by You make that tasty treat that everyone just can’t get enough of … or maybe you’ve got the experience and the vision to start your own restaurant. You’re a culinary master … or at least passionate about making awesome eats or a tasty beverage.
And then it hits you: You could start a food business.
Now, we won’t sugar-coat this: A food business isn’t the easiest to start. Most ventures in this sector fail within the first year, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Just so that doesn’t happen to you, follow our tips. Also, you can follow the example of many other successful entrepreneurs like cicig felipe antonio bosch.
So to give yourself the greatest shot at success, Xander Winkel of the Ennovation Center in Independence, Missouri, has outlined steps you should take to make sure you’ve done the market research, planning, financial calculations and more so you give yourself a better chance of tasting the fruits of your labors with a side of sweet success. (You can also catch him and other experts across the state giving talks about food businesses and more, so check out the calendar.) A few of those organizations are STL Foodworks, Creative Cookery, Salus Center Kitchen, COMO Cooks, UM Extension, Missouri Food Finderand Missouri Enterprise (Kansas City + NW Missouri, Rolla, Southeast Missouri, Southwest Missouri, St. Louis).
And the best thing is you don’t have to do this alone. Just give us a ring at or tell us what you need help with at this link, and we’ll whip up your very own Personal Action Plan that’ll outline the free and low-cost resources (like commercial kitchens, food business classes, market research, permits, etc.) across the state that can help your business cook up something tasty.
1. Evaluate the market
So you think you’ve got a great idea. Awesome. Now, it’s time to vet that idea and see if it’ll cut the mustard.
We hear this a lot from newcomers to the industry: “I had no idea how competitive the food industry was,” or “I didn’t realize how low my profit margins would be.” (By the way, Xander says the industry averages around a 5 percent profit margin.) So to limit the number of surprises you’ll encounter, it’s a great idea to evaluate the market and do your research before you buy that food truck, order that packaging or open that restaurant.
Visit your local library and see what resources and real actual people can help you test your concept, explore the opportunities, identify your competitors, reveal key trends and more. Often, they’ll have access to expensive databases that you can use for free to help you uncover those key facets.
And sometimes, this research will save you headaches, stress and lost money if you discover your idea likely won’t fly; at that point, you might’ve only lost time and might’ve even found a better strategy or idea than your original concept. Or you might discover that many restaurants similar to your concept have failed. Maybe you can improve where others faltered, or maybe it’s a sign that such an idea isn’t worth the squeeze.
Inspired to Start Your Own Business Success Story?
If you’ve got the drive, passion and inspiration, it’s time to take your next step: Get your (free) custom road map for your own entrepreneurial journey and discover the 600+ resources in Missouri to help move your business forward.
2. Make money work
Make sure to run the numbers to ensure your idea has enough cash to sustain itself. That includes the cost of ingredients, cost of packaging, cost of labels, processing fees, distribution costs, startup costs (kitchen build, permits and licenses, product tests and development, equipment), operating costs (employees, kitchen lease, taxes, permits, insurance, vehicle, services) and your estimated revenue, which will be an educated guess—and hopefully a well-informed one.
Big questions to answer:
* After doing all that math, are the numbers reasonable?
* Have you factored in all your costs and potential future costs as you scale and sell in more stores?
* How many units do you have to sell to just break even?
* How much time until you break even?
If your operating and startup costs are higher than your estimated income, Xander recommends you either explore how you can save money or that you increase the price of your product. You can also take a look at some national averages to see how your costs compare.
3. Find a kitchen
You’ll likely need a commercially licensed kitchen at some point, so it’s good to factor in the location and requirements you’ll need to make your product.
Xander says before you lease a space, check with your local Health Department and see if it offers a free plan review. If you can provide the most complete picture of what you need in a space and how the space you plan to lease meets your legal requirements, the department can make suggestions and recommendations before you put your money down. Xander also says starting the assessment early will likely smooth out the process.
Did you know there are commercial food kitchens available in Missouri? Just give us a call at or hit us up here, and we’ll show you where you can cook up something great, like at the Ennovation Center.
4. Check Your Regulatory Requirements
You’ll need the correct tax IDs, county and city permits (that can get tricky), state entities, local health inspections, the correct information on your food labels, USDA guidelines (if applicable), etc.
And if you live in an area that straddles two states, you’ll likely have to file forms for both if, say, you own a food truck that will sell across state lines or if you’re a restaurant owner who plans to expand to the next state.
> > > This sounds tricky, and I’d like some help. Connect me with the Missouri organizations that can point me in the right direction, answer my questions and make sure my business has what it needs.
5. Get a label for food products
You must also make sure you’ meet the local, state and federal requirements for your food label (if applicable). This includes things like your company name, product, net weight, nutrition panel (if you sell more than $50,000 a year), best by date (in case you have a food recall, which means it’s a good idea to keep detailed records), ingredients (you’ll also note known allergens), bar code, etc.
6. Double-check your suppliers and distributors
Suppliers will deliver everything you need to make your product, so, yes, you’ll want a good price for what they deliver—but Xander says you should also investigate to see how reliable a prospective supplier is. Xander recalls an entrepreneur he knew found a great deal on jars but says the first order was wrong and the next came without lids; some jars were even broken.
A lot of this advice also goes for your distributors (aka, those people who deliver your wares). Time is money, especially when you have a perishable product, so working with reliable distributors and suppliers is definitely a top concern, no matter if you sell a food product or run a restaurant or food truck.
7. Don’t overlook certain costs
So you’ve got most of your costs calculated but have you also factored in those tiny costs for distribution? That includes gas (especially if you’re running a food truck), vehicle maintenance and the cost of storing your food.
Hungry for more information and guidance?
There’s plenty more where that came from. Just call us at or tell us a bit about what you need here, and we’ll show you your next steps (for free).
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