So having too much time with no movement at all, many projects started and none with any real movement in them, and just being sick with my life and myself, I decided to do something I haven’t done before. START! And I mean really start.
I have a product, its mustard sauce. It’s really good. There is nothing on the market like it. So the only ways to know if it’s any good, let people try it. I gave out about 10 jars in November. I gathered all the feedback I could, it was used at parties for the holidays and it came back with great reviews.
That went well. But that was November. That’s as far as any of my project usually make it. And I stalled for the entire month of December. I had people asking to by my mustard and I was doing nothing about it. I looked into the laws, and saw that it would be hard to do it legal, so I panicked. I did nothing.
But then someone said something to me. Nothing original, but it still is profound. “Why don’t you just make some and bring it into the office and sell it.†That’s it. I asked myself why not? So I did. My goal was to get some in before Christmas, and I made 22 jars of it and brought it in. I sold out. I sold out in 1 day. That’s a success! But that is not a stopping point!
The next thing was to look at the local laws and regulations again. I am in the US, and I am in California (we regulate everything to death!), but a new law was going to go into effect Jan 1 that would allow me to produce mustard in my home kitchen legally with only some minor restrictions! I applied for the permit under this new law on Jan 2. I have been pushing through the permit process hard up until last week; I made it through all the environmental health regulations and only have the planning department to go. Then I can sell in stores or anywhere else I want (though there are some restrictions, one is a big one, but its regional permit and not sales permit for the state).
I made a second batch of 56 jars 2 weeks ago and have sold half of it to the same people! I have sold 50 jars so far to the same 50 people in less than 1 month.
But that is where I have been, and that doesn’t help me.
My goal is to be in the local grocery store by the end of February month, in order to do that I have to:
-- get my permit finalized
-- site map
-- planning paper work
-- get labels printed
-- find a new 8 oz jar
-- talk to the grocery store
-- get insurance
The next stage is the long term goals:
I want to outgrow the permit I am working on finalizing. It has a $35k gross income limit to is per year. So I want to use this permit to test the larger market and pay the expenses to get the state sales permit (or federal, I have not researched this too much), with should be $6-9k including the professional kitchen.
Update the website to sell online (again the local permit restricts this, yah food…)
Talk to some restaurants to use my mustard sauce.
Get into a grocery chain.
Automate (outsource) the labor.
Create a second flavor.
I am posting on here so that I have put this all in writing and out for others to help me stay accountable and to help me achieve my goals.
Will you help me?
I have a product, its mustard sauce. It’s really good. There is nothing on the market like it. So the only ways to know if it’s any good, let people try it. I gave out about 10 jars in November. I gathered all the feedback I could, it was used at parties for the holidays and it came back with great reviews.
That went well. But that was November. That’s as far as any of my project usually make it. And I stalled for the entire month of December. I had people asking to by my mustard and I was doing nothing about it. I looked into the laws, and saw that it would be hard to do it legal, so I panicked. I did nothing.
But then someone said something to me. Nothing original, but it still is profound. “Why don’t you just make some and bring it into the office and sell it.†That’s it. I asked myself why not? So I did. My goal was to get some in before Christmas, and I made 22 jars of it and brought it in. I sold out. I sold out in 1 day. That’s a success! But that is not a stopping point!
The next thing was to look at the local laws and regulations again. I am in the US, and I am in California (we regulate everything to death!), but a new law was going to go into effect Jan 1 that would allow me to produce mustard in my home kitchen legally with only some minor restrictions! I applied for the permit under this new law on Jan 2. I have been pushing through the permit process hard up until last week; I made it through all the environmental health regulations and only have the planning department to go. Then I can sell in stores or anywhere else I want (though there are some restrictions, one is a big one, but its regional permit and not sales permit for the state).
I made a second batch of 56 jars 2 weeks ago and have sold half of it to the same people! I have sold 50 jars so far to the same 50 people in less than 1 month.
But that is where I have been, and that doesn’t help me.
My goal is to be in the local grocery store by the end of February month, in order to do that I have to:
-- get my permit finalized
-- site map
-- planning paper work
-- get labels printed
-- find a new 8 oz jar
-- talk to the grocery store
-- get insurance
The next stage is the long term goals:
I want to outgrow the permit I am working on finalizing. It has a $35k gross income limit to is per year. So I want to use this permit to test the larger market and pay the expenses to get the state sales permit (or federal, I have not researched this too much), with should be $6-9k including the professional kitchen.
Update the website to sell online (again the local permit restricts this, yah food…)
Talk to some restaurants to use my mustard sauce.
Get into a grocery chain.
Automate (outsource) the labor.
Create a second flavor.
I am posting on here so that I have put this all in writing and out for others to help me stay accountable and to help me achieve my goals.
Will you help me?
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