Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Graham Young, founder of The Portland Board, located in Portland, ME, USA.

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

Our business is "The Portland Board," and we specialize in mobile charcuterie as well as provide catering services for events and weddings of all sizes. Using a locally sourced product from the mid-coast of Maine, we strive to give our clients a truly authentic taste of what this beautiful state has to offer at an affordable rate! For the cost of a sandwich, you and your friends can enjoy a unique and elevated dining experience with artisanal meats, cheeses, produce, and accompaniments.

Tell us about yourself

My name is Graham Young, and this business in the service industry is actually entirely new for me. I've spent the last decade developing a career in cannabis both in California as well as Maine. I spent eight years in California before moving back to Maine in 2018 to start my own cannabis company. After a few years of developing that business, it started to perform well enough to take a step back and hire a management team to run daily operations. This, in turn, left me with a ton of free time during the pandemic to start thinking about the next big idea.

After being away for so long, I realized that Portland was not the same city as when I left all those years ago. I fell in love with the new food scene that had taken off while I was away, and I knew that I wanted to be a part of it in some way or another. After many weeks of brainstorming during the start of the pandemic, I had decided that a mobile food unit was really the only realistic option (as I watched many businesses struggle to adapt or even close their doors indefinitely), but what kind of food should I serve? That became a very challenging question.

In the pursuit of creating something totally unique and new to contribute to Portland's food scene, I landed on charcuterie. Mobile charcuterie, to be specific! This is something that just simply didn't exist in Maine. After doing my research and confirming that I would be the first and only to create a business like this. It was time to get to work. I secured our mobile unit (An antique baby blue 1979 VW Bus), sourced affordable local products up the mid-coast, and developed our business plan. Only a short six months after that, we were fully operational and gaining traction quickly! After our first four months, we had gotten nothing but positive and exclamatory feedback. The love, support, and excitement from our customers that we receive daily motivate me to keep creating and serving all of you.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Honestly, I don't have any awards or any trophies proving that I've accomplished anything at all. What I do have is the knowledge and confidence in myself to develop a business and bring that business to a relative point of success. I've been working for myself now for over four years, supporting myself and my partner with the earnings from companies that I've created. It might not be an accomplishment in the traditional sense, but I'm very proud of the hard work that's gone into each of these endeavors and the life I've been able to create entirely on my own. That in itself is my greatest accomplishment as a business owner.

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

The ability to maintain a positive and driven attitude towards your business. Starting a business will never be easy. Starting out, there will be a tremendous amount of work, little to no pay, and periods of uncertainty. All of which will become mental roadblocks and inhibit you from truly considering what you want for this business and figuring out ways to adapt to the inevitable challenges you will face.

I've found that the only solution to this is developing a business that you truly love or feel passionate about. Running a business is difficult and can be incredibly discouraging at times. But if you're passionate about it and love what you're doing, it'll be much easier to look past the onslaught of obstacles to overcome and persevere.

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

  1. Research - Take some serious time to do the necessary research to figure out if the business idea is viable or not. For example, you don't want to start a taco truck in an area where there are 50 established taco trucks already or sell an expensive product in a lower-income area. Make sure the business you want to start makes sense both in the product and the intended target demographic.
  2. Preparation/Business Plan - Take the necessary time to create a well-rounded business plan with market research as well as a list of yearly goals for the business. This will be the "guide" to your business. Although still in early development, your business plan will help keep you on track as you're thrown curveballs and hurdles to adapt to. That same business plan will be the guide to anyone else you bring onto the team or the evidence that you need to prove you're worthy of financial lending when/if you get to the point of expansion. Preparation is KEY.
  3. Learn to adapt - Owning and operating a business is not an easy endeavor. Along with the daily challenges of running the business itself,
    there will always be curveballs thrown at you. Whether it's licensing, direct competition, product cost increases, A global pandemic, etc., there will always be challenges to overcome. The ability to adapt and solve problems will not only help develop your skills as a business owner but also help you develop a complete and total understanding of your business and its needs. Learning this skill could save your business!

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

When considering starting a new business, do not come up with the business first. First, find a problem you're passionate about and solve the problem. Then create the company around the solution to that problem.

Creating a solution to a problem in itself will create an immediate demand for your product or service. A clear solution to a problem will make it easier for your clients to comprehend the necessity for your services and improve the likeliness that they'll frequently patronize your business.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.theportlandboard.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Theportlandboard.me
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theportlandboard.me/

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.