Vegan and Gluten-free Products

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with John Merlino, Founder, and CEO of Soul Solutions, located in San Clemente, CA, USA.

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

Soul Solutions is a vegan manufacturer located in Southern California. Our customers are primarily food service professionals and wholesale distributors, but we are looking into retail as well.

Tell us about yourself

I loved to cook with my mother, and coming from an Italian family; it was the dominating factor in our lives. I needed money as a young man, so I went to work in my first job at a little Mexican restaurant, cooking chips, and grating cheese. My journey has taken me from a trade school to various executive positions in some of Americans finest chain restaurants, but as a 60-year-old man now, I was looking for a less " on my feet all day" job. I have always been inspired by development, testing, and trying new things with ingredients. This is what gets me out of bed each day; the possibilities are endless.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Developing, implementing, designing, and selling a product to the food service industry and maintaining a business and client base for over 7 years!

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

Dealing with Social Media, cancel culture, and taxes. As well as seeing people I have known for years being put out of business by regulations.

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

Be ready to devote yourself to one thing only, test, test and re-test your products and recipes or concepts on real-world customers, not your family and friends. Third, if your business model dictates a 100K investment to get started, make sure you have 200K.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.thesoulpatty.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soulsolutions2020
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.soul.solution/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-merlino-72a5a767/

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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