Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with John Hess, Commodities Manager at North Central Companies, located in Minnetonka, MN, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a supplier of gluten-free and keto food ingredients for bakeries and other manufacturers. Our specialty is providing solutions to make sourcing, not such a hassle for our customers, especially with today’s unpredictable supply chain issues.
Tell us about yourself
Being parents of 3 wonderful children, my beautiful wife, Courtney, and I wanted to feed our children healthy alternatives to the more common processed junk foods that are on the market. This led us to learn about many innovative gluten-free and keto food companies and the very interesting ingredients they use in their finished products. In 2019, I started The Gluten-Free Ingredient Guy as a business to help provide manufacturers of gluten-free and keto foods with an easier and time-saving way to source their ingredients. Since then, we have grown our customer base substantially and continue to navigate through the tough landscape of today’s supply chain volatility.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I would say our biggest accomplishment is helping to keep products on the shelf through the tough times when ingredients are scarce and hard to find.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Starting a business is like having a child. It requires a lot of focus, resources, and guidance. A company will take up a lot of your free time. It will drive you crazy at times. It can also provide a great sense of accomplishment, pride, and happiness.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
The grind to acquire customers and interest in your product or service at first can seem daunting, sometimes defeating. My best advice is to keep on grinding. Listen to your customers and be a person of your word. Always do what you say you are going to do. When you make a mistake, take responsibility and then immediately fix that mistake. Set goals every day and do everything you can to hit them. If you don’t meet your goals that day, make up for them the next day. It will all pay off in the long run.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.glutenfreeingredientguy.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Glutenfreeingredientguy/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glutenfreeingredientguy/
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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