Delicious Plant-based Menu Solutions

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Heather Saffer, Co-Founder of Yonderplate, Inc., located in Rochester, NY, USA.

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

My company is Yonderplate. We help restaurant and foodservice operators quickly and easily expand their plant-based and gluten-free menu offerings to expertly serve a rapidly growing customer segment.

Tell us about yourself

I have a long background as a food entrepreneur, creating better-for-you and better-tasting comfort foods. I developed Yonderplate to make it easier for foodservice operations to serve consumers like myself who do not eat meat and who cannot eat gluten. I have a strong passion for animal welfare and removing animals from the food chain. By enabling chefs and foodservice operators to easily add the most incredible chef-crafted plant-based items to their menus, our motivation is to allow people to move away from meat without missing a beat.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

A few of my biggest accomplishments were winning Food Network's Cupcake Wars, getting a deal on Shark Tank, and successfully exiting my previous startup, Dollop Gourmet.

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

One of the hardest things is blocking out the noise and distractions and saying no to opportunities that are not a good fit at the moment. It can be tempting to say yes to everything because "you never know," but if you do that, you wind up spreading yourself too thin. You need to know when to say no.

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

Start with a proof of concept in the form of sales.
Not everything has to be done tomorrow. Try to maintain a balanced, healthy life.
Don't compare yourself to others. What you see people post on social media about their businesses is nowhere close to their entire story.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.yonderplate.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yonderplate/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathersaffer/

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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