaling becomes possible.

None of is this is possible if you aren't replaceable.

Nobody is saying you have to stop creating great recipes or remove yourself from a business you love - but if you aren't willing to take a step back and find ways to systematize your business, you are going to be capped at the depressingly low equation above.

This is literally "Fastlane 101". You need either scale or magnitude. So either sell a 10 million dollar cheesecake, or find a way to scale the cheesecake output. And you can't do that if you are the one in the kitchen 100% of the time.

 

[Bekit]

Over time, I have read every page of this thread.
TL;DR summary:

Ericito: I have great cheesecake, but I can't grow my business because [obstacle].

Forum members: Eric thinks this is an obstacle, but it's not. Let's try to show him why it's not.

Ericito: I still can't grow my business because [obstacle].

Forum: Let's be really encouraging. Let's cheer Eric on, and try to get him to see the light.

Ericito: I still can't grow my business because [obstacle].

Forum: [practically throwing obstacle-busting reasons at Eric with the utmost persistence and kindness]

Ericito: I still can't grow my business because [obstacle].

Forum: *scratches head* I think Eric really, truly doesn't see that the only obstacle is his mindset.

Ericito: It's not my mindset. I believe in my cheesecake. I know it's great. I just can't grow my business because [obstacle].

Forum: *rubs chin* It's kind of like a blindness. I don't know if we can get him to see it. We've been trying to shake him by the shoulders for a while now...

Ericito: Y'all just don't get that I can't grow my business because [obstacle].

Forum: *shrugs shoulders* - Eric, when you finally see the light and experience your mindset shift, will you let us know? We want it to happen... we just can't do it for you.

Ericito: *sad and disappointed with the forum*

Forum: *sad and disappointed with Ericito*

Bystanders: Silently correcting their own mindset issues that are being exposed by the amazing coaching and advice that has been handed out so freely by the forum.

=================
Eric, I'm really sorry for the way that this thread has turned out, and I wish you all the best in your cheesecake business. I can tell that you care about your quality, your customers, and your recipe. My sincerest hope for you is that one day, you will truly experience an epiphany, a mindset shift, where it's as if the scales fall from your eyes and you can see what the forum has been saying to you. When that happens, it will set you free from all the blockages and obstacles that are currently holding you back. I hope that one day, you can read back through this thread and see every page in a brand-new light, and that all the advice that has been given will begin to be something you can take action on. Sincerest kind wishes to you.

 

[Philip Marlowe]

Are you asking US if it's a waste of time? You're the cheesecake expert. Have you done any research?

This took 30 seconds: Locate your competition. You can buy cheesecakes on Amazon shipped to your house (Read the reviews and Q&A - lots of helpful hints for you), for example: "Yes. We ask that someone be available at the delivery location to accept the package at the time of delivery. This cheese cake ships frozen in a cooler with dry ice to ensure it arrives in good condition. " (To MJ's point - just like Omaha Steaks)

Question is, can you differentiate yourself and is there a market for high end cheesecake (when a Sara Lee frozen cake is $5). I'd imagine you'd first need to establish some kind of a following, get on a show or something. If your cakes are "pretty" then a place like Pinterest might be great for you.

I think about 20 minutes on Google reviewing your competition on Amazon, Jet, etc will tell you what you need to know...

 

[biophase]

To me it’s pretty clear that Eric doesn’t want to expand. Or he doesn’t want it as badly as some of you.

If I’m wrong Eric, I’ve got a story for you. I have a friend that makes the best burgers in the country, we are talking a 20 minute wait line outside the door every day. I met him 20 years ago.

15 years ago my friend and I tried to get him to expand. I’m fact we were going to open his second location in AZ. I even had the location picked out in Glendale, AZ by the stadium. Just think I could be in the burger business instead of e-commerce now.

He had the same limiting beliefs as you. My burger joint never materialized. 10 later, his competitor that expanded sold for a billion. Yes, one billion. My friend still has the same single restaurant.

Believe me, I was on him for 10 years to expand... I gave up.

 

[Ericito]

Good Morning All - 8-26-17
Today l am launching my game changing items.
Some may have seen this already and State Fairs and annual events. But now on a regular daily basis.
These are going to change the game and hopefully write a new chapter.
Erics Cheesecakes Presents:
Cheesecake on a Stick and Cheesecake Pops.
I will be launching today as a street sale and Mimis Pizza in Burlington NC from 1-3 with a limited supply of both.

