Running an Artisan Food or Drink Business — Living the Dream?
Running your very own artisan food or drink business, it’s a dream come true, right?
Using your creativity and empathy for ingredients to make delicious things that people want to give you money for; it’s thrilling and humbling.
Being your own boss, walking away from the drudge of the nine-to-five, actually being in control of your own destiny; it’s scary and sobering.
But … It’s so easy to lose sight of your initial motivations because, once you’re up and running with your food or drink business, often the challenges and problems you face get in the way of your dream.
The Reality of Running an Artisan Food or Drink Business
Consider the following real-life quotes.
Do any of these ring a bell with you? If so, you’re not alone.
Hello, I’m Catherine Moran, founder of My Artisan Business. Previously, I was an award-winning artisan food producer and currently, I’m a specialist food and drink copywriter and podcaster. Artisan food and drink is my thing.
I remember vividly the excitement but also the frustrations and struggles I had when running my own artisan food business. I made chilled, ultra-seasonal desserts. I had successes but made plenty of mistakes along the way.
Making Mistakes — Are There Better Ways to Learn?
I took the view that making mistakes in business was inevitable, especially for a rookie like me. I went along with the accepted view that making mistakes was OK as long as you learned from them. However, as time went on, it became increasingly clear that mistakes were not only costly but time-consuming. Mistakes throw you off course and impede your progress.
Having help and advice from someone who had done it all before, an experienced food or drink producer would have been useful. Someone, in other words, who knew the ropes of artisan business and who had learned the hard way. What I’m talking about here is the hard-won insight that experience brings.
And this brings me to my goal for My Artisan Business. With it I am setting out to create an online knowledge resource for artisan food and drink producers just like you. This resource will help you run a smarter, leaner, more profitable business.
In a nutshell, My Artisan Business will harness the collective intelligence of producers and other experts in the artisan food and drink business world.
‘But how?’, I hear you ask.
Quite simply, by tapping in to the wisdom of the crowd.
How My Artisan Business Works
Each week I will interview an artisan food or drink producer and publish our conversation on my new audio podcast The Artisan Food & Drink Business Show. I publish the show on this website, so you can listen to it here (for free). Alternatively, you can subscribe (for free) and listen to the show on iTunes or Stitcher.
The show will feature producers who are working from home as well as established producers cooking or brewing in a production unit. Listening to how other producers are making a go of it will provide you with valuable insights that you can use to grow your own business.
The show is educational, inspirational and fun. We’ll talk about:
- where producers have come from and where they’re going
- what worked and what didn’t
- what producers have learned the hard way
- what they’d do differently if they had their time again
- how producers are building their brand
- different strategies for getting sales
- tips for people thinking of setting up their own food or drink business
The show also features other food and drink industry professionals like food and drink buyers, food and drink safety experts, food and drink marketers, food and drink PR specialists and small business strategists.
Tapping into the Intelligence, Experience and Wisdom of the Crowd
Based on my conversation with a producer or food and drink industry professional, each episode of the show will have its own set of show notes that I publish on this website. The show notes are a valuable resource that contain:
- business advice from seasoned pros
- downloadable guides
- downloadable checklists that will make you a smarter businessperson
There’ll be no fluff, just useful insights and actionable business tips that work.
Don’t Miss Episodes of the Show
Now that you know what The Artisan Food and Drink Business Show is about and how it might help you, make sure to sign up for my weekly email and I’ll let you know when each new episode of the show is released.
If you would like to feature on The Artisan Food & Drink Business Show, contact me any time.
Thank you!
Catherine Moran