Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

A preliminary list of tasks is in the original thread. Do you see any that should be added?

Are you interested in participating in this business? What skills do you bring to the table?



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Steve,

I would like to be involved in this business venture on some level. I have interests and skills listed on my profile, but I will mention here the ones that pertain to how I`d like to participate in this project:

Market research (I am a thorough and resourceful researcher)

Food enthusiast (I didn`t list this in my profile, mainly because I was thinking of it as pertaining to restaurants or catering businesses, which I wouldn`t choose as a career; but I am a connoissseur of specialty food products and gourmet-type products, and I am a home chef/baker for my own personal entertaining)

Branding (I have a knack for tasks related to branding and creating a cohesive style for a niche market)

Marketing & promotion (I`m adept at creating marketing tools, identifying potential markets, and finding practical yet innovative ways to introduce product information to potential customers)

Product packaging (I have artistic skills, formal education, and experience in the areas of graphic/visual arts and industrial/commercial design)

Denise

Denise, that sounds great. Your strengths (research, branding, marketing, packaging, etc.) are in many areas where I`m weak.

I`m excited about doing something exceptional here. Not just more of the same that`s out there. Gourmet sounds great!

Have you had a chance to check out the gluten-free selection at some stores near you? I`d be interested in what you see as glaring gaps in the offerings. Please respond using private message if you have any ideas.


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Congrats Steve. 

I`m not a Gluten Expert (even though I happily eat the stuff daily), but would love to offer my skills in any way I can.  Although not a marketer, I love details and research, so will help with this area if needed.   I also have some food ideas that I`ll PM you with.   I see this project as a learning experience for me, so I`m here for the team to mold me into the Gluten Free Creative Gal!

CG

I have just opened a thread to start collecting ideas and I will be compiling an internal list of those ideas for for future use and access.

Creative Gal says: Now people can put all their ideas in one place.  This will be a great place to discuss content for the E-Learning idea, Gluten Free product ideas, and services we can offer under Tiger Teams.

Calling All SUN members! What Would You Like to LEARN or TEACH today? Do You Have a Problem to Be Solved? We Want to Hear From You! http://www.startupnation.com/pages/community/forum_posts.asp ?TID=2969&PN=31

 

I`m going to be using my "over the holidays" time to do some market research for this project. Since I`ll be in two different localities (Tidewater area of Virginia and Columbus/Central area of Ohio), I`ll be able to check out a couple different markets.

I`ve done some online research to see what kinds of products are available on the internet. Next, I`m going to go into various stores and look for the types of gluten-free products currently being carried. (Has anyone else who is new to this food product area noticed how their awareness for gluten-free foods has been heighted from these discussions? All of a sudden I`m hearing mentions and seeing gluten-free food all over the place. One person I recently spoke with told me that in his church, plans were being developed to include the availability of gluten-free communion bread! Now, there`s a potential market that I bet you hadn`t considered, Steve.)

I`m also planning to purchase a few gluten-free products so that I can taste them (and rate them), and I might talk to store representatives and some consumers of these products (if I can locate some willing participants) and get some anecdotal information.

I`m going to make a list of all the gluten-free specialty products (by brand/manufacturer, and by food item) that I see in the stores I visit, and I`ll note the store names and locations where these products are carried. If I`m going to be doing research, I might as well document the information into usable facts and statistics. (CreativeGal, I see an opportunity here for you to collect this data and put it into some kind of spreadsheet or database, if we get other people to do similar research. You seem to have a proclivity for this type of activity.)

I`m mentioning all these details about my plans in hopes that others who are interested in participating might do similar research. I think that there are people who want to be involved, but they`re not sure what they can do or where to start. So here`s a doable idea that people can do, wherever they live. The wide geographic range of participants will be beneficial in this research. Plus, for those who may want to eventually open a business of their own, this low-tech method of doing marketing research will be a good experience.

Let`s go market researching!

Hey Denise: 

I`m on my way out to 2 specialty food stores in my area to pick up some gluten free products.   I`m planning a few gluten free meals so I can become more familiar with the tastes.  I have a test kitchen (NSF approved) so when the time comes I`ll be able to experiment with some recipes on this end and will ship out samples to other participants. 

Also, I`ve connected with a person who produces labels for gluten free food products.  His input will come in handy!

I`ve also located a local celiac group.  What do you guys think about putting together a group of people with celiac so we have an expert panel for input? Some of these people may also be able to whip up some experimental recipes for products.

I think its a great idea to have a panel to rely on.

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CEO of TextHub.com
What we do: "Connect you to your audience through their mobile devices at the right place, at the right time, with the right message."

I went to the website great taste gluten free cookies and was surprised.  Is this your public website?  I have built several websites and I suggest you find a template that is more appealing if you can do the work yourself.

My children are allergic to dairy.  We have been buying and consuming organic and alterniative foods for nearly 20 years.  The words on your webpage are welcoming for those needing special diets but I wanted out of the website immediately. I trade stocks daily.  I research the company first.  The company`s webiste gives me an immediate first impression.  If the owner can`t make effort to build a professional website then how are they going to convince me that they are doing well in all aspects of their business? I hope you see my remarks as constructive.

Katherine