Are your curious about what it takes to start a food startup?
The two key ingredients are persistence and passion mixed with lots of experimentation. At least that’s what I learned from my conversation with Bryan Tublin!
He’s the founder of SimmerSoup. He started it as a side project, but now works on it full time after getting laid off a few months ago from a startup in San Francisco. Great example, of why having a viable backup plan is always a good idea.
He’s making and selling 25 to 30 gallons of soup a week through farmers’ markets and a delivery service. He admits it’s still not making enough income to sustain him, but he’s busy building his brand and testing his product.
Here’s a few lessons covered in our conversation:
- When’s the right time to start a business? How to know when you feel ready.
- Jobs as apprenticeships. Bryan viewed jobs in the early stages of his career as opportunities to acquire and develop skills.
- Fail quickly. Why he believes in conducting small experiments to hone your idea more quickly.
Life Skills That Matter In This Episode
- Self-directed learning through experimentation.
- Self-awareness.
How Bryan Works and Thinks
- Ideal work environment: Likes working in the morning at his desk in his apartment after his workout.
- Superpower: Focus.
- Definition of success: When he feels fulfilled by his work and it’s in alignment with his purpose.
- Wants to meet: The “LeBron James” of chefs who understands business and great food.
- Work purpose: Promote an ethic of eating that leads to a healthier and happier world.
- Regains focus by: Thinking about his purpose to inspire people to live healthy lives.
- Favorite productivity tool: Evernote
- 90-day goal: Wants to raise funds for the brick and mortar version of his business.
Inspirational Quotes
“Just making that first dollar is HUGE.”
“You have to address you most primal fears and make them a non-issue.”
“I don’t agree with the notion that if you aren’t 100% committed to the business you are just distracting yourself.”
“I learned a lot by starting smaller.”
Coaching Advice
If you are interested in starting a food business like Bryan, here are a few mistakes he would like to help you avoid:
1) Keep it simple. Start with the smallest possible version of your concept that enables you to make money. Use this stage to prove that there is a market for your product.
2) Reach out. Get feedback from everyone and anyone you can about your product to improve your concept.
3) Test your recipes. Have the confidence to experiment and try out different variations to both improve the quality of your product and your production process.
Resources + Bonus Materials
How to Start a Pop-Up Business