Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ruth Harrigan, Owner of HoneyGramz, located in Little Neck, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a NYC-based family-owned honey shop specializing in superfood creamed honey, but we sell honey from our own local hives and regionally and worldwide from other beekeepers. We have a nice balance of retail sales (our own shop in Great Neck, NY, online sales, and wholesale sales to stores around the US.
Our customers are honey fanatics who just love honey, foodies looking for that perfect ingredient in their next recipe or an ingredient to build a recipe around, and everyday folks looking to give a unique gift to friends or family.
Tell us about yourself
We are a family-owned business, but I run it day to day. I turned my beekeeping hobby/passion into a business to promote the awareness of all pollinators, especially honeybees, and to promote the diverse selection of honey from around the world.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Making it this far! Twelve years after the first hives were set up and out, eight years since we sold our first jar of honey, we are found in shops all around the US. Ruth is passionate about teaching in the community and is the beekeeper at a children’s museum on Staten Island, the beekeeper for NYC public schools environmental center in Brooklyn, and gives many lectures in Libraries and places of worship around the city.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Cash Flow!!! When you are steadily growing, it’s hard to manage the cash flow.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Start small and test the waters, maybe at local fairs and markets, see if you like your business and dealing with the public/vendors, etc.
- Don’t be afraid to take on new challenges.
- Be positive; always plan for the worse, but expect the best.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.honeygramz.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/honeygramzz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/honeygramzofficial/
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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