This episode brings it all together. Understand why you set a goals to start or grow your packaged food business and then immediately freak out and stop taking action. Create your roadmap to achieve your goals by turning your obstacles into strategies and define your next steps. Let's bring it down to manageable, bite size pieces. Grab the obstacle worksheet to do this work on your own at  https://www.foodbizsuccess.com/goals.

After you listen, head over the Food Business Success Private Facebook Group and share with the group what your biggest obstacle is and ask for help from the group. We can help you!

If you want more help turning your delicious dream into a real, profitable food business, apply for FoodBizSuccess.com to see if it is a good fit for you. 

0:04
I'm Sari Kimbell and I've done just about everything in the food industry. I have helped hundreds of packaged food business entrepreneurs. And now I want to help you make your delicious dream a reality. Whether you want to be successful at farmer's markets, online, or wholesale on the store shelves, Food Business Success is your secret ingredient. I will show you how to avoid an expensive hobby, and instead run a profitable food business.

0:34
Now let's jump in.

0:38
Hey there, everyone. Welcome back to the Food Business Success podcast.

0:43
Super fun to be back with you. It's so interesting to look back at how much I resisted doing a podcast and now it's all I want to do. I have so many ideas and guests that I want to have on. I find myself wanting to do this all the time, like recording and editing and I have to be like no focus on other things. There's other you know, my clients and Food Business Success and all the other great things that I'm doing. In any case, today I want to talk with you about overcoming obstacles, and how we turn our obstacles into strategies. And I'm going to give you a resource in this podcast that you can go get on the food business success website to help you do this. A worksheet that you can actually type right into and fill in. I'll give you the link as we go along here, but I think it's gonna be a really helpful tool for you to be able to strategize and turn these obstacles into your next steps.

1:54
I talk with so many people probably just like you who have a delicious idea that they make in their kitchen and they want to turn that into a business. Everybody tells you that this is a great business idea. And people will buy this, or you've already started and you want to grow from a side hustle at a farmers market or some online sales and you want to grow into wholesale or into Amazon and make this a real business. What is the difference between those who succeed and those who give up or just keep consuming information without taking any action? I definitely see two camps where I just I talk with them and I know that they are going to take that action and do the hard things like we talked about on the last podcast about doing hard things. And then I can pretty quickly tell who were the people who are kind of gonna keep sitting on the fence and talking and talking about this dream but never taking it to the next Step.

2:59
So there is where you are right now, whatever that looks like. Maybe it's just an idea. Or like I said, you already have a product, and you want to grow it. So there's where you are right now. And then there's where you want to be, where you want to go. And all that stuff in the middle is the magic that needs to happen to get you there. We can't take this huge leap and somehow magically just be at our goal. And I talked about consistency in the very first podcast and doing hard things in the last podcast. These are all going to be required, but what kind of action do you need to take? How do we know what your next steps are?

3:45
I mean, a lot of people this is where they get stuck, you have the where you are now. And then you have this big dream of yours. And the How is the messy part and you have no idea how or you get really overwhelmed when you start to think about all the things that you need to do, and wondering what it is you don't know that you don't know you need to do. So when you look at where you want to go, what does success look for you? This is what I want you to start with and really back it up and get really clear and really specific. So on a piece of paper, or if you get my goal worksheet over at FoodBizSuccess.com forward slash goals. I want you to think about your big goal for your business. But I know some of you have like really big goals, right? Those three year goals or five year goals. I want you to bring it back to a one year goal. Really sit down and imagine it. Where are you selling? Are you selling at a market? Are you on a website? Your own website? Are you an Amazon or other marketplaces? Are you in grocery stores? Are you in coffee shops? Are you in restaurants? Get really specific about where you want to sell, how you see your product moving. How much money are you making? What's your profit at the end of the year? Are you making the product yourself? Are you having it manufactured? Do you have help? Do you have an awesome social media following? Are you really active on there? What else? Define your business be really specific, so that we can make it more measurable. And then as soon as you do this, as soon as you set a goal, your brain will automatically flood you with all the reasons why this will never work. This is what your brain is designed to do. It's okay. Allow it, don't resist it. I know from my own experience and from hearing from you directly, you are so excited on a call and you tell me about your dream of making and selling your soups, your sauces, your ice cream, your granola, your scones, your macarons. You're so excited. And this is where people do fall into two camps. Like I mentioned, they're either going to be in fantasy world where there are no obstacles, where you are just in fantasy land and envisioning all the amazing things and how everybody loves it, and you're on grocery stores of every major grocery chain, you're on Amazon. You tell me all the wonderful things you're going to do, but you're not actually taking action. And you just keep talking about the fantasy. And this tells me that you probably don't really believe that this is possible for you. And that's okay if that's where you're at, but you haven't actually taken the step of commitment.

