Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Nicole Verkindt, CEO of Buggy, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Buggy is a "groceries and essentials store" where you can order from the app or website only. We own our own inventory, which is set up in small micro warehouses located in highly dense cities across Canada.

We source goods at wholesale, sell them at retail prices, have full-time couriers who can deliver in 15 minutes or less depending on where you are located, and we never substitute since we only show customers a live inventory feed to the closest store. Our customers range from University students on campus to seniors across Canada.

Tell us about yourself

I am an entrepreneur. This is the 4th business I have led. With this particular business, I bought into the story at a later stage of the business - the Founder sadly passed away a year prior to me coming in and investing/taking over as CEO. The mission of the Founder and the team were on was absolutely spot on.

They were ahead of their time in thinking, and now you can see the model working all around the world - in Europe and the US in particular. It is much, much better to own your own inventory, have full-time couriers, and extremely efficient real estate footprints. I'm excited for Canadians to discover this model - next-day delivery will seem like eons to them in the future!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

There is no such thing as a "business owner's" accomplishment. It's all about the team you attract and keep around you. I'm so lucky to have had such great people to work with in every venture I have been involved in.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

I would say cash management is the most important, and the "people part" is the hardest. It's critical for the team to be motivated, focused, and have a clear idea of where they are going.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

To start - the only tip is to start - don't be afraid to launch something that isn't perfect. Once you are on the playing field, there are so many different moves you can make, but a lot of people never get out of the starting gate because they are hypothesizing it to death.

In running and growing a business, I think it's critical to keep many options open within the business - so go for Plan A but always be flexible for a Plan B or C.

Number 1 thing for entrepreneurs - I think it's near impossible to be successful if you are trying to do multiple companies at the same time. Maybe I am old school, but it's kind of all in or nothing to me.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.buggy.ca/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/BUGGY.ca
https://www.facebook.com/nicoleverkindt
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/nicoleverkindt/
https://www.instagram.com/buggy.ca/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/nicoleverkindt
https://twitter.com/Buggy_Delivery
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoleverkindt/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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