Full Transcript

Sari
The bigger your dreams, the bigger your goals, the more support you need, not less. Every great entrepreneur knows they need experts, they need a community to help support them, and connect them to really get that momentum going. If you find yourself in that start, stop, start, stop struggle, where you have an amazing idea something you make in your home kitchen, it can be a food item, beverages, pet treats, or even body care. And you just can't seem to get it off the ground or you haven't been able to make a profit yet. I want to offer you a free workshop. It's called Whip Up A Business You Love. And in it, you're going to learn the foundational pieces of having a business that works. An idea is not enough, a desire is not enough. We need to have a foundation and a plan for your next steps. And in that workshop, you're going to get my startup checklist. We're going to talk about your product, about pricing, what that investment looks like. How to really know if you have a solid idea or a business plan that's going to work and I make you an incredibly delicious offer to join me in Food Business Success at the end. Go to foodbizsuccess.com and in the right hand corner, you will see where to register to get that free workshop. And then I hope I will see you inside Food Business Success and on one of our Fuel calls very soon. Welcome to your Food Business Success! This podcast is for early stage entrepreneurs in the packaged food industry ready to finally turn that delicious idea into reality. I'm your host Sari Kimbell. I have guided hundreds of food brand founders to success as an industry expert and business coach and it's gotta be fun. In this podcast, I share with you mindset tools to become a true entrepreneur and run your business like a boss, interviews with industry experts to help you understand the business you are actually in, and food founder journey so you can learn what worked and didn't work and not feel so alone in your own journey. Now let's jump in! Welcome back to the podcast. All right. This is so fun. I love talking Cottage Food. You guys know I love Cottage Food as a great way to start and test this whole entrepreneurship thing out, see if this is something that you want to do. And today on the podcast, I am talking with Lisa Kivirist and she is the co author along with her husband John Ivanco of the newly released second edition of Homemade For Sale: How to Set Up and Market a Good Business From Your Home Kitchen. They are really the authoritative guide on launching a food business under Cottage Food Law. And Lisa is a leading advocate and voice for Cottage Food expansion amplifying women's voices. She served as a plaintiff in two successful lawsuits against the state of Wisconsin that had declared the ban on the sale of home baked goods and other non hazardous products. And that was declared unconstitutional and she went on to co found the Wisconsin Cottage Food Association. She and John are really leading the way and they are hosting the second annual Homebased Food Entrepreneur Virtual National Conference that is coming up April 10th through the 13th. And I get to be part of that which I'm so excited. Food Business Success is a sponsor of this conference and I will be hosting one of the workshops talking about profit and preparing for taxes and how to really run your business like a business. And on top of everything that Lisa does for Cottage Food for over 20 years, Lisa and her family have run Inn Serendipity Farm and it's a B&B in southern Wisconsin. That sounds amazing. It's somewhere I would love to go. So she is really doing so many great things in the space around Cottage Food and entrepreneurship. And so I am excited for us to have this conversation and to share it with you. Okay. All right, welcome, Lisa. It's so fun to have you on here. We're talking all things Cottage Food. So thanks for coming onto the podcast today.

Lisa
Oh, thanks for the invite, Sari. We are kindred spirits in our love of all things from the home kitchen, right?

Sari
Yes, absolutely. We love starting there. So can you just back up for us? And let's just kind of talk about what Cottage Food is and and why you love it? I know you love Cottage Food, you're a big fan. So why is it important? Do you think that we even have Cottage Food? So kind of tell us a little bit about what it is and why it's important?

Lisa
Yeah. My first connection with Cottage Food came in 2010, where Wisconsin where I live past a very restrictive law, but it's our law at the time of allowing high acid food items to be made in home kitchens for sale. And it floored me, Sari, because that's like, really, we can do this in our home, I had never heard or thought about this. And that started my journey of both advocating for change here in Wisconsin, but also looking outside the borders and what other states are doing and the possibility. And the fact that all, a lot of these cottage food laws most of them actually came about 2008 to that last great recession were forward thinking states were thinking how could we support small scale entrepreneurship? What does that need and really engaging in creating systems, creating laws, regulations that support people to start up from their own kitchen. I was jazzed because that just opened a whole world of ease, of cost efficiency, of flexibility, of all these things that didn't know existed. So that was sort of my first connection. And that's what got my husband, John Ivanko and I inspired to write the Homemade For Sale book, first and 2015, because there really wasn't a good national resource in the book form. People were still saying, I can't do that, that's illegal. But no, no, no, no, you're good, right? So the need for new resources. But what really gets me jazzed is the fact that this is so much more than just an economic transaction. I totally with all the good work you do, it needs to be an economic transaction and a profitable business and all of that but it is so much more, it is engaging our communities, it's building back what we had 100 years ago, right? Where it was common to make bread in your kitchen and sell it to your neighbor. And we knew each other, and we trusted each other and our money stayed local, and it was good. And those are things that go way beyond the bottom line. And I see those impacts especially for women, right? Because so the majority of Cottage Food businesses are run by women. For most, it's the first time they've entered into that entrepreneurship wild kingdom, right? But that is so empowering to go from a hobbyist to a food business owner, literally overnight. And what else can that do for one's life? It's just a starting point of big things and you've seen with the clients you've worked with become.