This is what l been working on the last month, and was inspired by this group and personally by Ravens_Shadow.
So here they are. All comment are welcome.
Thanks you for everything and all the inspiration.

 

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[ZCP]

$150 if I have a NY style on my desk by close of business on Tuesday 9/5/2017.....

 

[Ericito]

 

[ZCP]

Wow...You judge me as if l have never tried.

I judge you because you quit. If it was important, you would find a way.

Disservice would mean that l never gave it a shot.
Disservice would mean that l expect things to happen without putting in the work.
Disservice would mean that l have everything to make it happen, and did not make it happen.
Disservice would mean that l given up and thrown in the towel, because of the law.

Disservice in that you are withholding your excellent product from others due to your inability to see around a small pebble placed in your way.

I can't help the fact im not fortunate to have the proper resources to make a life long dream come true.

Yes you can. You can 'choose' to find the proper resources and overcome the obstacles.

I have been open minded about this for years.

Reread B.Cole's post and explain how you reach this conclusion.

But as l mentioned earlier, if you dont matter how good your are, if you dont have the capital to make it happen, then its not going to happen.

Get the capital.

Every person has a situation unique to themselves.

Or so they think....

But for you to judge me and call me close minded and limited is absolutely wrong.

Take a piece of paper. Draw one line down the middle. Reread this thread. On the left, write down things you were open minded about. On the right, write down things you were closed minded about. Post a pic of the paper.

I have not quit on making my product. If that only means small change for me, then so be it.

A disservice for those that haven't gotten to try your product. Due to you giving up.

I am very good at what l do, and l will never ever let anyone or any law destroy my passion.

You just did.

It is what it is.

Thus me posting the parable of my efforts.

Eric, you quit. You gave up. You made a mountain out of a molehill. It wasn't important to you. You made no change to make it so.

It really sucks.

Your cheesecake was awesome. No one will ever know because you are scared and too ignorant to ask for help and follow through on that help.

For all coming behind, reading this years from now ..... if any of this made a difference to you, got you to see things from a different perspective, got you to realize that YOU were the problem in your business.. could you DM me and let me know? Maybe some seed caught the wind and blew across the poor soil and landed somewhere with a little light, a little water, and a chance to grow.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Ericto said "and they have no idea of the struggles."

Naw, none of us here know the struggles because we all started our businesses with millions of dollars in the bank and an army of mentors behind us! None of us started our business with a second job and a boatload of debt!! We don't know the struggles! Those damn forum people got it good!

 

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[Kak]

View attachment 24207

Super Great Idea. But there is a very important part of the equation that you left out.
(I) am Eric's Cheesecake. There is no Eric's Cheesecake without Eric.
So unless you can produce a better cheesecake then me....
All l can say is "Bring It".

The McDonalds’ (the original proprietors) got converted from two brothers, into a mascot clown.

Not saying we are going to do that to you... But we could hahaha.

 

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[Ravens_Shadow]

MJ has some great content in here to reference for his next book, if he's writing one.

I'm so far past bewilderment and being flabbergasted that I don't even have a word for how confused I am. The amount of mental blocks that you have had for years and continue to have, despite people giving you a solid roadmap to success, confuses me beyond words. Most people don't have the luxury of people laying out a business plan for them to follow.

@Vigilante kicked my a$$ back in 2013 and instead of feeling attacked, I felt angry at myself, but blessed that someone that I had never met at that time, cared so much about my success.

Vigilante:
"Classic action fake. You get no shoulder to cry on from me. Some people have "it" and some people don't.

You know what I see in the Raven's Shadow? Death.

So welcome to your 2014. Want to know what your 2014 looks like? Take a look at your 2013. Look in the mirror.

Take everything you learned and stick it on the shelf. Tell yourself that some day you will break free of the chains that bind you.
Then go back to your xBox.

Do I think you can make it? Yes. Will you? That chapter has yet to be written.

Good luck, kid. I was once like you. It ends in some random cubicle working for someone else. That's my past. That's your future.

Let your INSIDERS subscription expire. You're wasting your money at this point and our time.

Some day, I hope to see your name in lights. Not today. Today you're still eating from your parents refrigerator.

You called this a self improvement thread. Are you going to let the world just happen to you?

Come on, man. Pull your head out of your a$$."


Everyone here cares about your success Eric.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I had to Google that word productocracy before l could reply.

You might not find anything as it is a new term in my book UNSCRIPTED .

