Steinberg - Recipe for success: an insiders guide to bringing your natural food to market

RECIPE

FOR

SUCCESS

Abigail Steinberg

American Management Association

New York Atlanta Brussels Chicago Mexico City

San Francisco Shanghai Tokyo Toronto Washington, D.C.

In loving memoryof my stepfather, Hendrik Burgers,whose guidance and unwavering strengthboth as a businessman and as a human beinghave been a source of inspirationnot only for this book, but for meas a businesswoman.

A prize-winning barbecue sauce. Your grandmothers recipe for.... Perhaps successful sales at San Diegos Hillcrest and Little Italy Farmers markets hinting that a hobby can be turned into a moneymaker. You know that Whole Foods Market has renovated its La Jolla store and opened a big new store in Del Mar catering to the ever-increasing demand for natural food products.

So maybe you are thinking it is time for you to get serious about your natural food product. If you are, then its time to listen to Abigail Steinberg talk about how to.

I have read business books. I have taught thousands of students using business textbooks. I have even written business books. I know that learning from a book is doable. But learning how to do something from most books is more of an iffy proposition.

Learning how to do something is like drilling down, layer by layer, into increasingly specific detail. Its that depth of hard-won experience that Steinberg brings to the reader. As you will read, many people already in the natural foods industry dont know what a turnover is, and how to do one correctly with Whole Foods Market or Sprouts Farmers Market. Get it wrong and your product never leaves their warehouses. Listen to Steinberg and get it right.

Starting with that first walk through a store, through product development and finding a distribution partner to the decision to expand or sell out, readers will find clear, specific guidance about how to deal with the many pitfalls and barriers included in Recipe for Success that they will encounter. Readers will also realize that the natural foods industry is not user-friendly, having more than its fair share of sharks, scoundrels, and store owners who are not interested in giving a neophyte a fair chance.

So, like any good how-to teacher, she shows you how to learn from her mistakes rather than your own.

David M. Hunter, B.A., M.B.A
Retired business professor (Brock University)
and author of Supervisory Management
and Survival Guide to Business

Originally I felt writing acknowledgments would be a daunting task. But soon I realized it was finally a chance to thank all those who have supported me on this journey.

First off, I would like to thank my mother, Helen Burgers. It goes without saying I would not be here without her. But I also want her to know I appreciate the support and sacrifice she has made over the years. You have inspired me as a writer. You are also the most poised public speaker I have ever seen.

A very special thank you to my Grandma in England, Jeannette Livingstone. She has always been my biggest fan. Her unwavering support for my artistic endeavors is unmatched! She has never for a moment doubted me. I will forever appreciate her love, support, and like-minded artist soul.

To my dear husband Adam Edwards who has been my rock and support. I could not have written this book without you.

Thank you Dave Hunter for your mentorship. You kept me sane in this wonderful process.

Big thank you to my editor, Stephen S. Power, who believed in the book right from the start.

To my wonderful agent Albert Zuckerman who made it happen, fast! There is no way I could have done it without you.

I also want to thank all the people in my life. These are my family and friends behind the scenes. You are the people who made me who I am today. You all know who you are and what you have contributed on my life journey. So with that in alphabetical order I thank you!

Allison Claire-Acker, Silvia Aguila, Chi Chi (Yang) & Joe Bolton, Pearl Brook, Annemarie Brown-Mrmack and family, Cameron & Crystal Brown and children, Hugh & Marianne Brown, Edward & Barbara Burgers, Henk & Helen Burgers, Paul Burgers, Chi Chi (Yang), Bonnie Chermak, Sherryl Cowden, Adam Edwards, Gordon & Trish Edwards, Adam Forman, Jennifer Hempel. Bob Henderson, Robert & Carolyn Henderson, Diessa Henderson, Graham & Alexa Harris and children, Graham Harris, Geoffrey Harris, Louis & Adrienne Harris, Martin & Sheryl Harris, Shelley & Cory and Suzanne Hatt, Jim & Nicole and Sarah Hepworth, Rhonda and Brandon Hodges, Dave & Deana Hunter, Alana Jaq and family, Gina Juliano, Robert Knoll, Jay Krishan, Susan Laufer, Shelley Lavigne, Tara Law, Linda & Martin Lee, Lisa Linares, Charles & Jeannette Livingstone, Eric & Kate Marinho, Charmaine & Mark Mattison, Chloe Mattison, Abigail & Simon Mattison, Cameron McGlinchey, Deane McGlinchey, Edwardo Merlo, Jessica Mills, Kevin Mills, Jason & Gabby and Backy Nardell, Philip (not a problem!) Nardell, Michelle Nardell, Lisa & Kate and Wayne Parker, Evert Pater, Lais Pedroso, Stephen S. Power, Panda & Precious, Jordana Reim, Catherine Saul, Carol & David Steinberg, Joseph & Pearl Steinberg, Christina Kostoff & Jon Steinberg, Moe & Sybil Steinberg, Sharon Steinberg, Tana Steinberg, Linda Swanston, Neev Tapiero, Koya Webb, Michael Wadham, and my sweet nephews and soulmates Anthony & Patrick Wadham.

1

YOUR FIRST STEP

Y ou have the greatest new natural product, and it is sure to be a smash success! Your friends cant stop talking about it, so grocery stores across the country will never know what hit them, right? Before you risk thousands of dollars, though, bringing your product to market, keep reading. With this book I will show you how to navigate common problems, emotional pitfalls, and highly expensive traps that start-ups fall into and remain in on the path to success.

I have seen firsthand the many mistakes natural foods manufacturers make when trying to get their new product onto store shelves, costing themselves millions of dollars. For example, launching a product so similar to competitors products that customers cannot tell the difference. Changing Universal Product Codes (UPCs) midlaunch and losing every account the company worked so hard to gain. Pushing a product that did not sell, slowly bankrupting the manufacturer. I dont want you to suffer the same self-inflicted wounds.