Starting a food business from local to online business - Small business advice
Nowadays, there are several ways to earn money. In the past, people used to think that getting a degree would lead you to get a successful career, but it is not the case now. Many young entrepreneurs have started their own small businesses with the hope of it growing one day so that they are able to earn big bucks. One of the most common businesses that are being run by entrepreneurs is the food business. People would start their own small food chain by renting out food trucks or setting their food stalls at fairs and festivals.
Honestly, running a food business can really help you in earning money if you know how to make delicious food. If you can serve people with great food, then there is nothing that can stop you from making money. People don’t think twice before spending their money on food if they are hungry, and the food looks and smells delicious. Therefore, I would definitely recommend you to start your own food business. However, if you already have started a food business locally and now want to shift your local business to eCommerce so that you can start selling online, then here are some pros and cons of transitioning your local business into an eCommerce food business that can help you.
- Local business requires a lot of physical work: There is no doubt in the fact that local food businesses require a lot of physical work for the same amount of money being earned in an online food business if not less. You can earn way more money from an online food business than in a local food business without having to do all the physical work that is required to run a local food business. When you are running a local food business, you need to set up a tent, arrange all the tables and making sure that your stall looks presentable by decorating it. All this work requires a lot of time and effort. The best thing about running an online food business is that you won’t have to do this entire extra hard work and still be able to earn way more money than a local food business owner earns.
- Understand the laws: If you are running a cottage food business and want to transition it into an online business, then it is important for you to know that under the cottage food law you are not allowed to ship a product outside of the state limits. This law limits the entrepreneurs who are doing business from a home kitchen instead of a commercially licensed kitchen.
- Don’t give up your local business completely: If you are having trouble in running your online food business and can’t really get a hold of how eCommerce works then I would advise you not to shut down your local food business completely. Even if you start selling the food online, still try to run your local food business, so in case your online business does not get successful, you still have a backup plan to earn money. Suppose after a few months your online business sales start increasing; then you will be able to make more money by running two businesses side by side.
- Understand how eCommerce works: The most important thing to understand when transitioning your local business to online business is how eCommerce works. There are different platforms through which you can sell your food products and snacks, including Amazon, Etsy, eBay or bonanza. You need to learn how to create a website, how to post the products and bring traffic on your website. But this is not all. You also need to know the basics of SEO. Search engine optimization plays an important role for an online business to flourish. You won’t get traffic on your website automatically after creating one. You will need to work really hard for bringing potential customers on your website.
- Learn how to post properly: Another important point for you to know is that not every platform works the same. The way you post a product on Amazon is different than how you post on eBay. Every platform is unique in its own way since they are composed of different features. Other than this, you need to advertise your products on social media platforms to attract more people to buy them.