Starting a Part-Time Food Business

Whether you're slaving away in a cubicle dreaming of turning your mother's secret jam recipe into the next 'it' food or wish you could turn your flare for flan into a moneymaking venture that doesn't conflict with your stay-at-home parenting responsibilities, it's possible to start and run a successful part-time food business.

Written for anyone who wants to start a small part-time or full-time food business on a limited budget, this comprehensive book provides the roadmap to help you realize your dream. Each chapter takes you step-by-step through everything you'll need to get your small food business up and running including:

* Building a business plan that will guide decision making and set you up for success;
* Obtaining the necessary business licenses, registering your business, and securing commercial kitchen space that meets health code requirements;
* Determining which sales channels will work best for you based on the detailed pros and cons outlined for each option;
* Understanding your true product costs and how to price your products in a way that will make you money;
* The role marketing and branding play in customer loyalty and how it can help you succeed; and
* Developing a system to help you keep track of business finances and detailed worksheets that walk you through the financial side of the business

This book also chronicles the stories of seven entrepreneurs who started their own small food businesses in their limited free time using minimal resources. Each of the 'How They Got Their Start' stories shares the mistakes and triumphs these entrepreneurs experienced in their first few years of business. From all walks of life, these stories include a twenty-something with modest savings who started a successful artisan ice cream company; a mother of toddlers who not only worked a full-time job but also started a whimsical cake company on the side; and a newly unemployed construction worker who decided to turn the bad economy into his good fortune by starting a meat jerky company.

A culinary professional who spent years working as a professional pastry chef for a luxury hotel chain, Jennifer Lewis founded her own small food company in 2006. In addition to a culinary degree, Jennifer also holds an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management with a concentration in Entrepreneurship, Marketing, and Finance. A part-time entrepreneur herself, Jennifer splits her time between running her business and working for a nonprofit organization.