We've interviewed thousands of successful founders at Starter Story and asked what advice they would give to entrepreneurs who are just getting started.

Here's the best advice we discovered for starting a specialty food business:

#1: Johanna and Raphael Spannocchi, founder of janori:

We chatted with with Johanna, founder of janori ($3K/month). In our interview, Johanna says:

I’d rather have 2% of a thriving enterprise full of highly motivated people with equity than 90% of something where I work 24/7 and slowly get crushed. Also: one-man shows don’t scale.

Read the full interview ➜

#2: Belinda Kelly and Venise Cunningham, founder of Simple Goodness Sisters:

We chatted with with Belinda, founder of Simple Goodness Sisters ($7K/month). In our interview, Belinda says:

When the business is your own, it’s really easy to want everything to be perfect because you care so much about it and the company is a reflection of you. But, when you are starting and wearing all the hats you have to learn to prioritize getting the job done over being perfect.

Read the full interview ➜

#3: Stacey Schlaman, founder of Liberated Specialty Foods:

We chatted with with Stacey, founder of Liberated Specialty Foods ($100K/month). In our interview, Stacey says:

Find a mission that you really care about, something where the mission can push you through the hard times because there will be many.

Additionally:

Have thick skin. Life isn’t fair. Not everyone likes your products. Some people are mean. Learn not to take every criticism personally.

Read the full interview ➜

#4: Belinda Kelly and Venise Cunningham, founder of Simple Goodness Sisters:

We chatted with with Belinda, founder of Simple Goodness Sisters ($7K/month). In our interview, Belinda says:

From March 2021 to May 2022, we grew the Cocktail Farm Club by over 300%. We continue to push efficiency to get the subscriber's boxes out the door each month, while also keeping the quality and authenticity of this very special product box intact for our customers.

Additionally:

You have to be willing to work in that place of discomfort and especially during a Pandemic, with all of its shortages and complexities, respond to the environment of the moment, not what you wish you could/should have.

Read the full interview ➜

#5: Belinda Kelly and Venise Cunningham, founder of Simple Goodness Sisters:

We chatted with with Belinda, founder of Simple Goodness Sisters ($7K/month). In our interview, Belinda says:

You don’t need to launch with a perfect version, there’s always room for revision. Launch with version 1, and know that you will have the chance to iterate and put out a V3 someday.

Read the full interview ➜

Part of

Starting A Specialty Food Business: Everything You Need To Know

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