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FE VOLUME 24
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Food Entrepreneur eZine
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By Food Entrepreneurs For Food Entrepreneurs
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Volume 24, December 2007
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PART I. Specialty Food Business Planning
PART II. Good Advice From a Successful Food Entrepreneuer
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PART I - Need help with your business plan? I have been guiding specialty food entrepreneurs in preparing effective strategic business plans for the past twenty years.
As the saying goes: "To fail to plan is to plan to fail." You will need a thorough busisness plan if you expect to attract investors. I can help. Contact me for specifics and fees.
PART II - BE COURAGEOUS, FOCUSED AND FOLLOW YOUR DREAM
The following is offered by Food Product Business Development Consultant Teddi McMillen, author of Nirvana in a Cup that highlights her success as a co-founder of Oregon Chai.
"As a consultant to people bringing new food products to market, I have been privy to a lot of new ideas. Some made it to market, some are still brewing. Most importantly, each person I've met has had a passion for their creation. It is always exciting when they share their enthusiasm and their vision with me.
Once however, I overheard a professional say to a budding entrepreneur, "Who needs another brownie?" Excuse me? Who does this professional think they are? This was a real blow to someone looking for help with what they felt was a viable, yummy new dessert they had created. What gives someone the right to tell other people what to do? It is not the place for anyone to tell you to give up on your dream, no matter the reason."
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Our Discussion Forum is your means of connecting with other specialty food entrepreneurs. Anyone interested in asking questions and getting answers about specialty food marketing is invited to click through. FE responds to all inquiries. <>
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Quick Links...
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Dear Steve,
Welcome to Food Entrepreneur eZine (FE), and please see my invitation, below, to contribute to the 5th edtion of From Kitchen to Market.
With more than 12,000 new food products each year, of which 3,000 or so might be characterized as specialty foods, FE maintains that if you have a pulse and are in business after seven years, then you are probably successful.
Would you like to be an FE contributor? Topics are welcomed that impact almost any aspect of specialty food marketing. We will be happy to help.
Does FE help you? Please let me know what you think we should do to improve the interest, ease and utility of our eZine. We invite and welcome your comments. Let's work together to learn ways of succeeding in specialty food marketing. Stay tuned...
Wishing you great profits and Compliments of the Season!
Steve
Stephen F. Hall
Author, From Kitchen to Market
Editor, Food Entrepreneur eZine
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· NOTES AND COMMENT:
Make History - Contribute to the 5th Edition of "From Kitchen to Market"
Industry Events Calendar [From The Gourmet Retailer Magazine]
Website Popularity [A Useful Tool]
People's Food Movement [Novel Marketing Process]
Strategic Planning [Recommended Agenda]
Latest Mini-Survey ["Life Before Specialty Food Marketing?"]
FE Contributor Listing [Names and Contact Info]
Organic Conference [Jan 2008]
Future Articles [Suggestions?]
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1. Want to be a part of specialty food marketing history? Please let me know what you would like to see changed, added or deleted in our next (5th) edition of "From Kitchen to Market - Selling Your Gourmet Food Specialty." All ideas will be considered, but please let me know by the first of the New Year.
2. The Gourmet Retailer Magazine has launched an interactive Industry Events Calendar on its Web site. This new technology allows users to download calendar information into their Outlook or other electronic calendar system, send friends calendar listings, and plan e-mail reminders for events. Industry event planners are also provided a window for submissions, that can also include featured event highlights, images and Web links. Editors have loaded sample listings from calendar information on file. Event coordinators are welcome to resubmit any information they desire by visiting.
4. The People's Food Movement is alive and well at www.peoplesfoodmovement.com. Run by Dave's Gourmet founder Dave Hirschkop in San Francisco, it is an interesting take on getting new and innovative specialty foods to the market. Let us know what you think of it!
5. Strategic Planning at a glance. Have a look at the winning Strategic Planning Workshop/Retreat Agenda I use. And contact me to learn how we can implement it in your firm.
