Category: Food

Gregory Nemitz sells Beef Jerky online since 1995 at Beefjerky.com. In this interview he’ll reveal what he has learned in the last 20 years of running the business.

What kind of business do you run? When did you start it and where is it based?

Beefjerky.com is a sole proprietorship that began in 1995, at the dawn of the commercial Internet. It is a customer service oriented business. I take great pride in offering premium quality, fresh beef jerky at fair and reasonable prices. The price chart on the ordering page is easy to understand and gives a further discount with every additional bag ordered. I always mail the beef jerky in Priority Mail packages. My USA customers get their package in 2-4 days, the many International customers get theirs in 7 to 10 days. My office is in beautiful Southern Idaho.

What inspired you to start this business?

In 1995 the commercial side of the Internet was just starting. I had been occasionally making beef jerky since 1980, mostly for family and friends, and for Christmas presents. Everyone loved my family recipe for black pepper beef jerky. I had a tech friend and we had been talking about how the Internet just might amount to something someday. We thought we should get involved somehow. A few weeks later I woke up one morning and it was sharply clear to me that I needed to buy www.beefjerky.com that day, ASAP, or I might not get it! I called my friend and told him to originally register the domain for me, right now. So for $70, that is how I acquired www.beefjerky.com and started my beef jerky business.

What keeps you motivated to keep working on your business?

I really enjoy operating my Beefjerky.com business. I like that my customers are getting fresh, healthy, and delicious beef jerky from me. I keep the production cycle short so all the jerky is sold while it is still very fresh and tastes at its best. I like that it is a healthy product that is high in protein. It is helpful for people on Paleo, or who choose to eat low-carb to lose weight and get healthy. Not many people realize that Beef Jerky is an incredible source of protein. A lot of the people who buy the beef jerky are athletes or are sports teams who are looking for a tasty snack that is high in protein to help build muscle. It is the perfect snack after a long day of practice or training. And it tastes great as well!

Do you have unique flavours?

Beefjerky.com has six flavours. They are unique takes on standard, well-known flavor styles. Some jerky webshops have so many flavor choices it is a chore to decide. With only six excellent variations, Beefjerky.com makes jerky shopping simple. My two most popular flavours are Final Frontier Black Pepper Jerky and the Original Hickory. Both of these have deep roots in traditional, old-fashioned beef jerky. My Final Frontier has large grain, cracked black pepper and lots of it. For some people it is too much, but it is very easy to rub off the extra, to make the level of pepper just how you like it. The Original Hickory is a very old school flavor that can bring back childhood memories of early jerky experiences. These two flavors are sugar-free. My other four flavors are Honey Teriyaki, Ring of Fire Hot Red Pepper, Whiskey BBQ, and Sweet & Spicy.

What would you recommend new entrepreneurs? How to get started?

The most important thing to a new entrepreneur is carefully choosing your market. Your market must have enough potential customers to make your startup investment of money and work pay off in a reasonable amount of time. Beefjerky.com’s market for beef jerky is easy to define, it is: humans with teeth. Almost half of everyone really loves good beef jerky.

What would you say is the hardest part about running a business?

The hardest part of Beefjerky.com is keeping up with the ever-changing Internet. It is a consistent learning environment to know how to apply corrections to SEO, website styles, and new cross-platform functionalities. It is a constant SEO balancing act to keep Beefjerky.com on the first page of the Google results. Another issue is the changing landscape of international laws about importing beef jerky. For example, the United Kingdom completely prohibits the importation of my beef jerky. Growing the business is also a challenge. I look for opportunities to cross-promote my customer list with other Internet business, bulk orders for events & promotions, and new ideas.

Do you have a Unique Selling Point?

The main USP is FRESH; I sell fresh beef jerky. The jerky in your local store, gas station, etc. can be several months old. Beef jerky really tastes best when it is very freshly made. All the marinade ingredients still have their fresh &, popping flavors that accent the beefy goodness. I really try to keep the production-to-sales cycle at just 2-3 weeks, so the beef jerky is less than a month old by the time my customer eats it. Go to your local store and compare prices, even with shipping, my prices are not crazy high. Also, some people like the Astronaut involvement with my Final Frontier jerky. Beefjerky.com’s Final Frontier Beef Jerky has flown to space five times on the Space Shuttle, Soyuz, and Progress rockets.