Sari
Yeah, it is. It's so empowering when people and like you said a lot. It's, you know, mostly women, not always, but you know, there is that piece of like stepping back into the workforce, maybe they've had kids or even doing another job, but maybe it's less satisfying, right? And so being able to, there's so much creativity and love, of course in our home kitchens, where we have so many amazing memories and wanting to share that with others. And so yes, I do think and I think Cottage Food is a wonderful, it's like the perfect first stepping stone for people to kind of get their feet wet. I'm not so worried about whether they make a profit at that point. It's more about getting their feet wet, getting going, learning about business, putting themselves out there, having those amazing connections, like you talked about. And I just think it's such a beautiful thing, right? To allow that for people.

Lisa
You totally nailed it. And since I first learned about it back in 2010, fast forward to now, it is amazing how this movement has grown, both in increasing laws. The first edition of Homemade for Sale, I clearly wrote this isn't allowed in all states yet, you know, check your states and now yeah, there it is allowed in all states. It is legal in different forms. But bottom line, all the laws are expanding, right? And if there was any silver lining blessing to COVID, it's the fact that it spurred so much business startups in our home and giving people the incentive if not now when and all of that. So there really has never been a better time to do this, and the community that's built around it, and the resources that have grown. It's a much easier on ramp than it was and it's good. It's good to know you're not you're not in this alone. There's all kinds of things to help support.

Sari
Yeah, I mean, you were really a trailblazer in that but now we have what you guys do and we'll talk about the Cottage Food conference coming up but what you do with your book and how you serve people. I certainly with Fuel and with Food Business Success, David Kraybill of course with all of his resources. I mean, there's so many. There's a couple of us, there's actually not that many. But there are a lot of, there are some of us.

Lisa
That's what I love about it. It's, yeah, we're not quite, you know, taking over the food system yet, although I would love to see that happen. I'm all for that and we can plot, but it is a community in that sense, right? And we know each other, and it's collaborative. And those are the things that really defy business logic, right? Yeah, totally were all Renegades because you have some traditional business classes, you know, why would you share what you're doing with other people? Why would you support a new business that's doing the same sort of thing you are but we realized that we need some new rules, right? And it's one of these movements that when we all succeed, we all succeed, right? And there's plenty to go around. And I just love that and that your point is so empowering for people starting out to know that they're not alone.

Sari
Yeah, and I should also say, I want to give a shout out to our extension services for many states are really helpful as well for Cottage Food.

Lisa
Many states, and cheers to the states that have really embraced this. And it is a patchwork of flavors and opportunities. But that said, states that have and especially you're so right with extension, that it really owned it. As far as this is a resource for people in our state, and we're going to support you. It shows, it shows, and kudos to them.

Yeah. And there's also some really great Facebook groups out there, too. So finding a Cottage Food Facebook Group is a great place to start to ask questions as well. So by definition, I guess just give us a kind of the range of what you see in states and what Cottage Food really means.