Productocracy: A valued product/service that pulls versus pushes due to a differentiated and superior value proposition. As such, the product is so good the company grows by virtue of word of mouth, recommendations, and shares. 1+1 = 3. Advertising for a productocracy is an accelerant whereas in a non-productocracy advertising is the fire. A productocracy grows even if it doesn't advertise.

The true test of a productocracy is the existence of gravitons -- instances of customers going outside of normal consumer behavior with respect to your product. "I just drove an hour to buy 1 of your cheesecakes." "OMG, just had the best cheesecake EVER!" <-- posted on instagram, etc.

 

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[Ravens_Shadow]

Just got done meeting up with @Ericito and getting my NY Style Plain Cheese Cake from him.

Holy shit that thing is amazing. He can definitely bake a good cheese cake. Every thing from the texture to the flavor is off the charts good.

I talked with him for a while, gave him a few ideas, and I'm certain he'll pull through and succeed in his ventures.

Excellent work! Now to let the rest of the world try it

Rep+

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Just so people understand the NOTABLE tag and why this is NOTABLE...

It is classic case of what not to do, a classic case of mentality of getting in the way of success...

If you're familiar with the survivor bias, you succeed by studying failures.

The failures have more teachable moments in the them then do the successes. This, at the moment, is a failure to go beyond a hobby baker and I think it demonstrates the hows and whys people never can break out of their mental obstacles. It's not NOTABLE because it demonstrates some legendary success story or breakthrough, but the exact opposite. There's some great lessons here and its a reminder that failure has its value.

 

[Ericito]

Hello,
Im Eric from Eric's Cheesecakes in NC. Its a home business bakery. Just want to get ideas on how to expand or grow my business or is it even a good idea to try to expand a food type business. I do have an amazing cheesecake, as l have been told. But in my situation, it cant go anywhere, even though l have a good customer base, its only local. So l just need information on how grow it, or is it a waste of time.
Thank You

 

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[ZCP]

Package Arrived!


Opened the box:

Carefully cut the top holding the top on:

Dug in to find the cheesecake:

Pulled the cheesecake out, it slipped in the bag it was in:


Opened it up:

 

[ZCP]

.... did you do the customer (me) a favor by shipping them (me) a cheesecake?
This is a little confusing to me. If you are fulfilling the customer's need / solving their problem. Isn't that providing value? And, don't you the customer to feel as if you are doing them a favor. Then this is customer based... right?

If you are customer centric, you see it as an opportunity to solve a problem for a client. You don't bring it up that you are going out of your way. You thank them for the opportunity and make sure their experience was first rate. You focus on them, not 'I'.

Eric's correspondence to me continually brought up his side of things and made it seem as if I was making him go out of his way. As a customer, I was made to feel as if I did something wrong and this was a great imposition. ..... It was like I was in one of those snooty restaurants that tries to make you feel like you should be honored just to get to eat there instead of they should be honored to get my business..... Anytime you make the client feel bad, they will eventually go somewhere else. [This is the main thing I am trying to get across to Eric.]

Provide really great service and move the world for your customer. Then charge them an arm and a leg and have them thank you for it. Be the hero and they will tell everyone they know. It all comes down to the words you choose and how you present things to the customer.

I hope @Ericito gets three things from this:
- make the customer feel important, welcomed, and appreciated
- plan for things beyond your control
- you can find a way if you put your mind to it

 

[B. Cole]

Naw, none of us here know the struggles because we all started our businesses with millions of dollars in the bank and an army of mentors behind us! None of us started our business with a second job and a boatload of debt!! We don't know the struggles! Those damn forum people got it good!

No shit.

Full time job and all the residuals from a slow lane mindset - fat mortgage, fat debt, big property to take care of, family and friends are all diehard side walkers. And I know that I have zero F*cking reasons that could justify a failure to succeed in my venture. I have it easy compared to some.

Go look at what @GPM is going through in his progress thread, amongst many others. Go look @Scot. Yup, we’re special.

Let us explore with the blue portions of our minds for a moment-

Cheesecake vids, akin to the vids of Almazan Kitchen, with great editing, exaggerated sound, sped up parts and slow motion drama would be absolute XXX foodporn. It would give people involuntary hot flashes knowing they could get one. Imagine the cheesecake featured in the latest video, the extreme high end of custom confectionary, is a birthday cheesecake for Mark Cuban or Richard Branson, from the Gordon Ramsay of cheesecakes. A boutique cheesecake chain, positioned in cities like Vegas, New York, Los Angeles.