What are your future plans for the company?

My main focus moving forward is to keep on improving traffic and conversion to sales. Beefjerky.com is one of those things that once you hear or read about it, the concept sticks in your mind as sort of, “Of course, I can buy beef jerky on-line. I never thought about that before!” Increasing traffic is all about acquiring more of the public’s mind-share. Then my focus is on improving the Beefjerky.com website to better convert all that new traffic into new customers. That is the other end of gaining more mind-share. Both work together in harmony to grow sales exponentially.

What’s your favorite app?

Fount Connecting Entrepreneurs is the app that I use to connect with other entrepreneurs. It helps me with taking Beefjerky.com to the next level.

To learn more about Greg’s beef jerky please visit Beefjerky.com.

Today our interview partner is Artiom from Mellis Berry who makes delicious honey products in Estonia.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.

I went to school and grew up in Estonia, then studied and worked for some time in Sweden, eventually moved to UK and worked for various companies as a software engineer and security consultant. Most of my life was spent behind the computer screen.

What kind of business do you run? When did you start it?

I am running a food business. I make honey desserts: creamed honey infused with berries and syrup. Something that you would actually enjoy eating rather than just having a single spoon during your illness.

How highly regulated is the food industry in Estonia?

The food industry regulation is pretty high. After all nobody wants to get sick after eating your products. However the requirements are much easier when you’re a small producer working off your flat. It took me roughly four months to get all the paperwork done, but that is because I knew nothing. If I were to do it again today I think I’d get a license if about two weeks.

What inspired you to start this business?

Contrary to seeing a problem in this field and fixing it, I saw a problem in myself – I was spending way too much in front of my screen. Having had a passion for cooking I started experimenting. Eventually ended up working with honey and decided to build a full product out of it. It somewhat worked.

What is your daily routine of running your business?

Marketing. Marketing. Marketing. I have the product ready so I’m looking for ways to sell it now.

What are the best and worst parts of running your business?

I’ll start with the worst. You work 24 hours a day. That is if you believe in your business. As a result everything suffers: relationship, health. Unless you have friends and family that can support you emotionally it’s really tough. Here’s an example: all your friends are gone on a two-week ski trip and you have been working without holidays a year, yet you find the courage and mental strength to stay and continue your work. The best part is when you find your customers. When you see that something you do can make lives better, easier, happier. It’s really cool.

Does your business generate enough money to support you?

No.

Are there any blogs, podcasts or Facebook Groups about entrepreneurship you follow closely?

Apart from books I listen to Four Hour Work Week podcasts by Tim Ferris and spend my time in /r/Entrepreneur on reddit.

Which resources to run your business do you use most?

Books and friends’ advice who already own business. Customers to get feedback on my products and professionals (fellow entrepreneurs, marketers, developers, designers) on the Internet to criticize everything from label design to business plans.

What keeps you motivated to keep working on your business?

Whenever I give someone that hasn’t previously tried my honey desserts their first reaction is I won’t eat it in one go, not even in five. Yet on countless times I’ve seen how as we chat these people finish off the whole jar. That’s the best motivation. I want to see more people do it.

What would you recommend new entrepreneurs? How to get started?

There are so many books written about it, yet I would just say “start”. It’s like with children – there’s no right moment to do it, you just need to make the first step.

Have you ever started a new business and then given up for some reason?

Yes. On multiple occasions.

How important do you think is talent when starting a business?

Do I have a talent for cooking? No. I definitely do it way better than the majority of others. But I have the energy to develop this business to the point when I can hire talented people to help me reach further heights I couldn’t have reached alone.

How much time do you spend running your business per day?

4-8 hours a day and 12-15 hours on weekdays. I still have a full-time job.

You know you’re an entrepreneur when …

I think I’ll have this feeling when I’m able to switch jobs from spending 8 hours in the office and 4 hours on my business to working 15 hours on my business 🙂

Any books about entrepreneurship you can recommend?

The 4-Hour Workweek, The Millionaire Fastlane and How to Win Friends & Influence People.