6. Take our mini-surveys and submit questions for future surveys and articles for publication in FE. Current survey is about "life before specialty food marketing." What did you do before you got the urge to market specialty foods?
8. Here's one for you organic foodies: The opportunity to be a vendor at an Organic Food and Yoga Conference January 2008 in Sun City, Arizona. For more information:
9. Future articles from Teddi McMillen:
- "Getting Started - What's Your Shelf-life?"
- "Testing and Tasting - How to Evaluate Your Product"
- "Making Your Product or Hiring a Co-Packer"
Email Steve@specialtyfoodresource.com to let us know what other areas you would like to have addressed.
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· All About Food Labels - Guidance on making "Omega-3 Nutrient Content Claims," and more.
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Food Consulting Company's Karen Duester includes the following topics in the latest edition of Food Label News:
Reader Q & A: "Does nutritional labeling have to be printed in black?"
Table of Contents:
· FDA Takes Public Step to Revise Nutrition Labels
· Proposed Rule to Prohibit Omega-3 Nutrient Content Claims
· Update on Food Labels Qualified Health Claims
· At Your Service: Label Help for Reformulated Products
Readers of Food Label News can submit their food label questions free of charge for possible publication in the Q & A Section of Food Label News.
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· Specialty Food Resources - Go to Resources and Select "Trade Shows/Services"
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Your specialtyfoodresource.com site now has a SEARCH feature. You may now go right to the "find" section and look for information on our entire site. Feel free to let me know if you see anything that needs changing.
When you click on the Trade Shows/Services tab, you will see the following new entry:
2nd Annual Food Technology & Innovation Forum
May 1, 2008 & May 2, 2008
Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center, Chicago
http://www.thefoodsummit.com/
Shaping the future of the food industry
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· This Month's Specialty Food Company Web Site: Ambrosia Mountain
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Here is the web site for Ambrosia Mountain, producers of highly regarded gourmet seasonings that elevate your senses of taste through combinations of flavor - both subtle and bold; of smell through the most tantalizing of aromas; and of sight through earthy colors and textures.
It's design might be of interest. Can you learn anything from the site?
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· The 4th Edition of "From Kitchen to Market" is Classic!
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"From Kitchen to Market is the best book about the U.S. specialty food field, and there is a great need you have so very well covered!" - Ted Koryn, U.S. specialty food industry pioneer.
The only book of its kind that outlines every food marketing opportunity and then supports entrepreneurial action with detailed guidance.
FAN MAIL: "I found your book to be very Informative and feel that it is going be very helpful to me."- Kimberly Shaw
Other good books for small business management can be seen at Kaplan Publishing's web site: www.kaplan.com
Discount price: $19.11 [Cover Price is $28.95]
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· Build and Manage Your Own Website!
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Sell your specialty food product online!
SnapMonkey is a place where you can go online and create your own website. You don't need to know anything about programming. If you can create a word document, you have the skills to create your own website.
With our easy-to-use shopping cart, you can easily sell your products online. Try our 10 day NO-COST trial. If you like it, it is only $49 to activate, and $29.95/month. Give it a try.
How is your website? Here is a first class web analysis service. We can research your market and prepare a plan. For more information, see this site.
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· A New eBook About How Powerful Online Communities Can Promote Your Business
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Why Buy It?
Reason One: According to an iProspect study, 1 in 3 Internet users are searching online communities, reading what other people have written, and making a buying decision based on what they have read.
Reason Two: Statistics show that 70% of people research online before making a purchasing decision. (And that includes local service businesses).
Reason Three: You will learn from experts who have PERSONAL EXPERIENCE and who have successfully market their businesses in these online communities. And, these experts are going to share their strategies with you!
Try it out. If it doesn't do everything the author says and more, if you don't save money, time and frustration, if it isn't life-changing, if it doesn't work for you, you have nothing to worry about because you can get every dime of your money back under our no- loopholes guarantee. So you have nothing to lose and everything to gain
Cost: $47.00 [Cover price is $79.00]
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Specialty Food Resource.com, LLC | 10001 North 77th Place | Scottsdale | AZ | 85258
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