7:01
So that's the first camp. And then there are the people who are like, yes. Okay, my brain is telling me this won't work. And, but you're at least willing to look at the obstacles, you start to do the research, right? You Google, how to start a food business. And then when nothing comes up, that's very pertinent to you. You start trying to refine it. I know this very well, you Google, maybe you know the term packaged food. Or you get really specific like how to start a jam business, how to start a kombucha business, maybe you even add the state that you're in, which can be helpful. But in any case, you start to do some research, maybe this is where you find Food Business Success and the YouTube channel, and all the great resources I offer on the website. You find some other folks who help in this area. But in any case, you start to think oh my gosh, okay, I have to get a kitchen or I have to get licenses. But what licenses do I need? How am I going to get the ingredients? How am I going to find the right packaging? How am I going to sell this product? What do I need to know about the FDA? What are the labels that I need? How do I set up a website? How am I going to come up with the money for all of this?

8:21
So after you've told me about your big dream and how you're going to do this, then you think about it and all those obstacles come up. And then you email me and tell them all to me about all the things that you don't know how to do that are standing in your way. So you've really cracked the door open in your brain to doubt and it responds exactly how your brain should-to keep you safe. So your brain is doing a great job of telling you this is a terrible idea and overcoming all the reasons it will never happened. But overcoming obstacles is the path of most resistance, not the least right? Your brain wants you to take the least resistance, the path of least resistance. But to do something new, to achieve a big goal, it is required to overcome obstacles. That is basically running a business. My coach likes to tell tell me that you will always have 10 problems in your business, but they just keep changing. So if you're uncomfortable with solving obstacles and solving problems, maybe entrepreneurship isn't for you. But this is a learned skill. So I think anybody can do it. And if you really have the desire, and the commitment to starting or growing your packaged food business, that you can absolutely do this. And that's why I designed this worksheet that will really help you. But remember, like the last podcast was about You can do hard things and I gave you seven tools and tips for training yourself to do hard things.

10:06
So let's say that you're like, Yes, I can do hard things. I want to push past this, I want to acknowledge the fear and do it anyway. So the next thing that I see is a big mistake is that you try to work it all out in your head. And I can tell when this is happening, because you start just listing and you're all over the place and nothing's falling into neat buckets. And you're thinking about things that you have to worry about three years from now. I mean, I hear people would not, they don't have a business at all, and then they're telling me about what am I going to do when I'm, you know, making half a million dollars. And I need help. How do I hire help? And I'm like, Oh, we got a back this way way up, right. You get really overwhelmed. It does not work to try to work out all the obstacles in your head. Your brain literally cannot hold more than two or three things at a time. You have to get it out on paper. This is where solutions reside. This is where you find the how and your next steps and the actions you need to take, which through consistency is how you will achieve your goals.

11:21
So I created a worksheet just for packaged food businesses for you to do just this, to help you in this process. This is the first step to becoming the successful business entrepreneur that you imagine yourself to be. So go get that worksheet at foodBizSuccess.com/goals. I'll have it linked here in the show notes as well. And but here's how you work this worksheet. So first, you're going to define your goal. Like I said, we want to shorten it up maybe six months or 12 months at the most. You want to be really specific, make it measurable. Like I said, What are you know, what is that goal? You're gonna be in stores? You're gonna be on Amazon? How much money are you making? Where do you want this business to be in six or 12 months? Then you're gonna really get to work. And just be really open to this, this is a brainstorm. And you're going to write down all of the obstacles.

12:23
Now, when I work with clients, I break things up into three categories, kind of three buckets that we work under, that helps us organize our thoughts and the project a little bit more. I'm basically a project manager for my clients and I tell them, I help them decide what to do and when to get it done. So the three buckets that I use are your business and product, your marketing and branding, and then a go to market strategy. So this worksheet is divided up into those buckets if that helps you to kind of be able to organize your thoughts and you could lay out all three sheets and kind of bounce around as you start bringing this brainstorming. So get it all down, right? You need a kitchen, how you need labels, how do you get a logo? How do you get? How do you order pre printed packaging? Or are you going to what kind of labels are you gonna do? Are you gonna do Avery labels? Or what is your packaging? Do you need insurance? How do you get a website? What is the best website to use?

13:30
Just all of it, get it all down. How are you going to get on Amazon? You don't know anything about Amazon, right? And then really also start breaking those up into smaller things like this is what's going to become your strategies. In Food Business Success, I actually give you all the obstacles. I list them out. It's part of module five, where you get the checklist, the huge checklist of everything that you need to do. And all the things that you probably don't even know that you need to do. My goal is not to overwhelm you, but so that you can see a clear picture. And you're not just living in a fairytale fantasy where if I just make my product, it will come, people will come and sales will come. I want you to see everything that's laid out that you do need to do. What all the obstacles are about the ones you know about and the ones you don't. But then this is where the magic happens. We are going to then turn our obstacles into strategies.