But nope.

Instead, we’ve got the “artisans and master craftsmen dont make good business people” stereotype playing out in 4K. Anticipation grows into angst as the symphony lights grow dim, the composer fades into the darkness, and disappointment sets in - you never played our favorite song.

Eric, I’m going to find you on the way to Asheboro on Monday, kick you in the penis and take a cheesecake.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

However, when you come from nothing and you have to build everything from scratch, because nothing is given to you.

Another strawman excuse you can beat down. Most of us here are in the same predicament. I've come from nothing and had to build everything from scratch because nothing was given to me. I didn't let it stop me.

I'm guessing 99% of the forum who is trying to start something is in the same straits -- coming from nothing and with nothing given.

Quit making yourself out to be a special case, you're not.

Mostly everyone deals with the same shit -- how you deal with it is what separates the winners (the national brand) to the loser (I sold a cheesecake to my neighbor).

Not trying to be an a-hole, but just trying to bust through your limiting beliefs.

 

[ZCP]

Water can cut through rock given enough time.

Be patient and keep bumping this thread.

At some point either something will click for @Ericito or someone will drive down there with money and show him how to do this.

In the meantime, we are helping a lot of people see how the psychology of the owner is the only thing that really matters in the success of a business.

This thread has helped several of my businesses. Let it help yours.

 

[ZCP]

if we could buy out @Ericito and have @Timmy1990 cooking with @Johnny boy selling and @Kak advising, this would be a $2B business.......... who is in?

 

[MJ DeMarco]

See, I can't stay away from this thread...

It seems to me that your biggest obstacle right now is that you don't have a physical location. Like, if I lived in your area and wanted a cheesecake, how would I get one? Here's an idea: Maybe you could find a local coffee shop (not a national chain, but a true local one) and partner with them. You could, for example, pay them $100 a month to be willing to take orders for your cheesecakes, and then pay them a commission for every cheesecake ordered. (Like, maybe you'd have an order sheet.)

This could go two ways. You could either have some cheesecakes stored there (like frozen, which means you'd probably have to supply your own freezer), or you could have the cheesecakes available for a special order. "Pre-made or frozen cheesecakes? Bah! We make the cheesecake fresh and delicious just for YOU." This way, you could justify a 72-hour turnaround or something like that. Under this scenario, you'd deliver the completed cheesecakes to the coffee shop for pickup.

My mom owns a coffee shop in an economically challenged area. She'd probably jump at the chance to make an extra $100 a month plus commission for taking cheesecake orders. Plus, if you did this out of a coffee shop, you could maybe work something out where the cheesecake is also sold by the slice to go with coffee. This would be a great way to let local people sample your cheesecake without buying a whole cake.

A lot of rambling thoughts above, but I figured I'd throw that out there for what it's worth. I hope you'll keep us posted!

Great idea.

the DPA regulations makes it complicated for that to happen

Stop looking at this as barrier -- it is an obstacle to just overcome. And once you overcome it, it becomes YOUR entry barrier to prevent others (like yourself) from entering the space.

Problems to solve is in essence, entrepreneurship. You don't quit or stop scaling because of one obstacle. Solve it. Lots of folks here have given you some great advice.

And thank you for the thread -- has turned into some great stuff. Marked NOTABLE and moved to concept feedback.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

the UDSA is the problem

You can't be an entrepreneur without the necessity to solve problems. We are in the business of solving problems.

You can't become a swimmer until you jump in the water.

 

[Scot]

Please don't make a cheesecake app. Just make cheesecakes and sell them.

 

[AgainstAllOdds]

@Ericito You're doing a great job of taking feedback and improving. Great job. I know this thread can be tough on you sometimes, but keep it up.

 

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[Philip Marlowe]

Gaussian blur on the globe background, 58% drop shadow on the yellow text with Distance set to 0px. Possibly get a simplified illustration of the cheesecakes behind the city so as to not compete visually with other images in your background. Same drop shadow effect on the city so it pushes the vector image off the page.

Every so often someone posts here and reminds me why I hire professionals for certain tasks. You might as well be speaking another language!

Certainly kept me busy on Google for a few minutes.

Me at next douchey Cocktail Party: "I love this photo, but it could really benefit from a Gaussian blur to soften the edges." [Lifts pinky as I drink]