Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Sandra Jones, owner of Fresh From The Gardens, located in Plano, TX, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Garden Fresh Food...it's literally the name of our business - Fresh from the Gardens! Through our luxury prepared meal delivery service, we curate highly customized meals that focus on our client's dietary needs and desires using fresh from the garden ingredients.
Then we offer private chef services and boutique catering, which features chef-prepared meals in your residence. No matter the occasion, we are able to give our clients and their guests a truly personalized and memorable experience.
In the canning and preserving area, we offer a unique membership club that presents members with various canned and preserved goods to try and accompanying recipes. We also host virtual cooking demonstrations and canning classes. Our customers include CEOs, professional athletes, families, and busy professionals. Our highly customized service is for everyone.
Tell us about yourself
I am a Texas native who was raised on garden-fresh food and family! My parents and upbringing provided the foundation for me to start my business. I learned gardening from my father and canning and preserving from my mother. Watching them chart their own paths through times that were very challenging for African Americans has always been a motivator and inspiration for me. Simply knowing that I am providing, teaching, and growing fresh food through the various facets of my business confirms that I am doing my small part to educate and improve the nutrition and health of the people I touch.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Overcoming fear, believing in myself and my talents, and taking the leap while understanding that there will always be risks associated with growth.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Finding the Balance. As a business owner, you have so many ideas but not a lot of time. So prioritizing your goals and aspirations to ensure that you are meeting the needs of the business but also ensuring steady growth is imperative.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Build a team - Surround yourself with a group of people that understand your vision and can offer different skills, expertise, and perspectives.
- Invest in Yourself - Continuing education is critical. It allows you as a business owner to understand trends. However, investing in yourself does not always mean classes or certifications. The presence of a business coach has been pivotal for my entrepreneurial journey. The insight, connections, and grounding that my coach has provided through the years are one of the reasons I have been so successful for so long.
- Just Start - When I began this business, I asked a friend for a logo and website. When I look back at them, I find myself cringing because they were not a good representation of my brand or what I envisioned my brand to be. However, the most important takeaway was not about how it looked...it was the fact that I got started. Don't let perfection delay what you have to share with the world. As the company grows, so will you, your brand, and your vision. You can always change lanes, but you have to start the race!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://freshfromthegardens.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreshfromtheGardens/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshftgardens/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/freshftgardens
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fresh-from-the-garden/
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.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.