How to Start a Salsa Business – What to Know

Ever wonder how you can get your salsa recipe into a grocery store? Aside from walking in and talking to a grocery manager, make sure you have these three things at the forefront of your new business!

How to Start a Salsa Business – What to Know
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Carlos_S_Parisi]Carlos S Parisi

So you have a recipe for salsa and you want to start a business around it? You have come to the right place to find out how. Over the next few months I will be posting the ins and outs of owning and managing a salsa company; anywhere from how to get into stores, how to market and how to expand your product line. Today I’ll be discussing the primary aspects of starting your salsa company and continuing to maintain your stellar reputation as you grow amongst (and ideally, surpass) your competitors. Remember that these points are in no way “salsa specific”, and can be applied to any venture that you are tackling across multiple industries.

Let it be known, the entrepreneurial path is not an easy one, and whether you are getting involved out of necessity or just as a hobby for your spare time, remember to treat your company as you would any corporate job.

There are three key points to running a business smoothly in its infancy stage and beyond. They are:

Impeccable customer service
Relentless dedication to creating the best product possible for the market
Building relationships and networking

I’m sure you have heard the phrase, “the customer is always right”, and while this isn’t always true, you have to understand that if you frustrate your customer, they are not coming back to buy from you again. Barring any fluff talk, the customer can be right or wrong, but you have to tell them their right or you’re going to lose money. As an early entrepreneur, do not get frustrated if you have to swallow your pride every once and a while, it builds character and more importantly, patience, which will allow you to make better calls in the years to come. To make your life easier in responding to issues, have your business number routed to your personal cell phone. You can answer questions whenever they arise from accounts and singular customers. The people that are buying from you want to know you are there for them. Depending on how much your product actually costs is actually not a major factor here. Whether you’re selling a $2 product or a $2,000 product, customers expect the same level service across the board, so always be on par.

One of my favorite quotes relative to the food industry came from the founder of the Dearborn Sausage Company, Victor Kosch. He said, “If you’re going to make something good, make it good every time”. When you’re in the food business, that’s exactly what you have to remember when producing your lines. Consistency is the leading necessity when scaling your items, even a recipe for salsa can have fluctuations in heat due to growing conditions of your peppers, so make sure that you are following best practices in your manufacturing process. Their will be mistakes, and that’s OK, the goal though is to make sure that when you do start selling 50,000+ units per month, that you have worked out all of the kinks in your product.

I really can’t stress enough how effective relationship building and more specially networking will play as you grow your food business. As you develop your accounts and the other ends of your company, you will become the face of everything you sell. While your packaging may have a little character on it, or a mascot, it really is you that is the face of the business. If people like you, then they will buy your product 9 times out of 10. Always have business cards in hand, no matter where you go. I admit, I’ll even take them to the gym, you never know when you’re going to run into someone that can help you. Networking though is a bit more fun and lax, and has more interpersonal relationship aspects to it. You go out and have a drink or grab a cup of coffee and get to know someone, not always for business, but more so to help you connect the dots with others as you grow your company. Entrepreneurs love talking to other entrepreneurs, boosting someone’s industry knowledge or helping a “newby” push their first sale through is an extremely gratifying feeling. Once you learn a few things, make sure you share your knowledge.

Don’t be afraid as you pursue your career within your business. Following these three key points will help you expand your accounts and meet new people that can help you and keep your customers happy through your years of growing your (salsa) business.

Carlos is a [http://arecipeforsalsa.com]Mexican ingredient expert, food entrepreneur, and the founder of the website A Recipe for Salsa (.com) His passion is helping others create one-of-a-kind [http://arecipeforsalsa.com]salsa recipes in their own kitchens. Carlos was born in Mexico City, and immigrated to the US where he started his own salsa business while studying in college. Carlos’ other interests include playing music and improving the city of Detroit.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Start-a-Salsa-Business—What-to-Know&id=7908245] How to Start a Salsa Business – What to Know

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