What would you say is the hardest part about running a business?

Sacrificing your personal life.

What tools do you use to run your business?

Since I’m a software developer I’ve written ERP for myself with very specific requirements. Some generic accounting software, and the Internet.

Do you have a Unique Selling Point?

It’s unusual packaging and combination of tastes. When was the last time you’ve heard about sea buckthorn? What about sea buckthorn with creamed honey? How about labels that hide the lid of a jar? You need to see that in order to undestand. And you absolutely need to taste that to know.

How did you come up with the name of the company?

I was looking for something interesting consisting of two words. Something like Mettle and Poise, April Blush. Completely unrelated to the products I make. Yet a friend suggested to use a related name. Due to the absence of any alternatives I used Mellis Berry.

How many people are involved in your business?

If we don’t consider lots of friends who help me along the way I’m the sole person involved heavily.

Can you recommend a webhost?

If you’re a developer you already know the answer, otherwise it’s easier to go with hosted solution like Shopify or similar.

Outside of business what do you enjoy doing? How do you recharge your batteries?

Sports. You absolutely need to do that. I also enjoy travels and hiking, but I don’t remember the last time I did that for a period longer than a day.

Do you think that anybody could start a business?

I currently live in Estonia, the most “e” country in the world. To start a business you just need 15 minutes and 150 euros to create a company. Done. You can call yourself a businessman or businesswoman. Yet you need balls (also relates to women) to make it profitable and self-sustaining. So no, not everyone can do that.

Do you think that Social Media such as Twitter or Facebook are good marketing tools?

It depends how and which audience you are targeting. If the product is for 60+ people you need to use different tools, more like old school media like TV or newspapers.

Do you think making decisions on a gut feeling is a good idea?

Use all your savings to buy stocks. Use your gut feeling to choose what to invest into. Would you dare to trust it?

Do you think it is a good idea to start a business with a friend?

It depends. That didn’t really work out for me (I’ve tried multiple times, however we still remain very good friends), yet I know people who did build something with their friends or even family. So why not?

To learn more please visit Artiom’s website at Mellisberry.com.

Today’s interview is with pastry chef Michelle Tampakis from Whipped Pastry Boutique who runs a gluten free bakery.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.

I am a professional Pastry Chef, a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, and I worked for 20+ years as a Pastry Arts Instructor and Director Of The Center For Advanced Pastry Studies at The Institute of Culinary Education in NYC.

What inspired you to start this business?

While working as a Baking Instructor I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, which led me to start experimenting with gluten free baking.

What kind of business do you run? When did you start it?

I opened a wholesale, gluten free bakery when I realized I couldn’t continue working full time at the school. I spent about three years developing recipes, and finally took the plunge in October 2010.

What is your daily routine of running your business?

Although I absolutely love baking, a wise business mentor suggested my business would never grow unless I trained other people to do the baking, so I could concentrate on growing the business, and that’s what I’ve done. My typical day in 8am to 6pm, and I am at the computer about 60% of the day, and sometimes more. I still do product development, in cooperation with my bakers, who make suggestions and try new products. I work Monday through Friday, and then on Sundays I have a customer who takes a delivery, so I always have to come in on Sundays. Saturdays I only work if someone calls out sick.

Do you think that Social Media such as Twitter or Facebook are good marketing tools?

We use Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to promote the bakery, with weekly postings of pictures. I don’t tweet as much as I should. WE have gotten some business from Instagram, cakes mostly.

What tools do you use to run your business?

The resources I depend on most are Quickbooks 2014 and Cheftec for costing recipes. I keep a weekly “scorecard” of revenue, so I can budget myself properly. My worst nightmare is not being able to cover payroll. Although my customers pay promptly, there have been weeks when a few checks have been delayed, and then I’m watching my bank statement like a hawk.

How many people are involved in your business?

The bakery has 8 employees. All of the bakers are culinary school graduates, two were my own students. One guy started as a pot washer, and when I realized he had some good skills, I started training him to roll doughs using the sheeter. Now he rolls all the doughs, and does kitchen assistant jobs like scooping cookie dough and muffin batters, and he doesn’t really work as a pot washer anymore. Besides employees I depend a lot on my husband’s knowledge of business since he has operated his own company for 18 years.

