Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Donald Revolinski, Managing Partner of Spring Sunrise Natural Foods, located in Fairfield, IA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are Spring Sunrise Natural Foods. We produce a variety of organic products for our health-conscious consumer base. We specialize in ghee-clarified butter.
Tell us about yourself
My father started the business in 1992 in our home kitchen. He would wake up at 5 am to pour off 1-2 cases of 12 jars when I was a child. I would wake up to the smell of ghee having been poured off and see a bunch of jars in the refrigerator. I never thought I'd get into the food manufacturing business as this was always a side hustle for my father, but after a client of ours started pushing their own private label on Amazon in 2013 and radically scaled up, it became clear that this job needed more than just part-time work. My father hired two employees and eventually quit his job. He put up a large chunk of his retirement savings to build a facility in 2017, and then my mother passed away. After a bereavement period, we decided to double down on the business and go into it together, father and son.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Moving out of a small inspected kitchen attached to a rental property and building our own customized facility outside of our small town.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
The buck stops with you as the business owner. If there's a hard couple of months, your people still have to get paid, but you may need to take a pay cut. You take all the risks when you start your own small business, but there are great rewards to be had as well if you can work hard enough to grow.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Don't grow too fast. Moderate yearly growth is key for small businesses.
- If you must dish out criticism, make it constructive. Maintain the feeling level, and the work environment will flourish.
- Learn to account.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.springsunrise.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/springsunriseghee
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/springsunrisefoods/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/springsunghee
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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