Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dan Oliver, owner of Dan-O's Seasoning, located in Louisville, KY, USA.

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

My business is Dan-O’s Seasoning, and our target audience is everyone. Adults, teens, kids, and even dogs love our products! I set out on a mission to change the world one table at a time. Our product is an all-natural, low sodium seasoning with zero sugar. But the nice thing about it is that it’s good for anyone. Anyone can use it even if you are not trying to be healthy. Our products are great for people trying to add some flavor to their meals because Dan-O’s Seasoning goes great on everything.

Tell us about yourself

I was in sales after college, and I was good at it, but eventually, I wanted to step away from that company, and I had a goal of one day starting a business of my own. The only issue was that I wasn’t sure what that would be. When I was trying to figure out what was next, I cooked at a local bar here in Louisville and became a bartender later on. Every now and then, I would cook my special chicken recipe for some of the patrons, and a guy one night tried it and said it was the best chicken he’d ever had. He asked me, “Why aren’t you selling this?” That’s when I came up with the idea for Dan-O’s. What motivates me every day is to continue to grow this business and see that Dan-O’s Seasoning gets in every household in the country. That’s always been the goal.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment is the team that we have built. We went from being a company of just one to having 50 team members who all share the same goal and passion for building this company in just two years.

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

The hardest thing is always striving to make people happy. Whether they are our customers or our employees. You’re always trying to make sure that all customers are pleased with the product they receive every time. Then, you also want to make sure that all of the employees are taken care of and feel proud of the company they work for.

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

  1. You have to be willing to make sacrifices and do things you don’t necessarily want to do.
  2. You have to be willing to take risks, go all in, and put everything in it. I took almost my entire life savings to start this business. I had to risk everything to make this business successful.
  3. Learn how to manage your business’ money. Understand the difference between a margin vs. markup. Learning the difference between the two earlier on would have saved me a lot of money and allowed me to avoid a lot of hassle.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

When starting a business, you have to have a vision. It all begins with an idea. Once you commit, you start to chase the dream. There will always be people that will show up in your life that will help you along the way. You have to visualize your goals and manifest them.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://danosseasoning.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danosseasoning/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danosseasoning/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/danosseasoning/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/danos-seasoning/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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