Yeah, I love the term, simply purely Cottage Food. And I wish there was somebody I could give credit for that. Because that really summarizes it, Sari. Isn't it a cottage of the small, our home, something we control, we can dial up, we can dial down. And I know you work a lot with that with your clients. And that's super important in that we're in charge of what we're doing. And that can be a whole new ballgame if you're used to reporting to somebody else or having a job in a traditional structure. But we control it. And food in that. That's what it's all about, right? We all eat, undoubtedly, but we're not, it goes beyond that. It's the true nourishment side, right? Because a lot of these kinds of cottage products are celebration foods, right? Be them the birthday cakes, and the cookies, and the special items you might give as a gift. And that really amps it up in that it celebrates food. It's not just we need to eat fast in our car out of a bag. No, no, don't do it, enjoy it, and we celebrate who made it. These are handcrafted items, which again, we've lost in our world. And there's so much more to that I think we can truly change the world through Cottage Food. And that idea of going back to knowing our neighbors and making things by hand. So yeah, so Cottage Food. I love the term and nationally, as we were saying things are on a roll. And as far as we know, either state specific laws, so we've got a patchwork of them around the country but the good news is every state has some form of law or lawsuit as the case may be in Wisconsin, but it is legal. And the laws are always expanding. So when laws do change in the state, it's a higher gross sales cap or better yet no gross sales cap or more venues, more outlets, more clarity and what people can do. And that was all driven by our community itself, right? It's citizens democracy at its finest of Cottage Food entrepreneurs and entrepreneur wannabes to basically be calling up their representatives, calling up their statehouse and saying, hey, we need to do this, or, hey, I looked in this state and they can do that and why can't we? So that's great. And then and this is totally new. And this new edition of homemade for sale is the whole food freedom movement and the fact that increasingly, we can do more in our home kitchen. And again, cheers to those states that are looking at that like California wether micro kitchen enterprise act where you can do prepared meals out of your home and all that opens up things that's it's kind of a you know, a different new path. But it's definitely something that's growing. It's growing faster than I predicted. In all honesty, it's states, embracing things beyond the traditional nonhazardous bounds of Cottage Foods, still in your home kitchen, still something that you can control. So I think there's a lot of exciting things that are going to be ahead and a reason to really keep in touch with the movement because as we have to advocate again for things to happen, good things to happen, things we want to happen, right? And there's power in that.

Sari
I love that. I didn't realize that was coming about. I remember oh, gosh, that must have been 2016 or 17 when Josephine was an app that people were doing that like cooking prepared meals in their home, and Josephine was an app that would connect you with people. And it was a beautiful thing because you could go right to somebody's house, right? And you could look them in the eye, you could see their kitchen. And there was a lot of trust built and you would leave with this amazing, you know, meal oftentimes, like an epic meal, like something you, you know, you wouldn't necessarily be able to get just anywhere by women creating these beautiful dinners and meals. And then of course, it was totally illegal, right? They got shut down in California. So you can't, you weren't supposed to do so I love hearing that that's coming up.

Kudos to California to yeah, okay. There have been people have been doing this for forever. This is not like some new thing but to embrace the fact that, okay, people are selling meals out of their home kitchen. How can we put some scaffolding around this from a regulatory perspective to keep it safe and to keep this community of entrepreneurs thriving? And that's cutting edge, that's new territory. And there's going to be good learning for other states is slowly more embraced this Soviet for those literally drooling over what we're talking about checking. Most likely, you know, as an outcome to your orders yet, but there's a lot of pending legislation. So interesting times ahead, for sure.

Yeah. Which states, which states are the most ahead and which ones are the furthest, kind of the most strict?

Lisa
Yeah. So California, again, within Microenterprise Kitchen Act, or Mikos is there now called we ever know acronym. Wyoming was one of the first state really to put in a food freedom law. Montana, and even and I thought myself personally, like this is not going to come to the Midwest for decades, Lisa. And Illinois and Iowa are increasingly expanding their Cottage Food laws to include more things and things that again, traditionally we would have considered hazardous. So yeah, it's really but then, to answer your question about worst, I must put my own state on the the docket there of Wisconsin because Cottage Food laws are based on our elected officials. And the long story short there, there's a long story, you must come to Wisconsin, and we will have lots of beer and cheese. And this is the long 10 year saga of godspeed advocacy, Wisconsin. But the short story is our elected officials wouldn't pass a law, wouldn't even put on the agenda, corporate interests, other things. So we fought for a long time to get things expanded to baked goods. And when it was clear, that was never going to happen with current leadership. Fortunately, we have three branches of democracy still. And we could go with legal help from the Institute for Justice over to the judicial branch, and sued the state twice now. Once was on behalf of all baked goods, non hazardous items that go in the oven. And most recently, other non hazardous products that don't go in the oven like candies and roasted coffee, that kind of thing. So it's perfectly legal in our state, we don't have a law. So in essence, our situation is good, I'm not complaining, we can do what we want to do, but we shouldn't have to go through those hoops. That is not the way it's supposed to work. So again, I'm really very inspired by and a lot of respect for states that can collaboratively come together and with both producers and legislatures and agency folks and come up with good things that work and change and tweak them when needed.

Sari
I know like West Virginia where I've worked with some folks there with their faster program and they have a pretty nice, pretty well written laws where they can even do some wholesale and same with California as well. I'm sure there's maybe some other states.