What was your experience setting up your company website?

Website design was a challenge for me. In an effort to limit expenses, I tried to do it myself with Intuit, and then tried two different independent web designers before settling on Solar Jet Productions. They designed and host the website, and also design labels and other printed materials. I regret not being more computer savvy, since whenever I need to change/add/subtract anything, I have to go through them, because I can’t seem to be able to do it myself. As a result, I don’t post news things as often as I should.

Do you have a Unique Selling Point?

Our unique selling point is custom baked items for allergen restricted diets. Everything is baked fresh to order, and our customers ask us to create unique, individual items for them with ingredients like kale juice, or acai powder. On the individual level, people order breads and cakes that are free of corn, or soy, or eggs, or olive oil. We have several customers who have standing orders every week for bread, and even Challah.

Do you think it is a good idea to start a business with a friend?

I don’t think it’s a good idea to start a business with a friend, but I would say an ally, like a spouse or sibling is a good thing. Being able to bounce ideas off my husband and daughters helps me make good decisions, and they also step in if there’s a crisis or problem. Even though I am very impulsive, I have come to realize impulsive actions and good business decisions are polar opposites.

What keeps you motivated to keep working on your business?

Keeping a close eye on revenue and my goals of where I want my business to get keeps me from getting distracted. We sank a lot of money into our facility to build it, and knowing I have that debt to pay off, and 8 employees who depend on me for their livelihood keeps me focused. The one thing I learned the hard way is it’s a lot more difficult to get new customers than you think, and keeping them is hard as well. I treat all my customers with courtesy and respect, and never take them for granted.

Please visit Michelle’s company Whipped Pastry Boutique for more information.

Today’s interview is with Zac from Caldwell’s Quirky Cookery who runs a brand new food company which produces preserves and jellies. If you are tired of mass-produced jellies and instead want to try hand-made jelly which the chef makes while dancing to Katy Perry then this is for you!

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.

My name is Zac Caldwell, I’m the owner and CEO of Caldwell’s Quirky Cookery. It’s a small food brand that has been operating for only a few months and is currently in the very last stages of fulfilling our $12,000 kickstarter. My background is varied – professionally, I worked in teen programs and summer camps for several years after college. I had a full-time job with benefits in Florida, but I had to dress like an adult and show up to the office every day and play office politics. I took a vacation to my hometown of Louisville, KY, and after a few days of visiting with friends and getting back into the scene, I declared to the universe that I was moving home and starting a food company. The original plan was to wait a few months and save up some money, but when the exit door is open, it’s awful tempting to jump out. I quit my job with no notice after a really annoying phone call with my boss on a random Wednesday. So I guess my background is being a really bad employee and hating working for other people. I refuse to go back to any job where I can’t fully express myself.

What kind of business do you run? When did you start it?

Caldwell’s Quirky Cookery is a small food company that is currently selling gourmet and off-kilter preserves and jellies. My passion is for pepper jellies, like our Ghost Pepper Blackberry, but we have more mild flavors like Spiced Orange (Cinnamon and Cloves, like the Christmas potpourri), and Cranberry Ginger Lime. I’m planning on expanding into weird pickles soon, and I’m always playing in the kitchen to come up with the next crazy idea. I started operations in October with a 30-day kickstarter and have been pushing to start the company, meet regulations, and ship the 1,400 jars that were ordered. I only recently hired my first employee part time, so almost all of those jars have been cooked by me. Fulfillment has been a much bigger challenge than I expected, especially paired with the amount of regulation that comes with operating in retail food.

What inspired you to start this business?

The phrases “dress code”, “no visible tattoos”, and “only natural hair color”. Specifically, my undying hatred for limitations on those things. I just got a new tattoo for my business- you can see the photo but I’m not going to tell the secret of what it means- and made a pitch for retail space in the tattoo parlor. I got both, and I think it’s going to be very rewarding. I much prefer working with artists.

What is your daily routine of running your business?

