Book Review
There are three great reasons that you should be reading business books about food and beverage startups:
- They provide great stories and inspiration to remind you that every business starts somewhere
- Everyone makes mistakes and it is great to learn from someone else rather than having to make the mistake on your own
- True business stories are exciting and genuinely fun to read (someday you will have a tale to tell too)
Jennifer Lewis’ Handmade is great because it packs all three reasons into eight concise chapters about different craft food businesses from across the country. The book was a quick read and dense with both entrepreneurial fun and lessons learned during the early stages of craft food business s startup. The book’s subtitle is “How Eight Everyday People Became Artisan Food Entrepreneurs and Their Recipes for Success” and it delivers well on that promise.
The eight businesses covered in the book are:
- Foiled Cupcakes: a cupcake delivery business in the Chicago burbs
- Pig of the Month: a mail order BBQ and catering company in Dayton, Ohio
- Twin Cakes Bakery: a gluten free and raw foods bakery in Raleigh, NC
- Sassy Sweet Treats: cookies and brownies for direct sale in Jersey City, NJ
- Gallo Lea Organics: organic pizza kits in Ashville, NC
- Tropical Traders Specialty Foods: distribution of Royal Hawaiian Honey in Oakland, CA
- Persephone Bakery: gourmet bread company in Jackson, WY
- Mother Peach Caramels: caramels in Portland, OR
For each one of the businesses, Lewis sets the stage with a background story and then goes through a narrative of the businesses startups and challenges. Following each narrative, there is a Recipe for Success that include 5-6 bulleted points with an explanation referencing the narrative. For example, Foiled Cupcakes’ Recipe for Success included Do Things Differently, Spend Money to Develop a Strong Brand, Don’t Be Afraid to Hire Employees, Social Media Marketing is Not About Sales, and Strive for Balance. Each point was supported by examples from their story, so they aren’t meaningless platitudes.
If you are starting a craft food business, or any business really, Handmade and the stories it contains are worthwhile reading for inspiration, learning, and entertainment.
You can pick up the book from Amazon.com or www.smallfoodbiz.com.