Lisa
Wholesale, another thing in the first edition of Homemade For Sale, no wholesale nope, nope, nope. And in the new one, it's like well you know, check with your state, you increasingly can and that's huge. Because it opens up more markets, it opens up a lot more opportunity. And then you know like with the work you do of helping people transition to the commercial side is even more important than in that I always joke it's like it's not it's not even a gross sales cap. It's your family is going to kick you out of your kitchen. You need some more space. But there is no better training wheels strategic training wheels than a Cottage Food business in your home kitchen because if and when, great. You want to rent a commercial kitchen or start a bricks and mortar place or any of those kinds of options. You hit the ground running with a track record and sales outlets and, and, and which is huge in putting all the pieces together so can't beat that and into it. I mean not for everybody. And that's where I just in talking to people in the Cottage Food community, it's something you can put a call away and you can just test it out and see if this is right for you. And that's what to these resources, the Homemade For Sale book, the conferences, are all helping people analyze their own situation, and to realize that they don't have to do it exactly like somebody else does. There's no, I would, you know, in all the support you do for businesses that you probably first to say there's no cookie cutter model to know exactly. Blueprint. It depends a lot on your situation, your values, your products, your schedule, your life, etc. But I mean, I love Cottage Food businesses that are truly seasonal, that you know, pop up the holidays, or it's one product that they do on certain occasions. Great. Great. If that works.

Sari
Can be a family affair. It can just be, you. I mean, it's a really beautiful, yeah. Beautiful way to test out entrepreneurship.

Lisa
My favorite thing is when you see moms and teenage daughters running businesses together, you know. And we all remember our teenage years, don't we, Sari? You know, it might not have always been smooth sailing with mom, but I just love it because they're coming together for a common goal. They both love baking and it is truly supporting the next generation. But that one in particular is undervalued. I would get your kids involved for sure. Kitchen. Yeah, so great.

Sari
Yeah, building talking about money and you know how to efficiencies and just work ethic, right? Being on time for things and setting up and communicate, talking with customers. And yeah, it's there's so many great skills and lessons to learn there. I love it. So I know you have an awesome book out and you have a conference coming up. But we'll talk about that in a second. But what are some of those key pieces of advice that you know, as people may be considering it, they look up and see oh, my product does fit within cottage food, I think I can do this. Where do you recommend? Yeah, people get started or some helpful pieces of advice.

Lisa
Yeah, well, we've been talking already about this idea that your business, your rules. And that's particularly important, when you're just getting started in that just get started, do a sale, do something. You don't need the master 10 year plan right then and you don't need every T cross, do something because I find myself most definitely your confidence builds as you take baby steps, right? And it can get so easy to get overwhelmed in the research phase and the feeling like you need to cross every T phase. I think too many cottage food entrepreneurs are just that's nice, wonderful, outstanding people do you know, like they did not make sure they're not doing anything illegal or this or that. And we are talking about non hazardous products. These are chocolate chip cookies, you will be fine. Totally, totally. The other thing and this one is a little harder nut to crack is embracing that entrepreneurial mindset. Now if you've already run a business, or you grew up in a family of entrepreneurs, that's much more of an easier first step. But for most of us who haven't run a business before it's being comfortable with a gray because I'm sure you see what the folks you work with. There's never any completely right answer. There's never a decision you make that may not be needing to be tweaked later, et cetera. And for some folks, that's really uncomfortable. And in that case, maybe this isn't for you do you know it's not it's worth trying for all means, but you need to be comfortable with that gray area. So don't go in like super gray right away, but just start.

Sari
I love talking. I mean, that's my, that's my jam. So I always say is that mindset piece and I think that's something that I do see so many people with that great idea, but they're so scared to get started or they're so worried and they you know, a lot I attract a lot of people who are high achievers perfectionist, right? They they want to be have all their T's crossed and all of the things and and there is that balance. I mean, there are the people who start without doing any research and just kind of doing it and asking for forgiveness later. But I think most people err on the side of waiting too long wanting to do every bit of research have every idea like fully, you know, fully baked And that's I don't think I don't recommend that I force a lot of people to get, like, I'll give them due dates and say you are launching on this date, you know, and we're gonna make sure you have B minus work, you will have confidence that you are safe and legal, and support. And if anybody's feeling like, I just can't get over that hump of starting, I just can't get over myself and my fear, I really want to invite you into Food Business Success because having a community that supports you, and you can hear other entrepreneurs, you know, we just reopened food business success, and we have a group of new folks in there. And that was the main feedback I got from the new folks is that they were like, oh, my gosh, it's so good to hear other people going through some of these same struggles, or hearing how they got over it and using some of the insight and support. And then all of the programming really supports you to be confident and to go out and just get started, right? But having that solid foundation behind you, I think is really important.

