By Eve Yankah, Founder of BEPPS
Eve Yankah, Founder of BEPPS
Go straight to the top!
Email the CEO of the companies/retailers you’re trying to break into. It always helps to get a foot in the door when the buyer receives your email from their boss.
Invest in branding
Branding is your biggest selling tool for your business apart from yourself and it’s worth investing in because it’s the first thing a consumer sees.
Think to yourself, have I communicated my brand’s unique selling point within those first few seconds of attention a consumer gives to your product on shelf? ...Do I stand out from my competition?
Google search is your best friend. I researched and used it a lot in the beginning when launching BEPPS before I met my investor. It helped me find my manufacturer and got me to the point where I had samples to send out to potential retailers and it helped me find my current investor.
Understand money
Nobody likes to talk money, but you need to understand the three basics that ultimately make a business: Your margins, payment terms and rate of sale; to know whether you have a sustainable business.
Be thrifty, but nifty
Be thrifty with your start-up capital in the beginning. Try and make every pound stretch as far as it can. People always think you need to hire a bunch of people in the beginning, when in fact staff is expensive. You can cover a lot of areas in your business initially yourself until the business is making enough money to support staff.
Be 100% behind your brand
Believe in yourself and your brand, because if you don’t no-one else will as much as you do. You will hear a lot of no’s in the beginning, don’t get discouraged, stay positive and keep pushing and you’ll see that eventually doors and opportunities will start to arise.
Get feedback
Whether it’s a product or a service, test it out on your friends and family for feedback. This has been integral to the BEPPS launch process and your friends & family will (hopefully) always keep it real with you, so they’re the best call for initial market research.
Take risks
Take risks! Nobody else is going to go the extra mile for your business, but you.
Enjoy yourself!
Enjoy the highs and the lows, because business inevitably has challenges & set backs, which make the highs even more rewarding!
Be kind, but firm
You need thick skin in business and sometimes you’ll need to push back, negotiate and make tough decisions. It’s ok to say no.
BEPPS are available via the https://beppssnacks.com website