Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Adam Jenkins, founder of Flavor Seed, located in Charlotte, NC, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Flavor Seed sells Organic blended seasonings, but what we are truly trying to do is help families eat a non-processed food diet quickly, easily, deliciously, and hopefully organically. We like to say that our flavors are really a restaurant in a jar, and we make you the chef. So no more bland and boring, simply add our amazing seasonings to your dish, and it makes the meal so much better without the fuss of a complicated recipe. Our customers are the folks that love good food, enjoy cooking, and/or care about what they are putting in their bodies. With so many unknowns in the food supply chain is as important as ever to know where your food comes from and how sustainable it really is as well as what it’s doing to the environment in order to be delivered to our tables. We hope to play a key part in driving awareness of this and helping the folks that care to enjoy guilt-free organic foods because It’s just the right thing to do.
Tell us about yourself
I worked in corporate America with General Electric for 15 years. I was burnt out, in a rut, overweight, and happened to have an opportunity to change my life and lifestyle. Twenty years prior, my dad wanted to create a seasoning company. He had some old family recipes and some that he had developed. I was in college and did the business plan and sent him a lot of other information to start the business. However, life happened, and the business didn’t. He passed away in 2010, and I found all the information buried in his important documents. He had saved it and knew it still had life. However, the time was still not right. It wasn’t until 2018 when I realized how difficult and expensive it was to live and cook an organic lifestyle. That was the Aha moment when I realized we would do what dad wanted to do, just all Organic. That day Flavor Seed was born. Each day I wake up and try to make the world a little better than it was the day before because I want to build this brand for my family and for the betterment of society.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Surviving so far through a pandemic. We launched with the product in March of 2019 and had a great run until COVID hit and stiffed our growth. While we still grew, we weren’t able to make the impact we were having when business was open. People felt comfortable being in stores and sampling foods. We shifted a lot of focus online, and it has helped. However, I still look forward to being back out in front of people evangelizing our value proposition. Otherwise, I would say the fact that we have great award-winning products that people love. That makes me feel good inside!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Turning it off and taking a vacation. I get to see my family a lot, and I do have flexibility, but with that, I am also always on, always thinking about what needs to be done next. Unfortunately, we aren’t big enough, yet for me to push off important tasks to others, so the buck stops with me, and if I don’t do it, it doesn’t get done.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
I think the hardest part of being a solopreneur are the ups and downs that are constant. Not having a network of other owners or close advisors to help your decision-making process is a recipe for disaster. You have to find someone you can trust and share your experiences, good and bad. Otherwise, you will drive yourself crazy.
Learn to fail fast because there are going to be failures. Try to make them fast and cheap, learn and move until you find what works best. Really focus on how much time and money you think it will take you to break even, then double or triple it.
Finally, keep at it, and just grow. There are only a few people that win the lottery, and there are just as many businesses that go viral or blow up overnight. It’s ok to grow slow and bootstrap. The tortoise wins the race, remember.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
If you start a business, Love what you do. Otherwise, just get a job, collect a paycheck and live a nice normal average life. You will be much happier with less stress.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.flavorseed.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flavorseed/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flavorseed/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/flavorseed
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flavorseed/
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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