Lisa
That's good advice Sari totally. And that's what sometimes that first step advice from is sign up for a market, you know, is that a market is one tangible event, you will learn, you will prepare, it'll force you to do it, and you will learn so much. And you will get a feel, you know, with very minimal investment all around. And sometimes that can be easier. It can be easier. I totally get it to sell to strangers than your family or neighbors even though they want to support you in this but that I see I love seeing first time vendors at markets, right? I love buying from them because we want to support that. And you see that lights start clicking and yeah, so that's a good first step is commit to something, whether it's something new in the summer, or I love all the winter markets and holiday markets, because those tend to be oh yeah, those tend to be much higher value in the sense of people shopping for presents and gifts and things where they're just more willing to dish out some cash, right? So that can often be a much better thing. And that's super important to that. No, no, no, you are always singing this mantra important, importantly, of pricing and the profitability side of things. I mean, just get out there and make your first sale however, much sooner than later. You need to keep pricing and profitability in mind. These are not glorified hobbies. If you want to hobby great, you want to give away things. I give away things all the time. But that's my choice. That's me, Lisa. That's not the business owner. And it's a tough one. Because we're not competing with the grocery store or industrial food or anything like that. Don't even go there. And if somebody ever questions you, as to why you are so much more than the industrial food system, they're not your customer, you know that I think we tend to, I fall into this, especially as women, we want to work with people pleasers, we want everybody to be happy. And if somebody's disgruntled over a price, we try to make it work and walk away. Same thing with cottage food in general where I get questions. Just it's amazing how personal people can get like, well, how can I trust your kitchen? You know, how do I know where this was made? And, hey, it is not our job to sell cottage food to everybody. It is a choice. I would argue it is the ultimate transparency, right? Because when you buy that pickle off the shelf at the industrial grocery store, truly where did that come from? Who made that, etcetera? And did anybody care about that end product, whereas if you're buying pickles for me, I can tell you exactly where I grew the cucumbers, when I processed it, how I did it, where the recipe came from, etcetera. So ideally yes, people are increasingly wanting that transparency but you don't need to convince everybody, you don't need to please everybody. Find your right customers, the ones who support champion and advocate for you, right? Because what about it's the oldest best form of advertising there is.

Sari
Yeah, absolutely. So sounds like just start. I also think my personal opinion is I love it when I have seen those first time vendors and I don't know if you know this but I own a Winter Farmers Market in Colorado. So we have 13. So we have 13 markets in the season and it was really created 16 years ago to help farmers and food producers to extend the season and create more cash flow. You know, even here in Colorado, we can still grow vegetables, even in the winter. And it's become a really valuable piece for the community both for people wanting to you know continue to support local to meet their producers and growers and ranchers and maker is, but it's also a very valuable, like there was an almost shut down. And then people, that's when I took it over. And people were like, we need this so bad, right, as vendors like we need this place. And it's such a beautiful, it's a low stakes place because we let people pop in, they can just do one market or a couple of markets, you know, they want to sign up for the entire season. But I love seeing those brand new or you know, that first market where they have like, a little table and maybe some signage, maybe not, you know, and they put their bread out or whatever it is. And then they start talking with each other, and they start kind of looking around, and then the next week, the next time they come back and like maybe they have some better signage, or they have some you know, like, every week, it's like they get a little bit better and a little bit bit more professional and they're creating, and then they're talking with each other. And there's this community and they're supporting each other. And it's just, it warms my heart. It's such a beautiful thing.

Lisa
Oh I love, I'm getting goosebumps hearing your stories Sari because I totally, that is so rewarding all around. And I'm so I think this is can be such an influencer and other aspects of one's life, right? It's confidence building. And what does that mean? And what are other directions you take it and hey, I was talking before about the need for good cottage food laws. Wouldn't that be great if more food entrepreneurs are motivated to run for office, I'd be first in line to vote for anybody who runs a food business because we get each other, right? And that's a we need in those realms. So who knows what things might spark and inspire and lead to other roads. But that's so wonderful that you're creating such a nurturing market space. It's like, it's like a little, it's like a little pop up incubator to get their feet wet. And you try it out. And that's why too, I always joke, but in all sincerity, I was like, well, bottom line, never produce a product that you don't like to eat, or your family doesn't like to eat yourself. Do you know because like worst case scenario, you come home with nothing. Fine, eat it!

