Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Hi everyone,

This seems like such a positive and supportive online community, I thought I would join!

I have recently embarked on my entrepreneurial journey, deciding that I want to make and market baby food made from organic, locally grown produce. The idea has generated a lot of publicity, with a couple of local newspaper stories and the like, which is exciting, but I'm also feeling a bit overwhelmed.

I guess the reason for this post is, I want to see if others who have started home-based businesses (marketing a product, rather than a service) have been able to be profitable? The deeper I get into it, the more I feel like I'm in over my head. Is it possible to be a one-person operation in this type of business and make money? I don't need to be rich, but I'm not trying to make this an expensive hobby, either. It needs to be sustainable, and provide at least a little income. Is this even possible? I mean, with marketing, rent, packaging, insurance, and all the overhead fees? I feel like production would have to be in the hundreds of thousands of units per month, and obviously, one person can't do that by themselves.

I'd love to hear success stories from others in similar situations. Or tips on how to be more efficient. What are your recommendations and advice? Thanks so much!

Hi Daniela,

I also work from home and can completely relate to the challenges.  I have to businesses a service based one (web design) and a product based one (a book).  However, my husbands aunt has her own business where she bakes and sells gluten free food.

First off to create a decent profit from the type of business your in (one that requires you to make your product on an on going basis each time an order is placed) you need to not only factor in the cost of your supplies but you also need to factor in your time that it takes you to create a jar of baby food.  Now I know that this will probably make your jar of baby food more expensive than any ordinary baby food you can pick up at a store but that's okay.  First of all people are becoming more aware that organic food will cost more than non organic.  This is also where it is important to have a strong marketing plan.  A good marketing strategy will help you justify the cost of your baby food to your customers.  To charge more you need to be able to effectively inform your customers as to what makes your product different from any other ordinary type of baby food.  For example is it a special kind of ingredient, are you packaging it in eco friendly material...ect.

The other important thing to do is stream line your business.  You need to create an assembly line and plan out the most efficient way to create the most amount of baby food in the shortest amount of time.  This process may take some trial and error in the beginning.  Also let's say you offer 20 different varieties of baby food...in the beginning when it's just you, you may want to only offer only certain foods one week.  Example this week you only offer peas, carrots, pears, apples, and bananas, then next week something different.  By starting out only offering certain items each week, you will at most only have to make five different recipes versus offering all of your items at anytime which will take you much longer to create.

Hi there... I've just joined today and I'm still exploring the community here.  Yes, working at home can be truly overwhelming, especially when the boundary between your personal and work life is so easy to cross.  It really takes passion, determination and discipline to help you manage it all.  Outsourcing some of the mundane tasks you do can help you minimize the clutter ( not to mention the cost of hiring an in-house staff ).  The biggest challenge for me is taking care of myself in times when deadlines are up to my neck.  Since you're working at home, you can easily forget stuff like exercising, eating healthy and so on...  Nice to meet you here anyway. 

Hi Daniela,

Feeling overwhelmed when starting a business is very normal, after all you are taking a huge step. However if you implement certain things before you you dive into the business it can help subdue the feeling somewhat.

I would recommend writing down the reasons you want to start the business, seeing it on paper can have a strong effect on you and help you push through some of the hardships in order to reach your goal.

Another important factor before starting your business is to do tremendous amounts of research into the industry you are going into. Knowledge is power, read up on how to be an entrepreneur, how to mange a business, how to keep your head afloat when so much is going on. There is lot's of information out there, because there are tons of people in the same boat as you. Nothing comes easy and with the right amount of perseverance you will succeed. Most importantly always believe in what you are doing, that'll give you tremendous amounts of strength.

Best of luck!

Hi Daniela,

You've already received a lot of good advice here... I'll just throw this in too...

It sounds like you've made up your mind that this isn't a hobby but rather a business in which any business needs a plan. I would suggest sitting down and coming up with the dollar amount that you want this business to create for you.

Then work backwards and come up with a plan as to how you can achieve those results (ex. 2000 jars of baby food per month=my desired monthly income). Once you have that number you can decide whether or not it's feasible for you to be able to reach that goal.

-Duston

Hi everyone- thanks so much for the encouragement and the great tips. I definitely agree, I need concrete financial goals and a coherent business plan. It's just coming along very slowly, and I have to be ok with that.

I've started meeting with a business consultant who provides me with a lot of ideas, encouragement, and inspiration as well. I just need to keep my goals in mind and think positive- already feeling more confident. thanks!

Daniela,

You are doing very well. I am glad to see you are working on a business plan. There are some businesses that you can jump right into and make them work without a plan; but any business where you are producing a product requires careful planning and a real grasp of the numbers.

Information is your best resource and usually the hardest to get when planning a business. A competent business consultant is worth their weight in gold.

I love your product and know you will do well.