Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Nicolas Vivin, Managing Director of Extrovert Co., Ltd., located in Bangkok, Thailand.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
VIVIN Grocery is an independent, stand-alone gourmet, organic, and natural grocery store that produces and procures the best available locally-made products from the best natural ingredients and certified organic products by Thailand's local suppliers. VIVIN Grocery has become the home for Artisanal Local Thai Cheese, holding the widest variety of local cheeses in Thailand and the world, and is famed for its selection of cold cuts and charcuterie, many of which are made in the kitchen of VIVIN Grocery.
VIVIN Grocery criteria for groceries - made from all-natural ingredients or organically certified and, for the vast majority, grown and produced locally or regionally with respect to sustainability and minimizing waste. Only a minimal selection of groceries is imported. Besides being producers of artisanal and natural products themselves, VIVIN Grocery is actively involved with many products' quality processes. They work closely alongside select suppliers to maintain quality control and assist in product development, such as creating recipes and testing new items.
We now have two locations:
- VIVIN Grocery - Bistro Ekamai / Open since October 2019
- VIVIN Grocery - Café Asok / NEW!!! Open since August 2022
Our customers come from all around the world, but also many are local Thai residents of Bangkok and other long-term Expats, but one commonality is they are 'foodies' in the sense that they understand how important it is to have good food, also for those who are health conscious and wish to consume responsibly by buying and supporting local.
Tell us about yourself
I first got started by being an entrepreneur and working at fairs and markets every week, which myself and my wife did for many years, it was break breaking work and not glamourous in the slightest but the 'reward' paid off in the positive feedback, which helped us to grow, if a little slowly, to open our first stand-alone and now our second store.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
It's hard to say because I've far from accomplished from where we want to be, but I would say just being able to enjoy our own place without the help or partnering with others is somewhat of an achievement. Doing it by ourselves (my wife and I) has been extremely difficult, yet we can truly say it is our own and make the decisions between ourselves.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Staffing, but this issue is happening all around the world.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Start and fail, get up and fail again; it's only after a few 'falls' you build resilience, gain experience and truly understand what you want, want the people want, and what your team wants.
- Try to remember to take mental health days; we are workaholics, but we've learned as we've grown to dedicate days off to reset; this is actually more useful to your business than you may realise.
- Take risks; if it doesn't work out, it doesn't. If you wait and contemplate, that's more time wasted and money lost. Participate in as many activities as you can in the beginning, and say yes to almost everything; then, you will understand where you are going and where you want to focus your energy plus, awareness is key. Let people know who you are first, then later, they can discover you.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://vivingrocery.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vivingroceryasok
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vivingrocerybistro/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-vivin-23863815/
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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