I wish I had one. Routines are a luxury for people who have settled into a groove, which sounds pretty boring to me. I do have a part-time job tutoring a kid through the eighth grade, so weekdays I’m there in the afternoons. Besides that, my only daily tradition is getting as much caffeine as I can get before noon.

What are the best and worst parts of running your business?

The best part is the collaboration with other cooks and entrepreneurs. Hanging out in the kitchen, meeting other people, swapping ideas and working together gets me jazzed. A good idea can keep me up like a kid at christmas. The worst part is having to do EVERYTHING and having to estimate deadlines. My company is small, which means I can’t delegate to anyone. This afternoon, for example, I was packing boxes for shipping and realized I needed more labels of a jar. I had to stop packing, handle the printing, label the jars, and the get back into packing. Everything stops every time I have to fix something, and nothing goes when I’m not moving. It’s high-stress and low-rest. I have to work hard and intentionally to get time to rest and refresh. I’m writing this at midnight because I didn’t get home until 11:15.

What keeps you motivated to keep working on your business?

That my name is on the logo. If I’m not killing it, the company isn’t going anywhere.

Do you read any discussion forums about business?

I follow r/entrepreneur (on reddit) pretty closely.

What would you recommend a new entrepreneur? How to get started?

Have triple the money you think you need, even if you think you’re being conservative. Even when you think you know what you’re doing, unless you’ve already done it once, you don’t know anything. If you think you’re the first person to think of your idea, you’re wrong. You might be the first person to bring the work and knowledge necessary to be successful, but a good idea isn’t worth anything until you put in the work and expertise.

How important do you think is talent when starting a business?

Right now, the fashion is to produce purely mastubatory social media and virtual presences with no value. Having a talent has become almost avant garde – we see now that craftspeople, barbers, tailors, and artists are getting higher value for their work because the vapid and industrial has become so apparently heartless. My brand motto is “Honesty through Oddity, Greatness through Weirdness.” Talent is the means to excellent self-expression that produces value and a passion for work. Factory work is death of a soul.

How much time do you spend running your business per day/week?

Between my tutoring gig and the Cookery, I work 10-12 hour days every day. For my business, I’d say I’m putting in at least 40 hours.

You know you’re an entrepreneur when …

… you struggle to say no to a new good idea, but learn how because time is finite and humans must sleep.

What would you say is the hardest part about running a business?

Learning the ropes. The reason companies are valuable is because not everyone has the wherewithal to start them and see it through. The time and money invested getting started, especially in a new field, is the biggest asset a company can have.

What is your single best non-obvious tip for running a business?

Play music, all the time. It keeps the brain awake and energy high.

What was your experience setting up your company website?

That you get what you pay for, and if your host/provider/whatever is advertising for your business, then you’re paying for their marketing budget and not for quality design or features.

Do you have a Unique Selling Point?

Jelly has gotten boring, and I refuse to let that continue.

What are your future plans for the company?

Expanding retail and pursuing even spicier jellies, as well as other food products. Getting a brick and mortar location is in the 5 years plan.

Do you think that anybody could start a business?

Absolutely. I’m probably the worst case scenario and I’m still managing to pull it off.

Do you think that Social Media such as Twitter or Facebook are good marketing tools?

Twitter and Facebook are the worst social media platforms for organic reach. Instagram will probably be useless within 18 months. Snapchat might have 3 years. Social media is necessary, and valuable, but by the time you know about it, the clock is ticking before the users are tired of it and looking for something that isn’t so corporate and monetized.

Do you think making decisions on a gut feeling is a good idea?

Absolutely. The subconscious isn’t as prone to user error as the conscious.

Do you think it is a good idea to start a business with a friend?

Probably a better idea than starting one alone or with an enemy. It’s like living with friends, though – boundaries must exist and respect must remain.

What are the pros and cons of running your own business?

Pro – no idiot boss telling you to do stupid things because they like doing things the way they’ve always been done.

Con – no one to blame but yourself when your new idea is way worse than the proven method.

Outside of business what do you enjoy doing? How do you recharge your batteries?

Karaoke. Mountain biking. Tattoos. Rock concerts. Improv and stand-up comedy.

If you want to buy one of Zac’s yummy products here’s the website: Caldwell’s Quirky Cookery.