Sari
Oh my gosh. Yeah. And I think and you kind of said it yourself, too that I don't think anything bad ever really comes out of you trying this, right? Even if you don't last, you know, if you if you just try for a season or couple of markets, like it's a little bit of investment, it's a pretty small investment to get started with cottage food, you're gonna need a little packaging, some labels. You know, maybe you buy a piece of equipment that helps you at home and then it's some ingredients and your time, right? That's what you're putting into it. Maybe some marketing, right? It's a pretty small investment.

Lisa
It's not a lot. It is totally not a lot. It's not even in the same realm of what it would be if you were going the traditional commercial route.

Sari
Oh my gosh, yeah.

Lisa
And you can walk away. It's not a life commitment. And that's too where we're talking about dialing things up or dialing things down. You're in control, right? And that's where, especially if it's other aspects of your life, or if you're balancing kids in the home or elder care or other things like that. Again, it can go up and down. That's where I think we tend to get lost right word, but we just, we want to please right? So we want to take these orders so we we commit to more than we really can should do. And there's a new chapter in the second edition of Homemade For Sale on burnout and avoiding burnout and that whole self care aspect because we want to keep people in business on your own terms. And it really breaks my heart when I read in a Facebook group of somebody who's hanging up their apron, right? Because it just got too much and, and, and.

Sari
Hating their product that they started. Because they love it. Right?

Lisa
I realize it's a personal journey. There's a lot of factors in that. But it doesn't have to be that way. It really doesn't. And the question is knowing the signs, and the question is honestly, I'm gonna question it's a statement just saying no, right? When things come up, that you can't do, trust me, you do one market and you're a good vendor, you're gonna get invitations to others. And especially into it goes to like, the fact that a lot of the busy seasons for cottage food products particularly bakery is the holidays. How much of that do you want to do? Or how can you structure your product around the holiday so you can still have fun, right?

Sari
Yeah, exactly. I know. There's nothing worse than my people have big holiday businesses and then they end up hating the holidays. And it's like, how can we structure your business to work for you and that you can still enjoy the holidays?

Lisa
Kind of keen if you're really open and you don't have a particular product or something you have an expertise in is to think about those nonperishable. Things that aren't baked goods by the line, you know things that, the jam, the jellies or the mixes or things. You do have some more flexibility. And yeah, so that maybe a route to go in the sense of the candies and things that you know, if you don't sell out of this market, you have another option. So that's something to think about.

Sari
But yeah, there's pros and cons for sure. Yeah.

Lisa
What you like to do, what you're good at doing, and what obviously what their bottom line is a market for.

Sari
But there are all those byproducts. There's unexpected, the beautiful surprises of the new people you meet like I introduced one of my Fuel members to somebody at the market that was like I just, they're both vendors there. I was like, you guys need to know each other. And now they're like two peas in a pod, you know, two best friends and like, you know, and then the other gal is cottage food, just joined my program too. And it's just like, I don't know, the connections and the, you know, just the fun and the, you know, the engagement with people is really unexpected, I think for people how much they love that. And then yeah, maybe you end up running for office or you meet, you know, people meet interesting people all the time, that lead to new opportunities, and the confidence building and the inner, you know, forcing you to innovate and be resilient. How can I solve problems? And it just, it gets your brain engaged. So fun. Yeah.

Lisa
I love that you use the word fun there, Sari, because that is truly it is that it gets something you don't see in business school but I think you and I both argues, it's not fun.

Sari
What the heck are we doing?