14:34
So you're going to have two columns. On the left will be all the obstacles and on the right are your strategies. This is going to help you decide the how to figure it out and decide what you can do right now. What we're working towards is getting to the 10 most important things that you can do in a short period of time, and then we'll keep going and we'll keep solving for these obstacles. But I want you to back it up and don't just make it really generic. As far as a strategy goes, you need to make it specific. So let's say for example, you are not sure if you need a license. So so the obstacle is license, right? So then you think about your strategy and you want to think you want to go all the way back, what licenses do you need? Who will you reach out to for help? A strategy could be posting in Food Business Success private Facebook group, or reaching out to another food producer with a similar product. You can contact the Department of Health for your state or your county. So you're really gonna just start at like back at all the way up and say, What is the very first thing that I can do? What is the how so that I can even find out if I need a license? Then I can figure out what do I need for that license and keep solving for those obstacles. This becomes your roadmap, this becomes your GPS that helps guide you through your business that gets you to the other side from where you are right now, to where you want to be. When you start taking action on even the smallest obstacles, you start to actually tell your brain you prove to your brain that you can do this, and your belief becomes strengthened. I know I'm paraphrasing this but you can prove to yourself that it is possible or that it is impossible. And either way you are right.

16:38
So when you give in to the obstacle thoughts and you throw your hands up, you've basically convinced yourself that it is impossible, that this dream is not for you. Or you can start taking small actions consistently. Every day you do something for your business to move it forward, and then you start convincing your brain that it is actually possible. Your belief will become stronger and your confidence will grow. But you have to be the person who takes action, who is willing to do hard things, who moves towards the discomfort. This is all about what will separate you from where you are now to where you want to go. This is all that stuff in between, climbing the mountain, or you're going through the valley, however you want to look at it. But this is what is going to get you to your dream. Again, I'd love for you to grab that goal worksheet and do this exercise. You aren't going to know all the solutions yet. But what will come out of it is the next things that you can do. Those 10 next things that you can start today, start this week, to get you to the next place and then you just keep solving for those obstacles. I can't do it all for you, but I can sure as heck shorten the distance and flatten your learning curve. I can help you make more decisions quickly. I can help you determine what is most important now and what can wait until later.

18:09
I can provide accountability so that when you feel like it's too hard, and you don't want to show up and you don't want to do the work, you have somebody in your corner that is there, wondering, waiting for you to get this work done. I think accountability is huge when you are especially if you're a solopreneur. Having a cheerleader and a partner, who's really rooting for you and is counting on you to get this done. I can help increase your confidence as we build that muscle in your brain that says you can do it. Build that confidence with support with giving you quick answers and real talk and being that cheerleader. I truly believe that your dream is your destiny. If you have a desire-a desire to start your delicious dream or grow it into a real, successful, profitable business, then it is totally possible. I believe you will be able to find the way to do it. Just look at all the amazing food products and brands that are out there. They started from somewhere just like you. And they solve for all of their obstacles and they're continuing to solve for their obstacles. But they started with just a dream just like you. But they committed, they had courage, and they went all in and started taking action to figure out the how. Nobody knew the how, like, no one knew if they were gonna go exactly through Amazon or go exactly through wholesale, or all the various options in between.

19:46
So there is no overnight success. You have to commit, you have to be all in and then you're going to have to summon up some courage to take action. So go get this tool, use it as a first step to overcoming your obstacle thoughts, to help you figure out exactly what is the small next action, that bite size action that's totally manageable. That you are like, Yes, I can do this small thing. I can write this email. I can write this post in the Facebook group. I can reach out to another producer. I can find the next answer to then get me to the next place that I keep solving. And this is what is going to make your delicious dream a reality.

20:33
All right, that's what I got for this week.

20:35
Go grab that worksheet and I can't wait to see you on the next podcast. Until then have an amazing week.

20:53
Are you ready to start that delicious idea that you make in your home kitchen or grow your existing packaged food business and take it to the next level. The most successful food business entrepreneurs have support, guidance, focus and accountability to help them make it happen quickly without wasting time or money. Plus, I think starting your packaged food business should actually be fun. Food Business Success is your secret ingredient to creating your food business dream.

21:25
Please don't go this alone.

21:28
Check out the private free food business success Facebook group to connect with other foodprenuers. Get your questions answered quickly. Share your wins and receive special training and tools I only share inside the private community. Just search for Food Business Success on Facebook, or get the link in the show notes. Curious about how Food Business Success can help you? Head over to FoodBizSuccess.com and fill out the application to see if you're a great fit for the program. Together. Let's make your food business dream a reality.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai