Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Edouard Freda, co-founder, and CEO of Talia di Napoli, located in Brooklyn, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Talia di Napoli is a first-of-its-kind frozen pizza company – we pride ourselves on following time-honored traditions to create authentic Neapolitan pizzas that can be shipped straight to the consumer's door using our patented cryogenic freezing method. Our customers represent many different facets of life, but first and foremost, they appreciate good food! Talia di Napoli pizzas are different from anything else you'll find in the frozen food aisle, and our customers appreciate that. Our pizzas are made with high-quality ingredients sourced from Italy and contain no preservatives – two of our pizzas are also non-GMO certified!
Tell us about yourself
I founded Talia di Napoli after a weekend trip to my hometown of Naples when I visited my Uncle Guido's Neapolitan pizza facility. I had previously been working in the luxury fashion sector but wanted to focus on my love of my Italian heritage, as well as working to create a product that reflected the authentic culinary traditions of Naples. I brought the concept of Talia di Napoli to New York in 2018 with the motivation of furthering the public's understanding of Italian culture by way of delicious and authentic pizza!
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Watching our risk payoff has certainly been exciting. We founded the company in 2018, before the pandemic and before food e-commerce really took off. Selling frozen pizza from Italy online was not something that was being done, but we thought that people would pay a bit more to have premium Italian products delivered to their door. It's been a pleasure to see our idea grow into a solid product that can be enjoyed all over the country (and to bring a bit of Naples to everyone's home)!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Creating a fully operating business from the ground up was a challenge. From HR to legal compliance, to strategy, to PR, to marketing, and everything else – there is no instruction manual. You wake up every morning, and you take on the responsibility of choosing the direction in which you go. In the beginning, I was not sure if what I was doing was even remotely right. That was the hardest moment. Understanding which path to follow and having the courage to trust your judgment and not see your mistakes as a personal failures. It is thrilling, but also a lot of responsibility and people will depend on you. You need to accept that you are not perfect and not put too much pressure on yourself.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Make sure that the idea/product/service you are creating is something you're passionate about. You will encounter a lot of obstacles that will require you to be very committed, even when it's easier to quit.
- Don't start a business because you think it "will make you rich." Success is the consequence of working hard on something you love that makes you happy. You will be successful if you are happy.
- As difficult as the journey is, you eventually need to find a way to enjoy it because the destination might be far.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.taliadinapoli.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taliadinapoli/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/taliadinapoli/
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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