Lisa
You know, if you really, we all get in those situations where things pile up and, and, and, and there's pieces of the business that are more fun than others I've yet, I've honestly yet to meet a cottage food entrepreneur that's like, yay, taxes, yeah bookkeeping sign me up. I know accountants who are who cottage food folks that, you know, there's pieces we like and the piece we probably like most is being in our kitchen and producing. And then I'd argue a close second is the selling and interaction part. But there are pieces that again, are more fun than others. But still overall, it should be something one gets excited about and one is jazzed about. And that one leaves some room for serendipity. Like you said, the meeting of people, and this and that and the, there's so many stories where if you go to a market, like we're talking about your first market, sure, bring a couple of different things, you know, small batches, try them out, I'm amazed at how many times it's something that you least think will sell, you know, or you have the least confidence in or you did on the last minute on a whim, or you package something interestingly and fun, or you put this ribbon on that just because you had it there, and it flies off the shelf. You just don't know and be creative and be self expressive. That's where, again, we're not trying to look like that pickle jar in the grocery store shelf, we're trying to express our stories. And that's where too, I love seeing all of the cultural and heritage rooted products, right? The family recipes, the things you would never see in a commercial store because either they're too delicate, or they're too difficult to make or there's just not a market or, or, or down the line. But if you're lucky enough to have something like that in your family history, that you can now build a business around that is so much more than your collage Ghee or whatever it might be. Or in my case, with Baltic roots, I have Latvian rye breads and things like that, that are really unique. But you get me talking about that to get me talking about my family and my grandfather who was the baker and, and, and. And that's what we need, right? So do think about that, don't use all of the stuff we're talking about, all the things online, all the Facebook groups, all the people for inspiration and ideas, but don't let that dough, your thrive to add your own personality to it. And that I would argue is key in that. That's what makes things stand out. I'm just so amazed by the creativity of the cottage food community and the things people are doing and how you know, the different twists on it and I just it's a real palette, if you will, you know an artists that self expression and that should reflect to colors and patterns and whatever it might be.

Sari
Yeah, so I'm just thinking of this last weekend, I was at my market and there was a gentleman who was from Sierra Leone, and he had these rice, kind of rice flour and some yeah, they're made from rice. They were like a donut. And they were so delicious. You know, I bought some and people were coming out like they were regulars of his and you know, and here he is sharing this beautiful food from his home country and, you know, I gotta get my, get my donut, rice donut.

Lisa
That is fantastic and that, like we've been saying today that has so many more layers to it than just a transaction. It's a sharing of cultures. It's a building of community. It's a building bridges on so many levels and kudos to him because that takes, that takes confidence and risk and embracing the unknown of I'm going to bring this thing to a market that nobody has ever heard of before and bridge two continents. And I'm sure it wasn't on his radar perhaps when he first came to the United States. I'm coming here to do the donut business. But that is fantastic and I think that diversity of food products is our strength. And yeah, that sounds really yummy.

Sari
I know, right? Well, and I gotta say I am on a mission to make running a business fun. And, you know, I know that makers love to make their products and that is fun and selling their product is often fun. But part of what I love to do is help people make the business of running a business fun, right? Because I think there's a lot of people we off, I'm sure you hear this a lot, right? I'm not good with numbers, I don't know, like, so I know I'm talking about that for your conference coming up. So I'd love for you to like I'll be doing a session for you guys talking about finances and preparing for taxes and some of those pieces. But let's talk about the conference as a whole. And tell us a little bit more about what you're doing there.

Lisa
Oh, you bet. And thank you so much, Sari, for joining this year, we are so excited to have you speaking and sharing on multiple levels. So this is the Home Based Food Entrepreneur Virtual National Conference, we did the first one in 2021 as a pilot, that was right still in the heart of COVID. And the opportunity, I think, again, perhaps blessing of COVID is it really has opened up the virtual space in ways that it's much more accessible and acceptable and all that. So renewing the countryside and I'm profit based here in the Midwest that does a lot in local food support and small scale entrepreneurship, particularly in rural areas, but particularly with local foods and ingredients. Hosted this, and we had a great response to the first one with over 900 people from around the country and it was fantastic. So yes, excited for round two, it's going to be April 10th, through the 13th in 2023. It is online, all recorded. So if I would highly argue do not miss Sari's workshop. But if you happen to miss it, or you want to see it again, better yet, you can do that online. And that's accessible. It's all through this Hoover platform. That's the platform that's hosting this virtual conference. And what surprised me and was so fun last time, and it's only going to be amplified this year is the community that can grow in the virtual space around the conference. So when you register, and best part, registration is just $35. Thanks to sponsors, we've been able to keep this really low and affordable. So once you register and I would register register now because you can have access to all of this weeks, months before the conference, including extra sessions with you, you can go so we basically sign into the Hoover platform. It's an easy app you can do on your phone, or you can do on your computer. And you'll see all sorts of things already percolating. So people organized chat rooms. And this is where you can dial in. So if you are a vegan baker or a stay at home homeschooling mom, we had chat groups specifically for that, or meet people from your state, you'll see a whole bunch of options there. And then there's also fun things like photo contests and different polls and things. So when you sign on right now, there are already some videos like yours, that you can watch on demand. So there's content there already. And then we're going to kick things off on the 10th of April, there's going to be 4 keynotes each day. And David Crabill was talking about with Foragers going to be there and the Miracle Twins from Sugar Cookie Marketing. And Erica Smith with the Institute for Justice that I mentioned briefly is and representing us here in Wisconsin, but they really have been an amazing force as a nonprofit law firm of advocating for laws and too often breaking down barriers when they are for small scale food entrepreneurs. And then every day there's going to be three different workshops. And the workshops like yours are all led by people who are gonna say in the field, but in the kitchen, and really involved with running their own business in various ways. So it's a great lineup. We're so grateful for folks like yourself, so willing to share their knowledge and time. And yeah, so we look forward to seeing everybody there. Its registration is again, live and going and if you register before March 1st, we have some of our Homemade For Sale books donated by our publisher New Society. So hey, grab your seats, it might as well and we'll have some giveaways there. But when you a little different than going to in person event is the community starting already, so there's no reason to not join the party already.

Sari
Absolutely. And where, what is the website? We'll definitely put it in the show notes as well so people can click up the link, but where did they go to register for that?

Lisa
Yeah, um, the renewingthecountryside.org is our host place and you can see it under events there and we'll get to the redirect to the show notes. Yep.

Sari
Okay, perfect. Yes. Renewing The Countryside. Awesome. All right. Well, I mean, we could gush and gush about cottage food forever.

Lisa
No, but thanks for all you do, Sari, because it's just so inspiring to see this movement grow. And it's those resources and education out there. And yep, so appreciate the invitation to join you today. And look forward to seeing you in April. And again.

Sari
Yes, beautiful. Well, anything you want to close out with, I really appreciate you being here. It's such a fun conversation. And like I told you, some of the the cottage food episodes that I've done are some of the most downloaded. So clearly, people are very interested in cottage food. I know, I saw a spike with COVID for myself, and I'm sure you guys have as well where when we have those moments of uncertainty and change, and we tend to, I think, go into our kitchens anyway, right? There's comfort and connection there. But also those voices in you that are like, you know, what, you know, what am I doing? Where is meaning for me? And do I want to keep doing the work that I'm doing? Or is there something that I want to add to the work I'm doing to create more purpose and passion and meaning so I definitely saw, you know, people's interests coming to Food Business Success, as when the pandemic happened, and still pretty strong. So I'm sure you guys saw the same with your books and your courses as well.

Lisa
No, I love it. You're exactly right. There really is not a better time than today to jump in to starting your own business from your home kitchen. It keeps getting better. But on the flip side, as we've been talking about, the flip side of so many resources and community now is there's so many resources and community, right? It's much easier to sit paddling in that, I'm not ready. I'm gonna listen to one more podcast and one.

Sari
Yeah. Analysis paralysis, like I don't know, let me ask one more person.

Lisa
Oh, I'm guilty of that, we all are. But if this is a message we could leave folks today is commit to something. Exactly we're talking about commit to that market, commit to something one order, one tangible, that is really the first step for anybody and everybody. And who knows. Who knows, but don't. The research phase can get fun, and also long. And also, I would argue unnecessary at some point because you are your own best teacher and experience is the best teacher and we just need to get out there and do it. And I'm guaranteed, you will pleasantly surprised yourself on all the good things out there.

Sari
I love it. Well, thank you so much for your time, Lisa, it was so fun to have you here on the podcast. And I look forward to seeing everybody in April.

Lisa
Thank you.

Sari
I will put all the links to get yourself registered. If you are cottage food or you're thinking about cottage food, you definitely do not want to miss this upcoming virtual conference. Besides my awesome session and answering Q&A and some of the bonuses that I'm offering there. There are tons of great speakers as well as these workshops that will really help you, set you up for more success. It's going to be a really good use of your time and help you get going. And of course I want to invite you to come join me in Food Business Success as well for ongoing support and even more tools and really setting you up for that financial peace that we mentioned. Food Business Success and Fuel membership is really meant to be a layering process. It's not like you need everything right away. But you'll have lifetime access when you are ready to kind of scale up to look ahead at maybe going into a commercial kitchen, or just growing your current cottage food business. All right. Thanks for joining me today and thanks so much to Lisa and all of her insight. Until next time, have an amazing week!

The smartest thing you can do as an entrepreneur is to invest in a who to help you with the how to speed up your journey and help you skip the line. When you are ready for more support and accountability to finally get this thing done. You can work with me in two ways. Get me all to yourself with one on one business coaching or join Food Business Success which includes membership inside Fuel, our community of food business founders that includes monthly live group coaching calls and so much more. It's one of my favorite places to hang out and I would love to see you there. Go to foodbizsuccess.com to start your journey towards your own Food Business Success.