Learn how to start a food business from your home kitchen by hearing stories from cottage food entrepreneurs about how they grew their businesses from the ground up. Does everyone ask for your recipes, or say "You should sell that"? Have you dreamed of starting a brick-and-mortar bakery, or simply want a fun hobby that brings in some extra dough? On this podcast, David interviews a wide range of entrepreneurs across America who legally sell their homemade food via their state's cottage food law. Each episode reveals strategies for marketing and selling your food products successfully from home, online, at farmers markets/events, and in stores. Learn what steps you should (or shouldn't) take, and get your cottage food business off to the right start!
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food Businesses is an exceptional resource for individuals considering starting or growing a home-based food business. Not only does it provide valuable information and practical ideas for developing any type of business, but it also offers insightful interviews with successful business owners who share their experiences, including both their successes and mistakes. It is a comprehensive one-stop shop for anyone interested in home-based entrepreneurship.
The best aspect of The Forrager Podcast is the variety and depth of the interviews with business owners. They offer a wealth of knowledge and practical advice that can be applied to any type of business, not just cottage food businesses. The podcast covers all aspects of starting and growing a business, from legal requirements to marketing strategies. The interviews are honest and transparent, discussing both the challenges faced by the entrepreneurs as well as their personal motivations for becoming entrepreneurs. This makes the podcast relatable and inspiring for anyone considering starting their own venture.
One potential downside of The Forrager Podcast is that it may not be as relevant or useful for individuals who are already established in their cottage food businesses. While there is still value in hearing other entrepreneurs' stories and learning from their experiences, some episodes may cover topics that are more geared towards beginners or those in the early stages of building their businesses.
In conclusion, The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food Businesses is an invaluable resource for anyone considering starting or growing a home-based food business. It provides practical advice, insightful interviews, and motivation to keep going even during challenging times. Whether you're just starting out or looking to take your existing business to the next level, this podcast has something valuable to offer.
Ana Delgado of Wingdale, NY shares her incredible cottage food business journey that includes starting over twice, overcoming a midlife crisis, and dealing with burnout on her unlikely path to successGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/143
Georgi DeCosta of Kaneohe, HI shares how she used baking to help overcome depression, and turned her baking therapy into a legitimate cottage food business that has given her a new purpose in lifeGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/142
Rita Magalde runs Sheer Ambrosia in Salt Lake City, UT and shares her roller coaster baking business journey of 17 years that includes big risks, life changes, surprises, failures and successesGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/141
Michelle Chesser of Millersville, MO started her home bakery 16 years ago from humble beginnings and built it into a "monster" that changed her family's life and led her to become an online influencerGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/140
Chris Martin of Charlottesville, VA shares how she used her experience working at 3-star Michelin restaurants to build a successful cottage food bakery, and then reinvented it despite its popularityGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/139
Davia Delgado of Trenton, NJ has experienced incredibly fast growth in her cottage food bakery, and shares how she achieved many $2k and $3k sales days within her first year of businessGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/138
Elena-Maria Hert of Billings, MT shares how she persisted to create a successful cottage food bakery, despite struggling to acquire customers, source ingredients, and achieve work/life balanceGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/137
Allyson Grant of Baldwin City, KS shares her wild journey from starting a home bakery to growing a chain of cupcake stores, appearing on the Food Network, and coaching cottage food entrepreneursGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/136
Rachel Laukala of Ravensdale, WA shares how she built a very successful cottage food bakery selling only cake pops, amassed over 100k followers on Instagram, and started an online cake pop schoolGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/135
Meggen Wilson of Whitefish, MT shares how she converted her cottage food business into an ecommerce brand, and covers many topics including licensing, branding, copacking, ecommerce, SEO, email & moreGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/134
Matt Rosen of Eden Prairie, MN shares his unlikely journey from non-baker to bakery owner, including a major rebrand, a fortuitous commercial facility, and a business decision that tripled his salesGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/133
Delaney Peters of Wasilla, AK shares how her cottage food bakery became a massive success within its first year, despite having modest business ambitions and also being a stay-at-home mom of an infantGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/132
Maci Reed of Dover, NH shares how she rapidly built a successful cottage food bakery by focusing on helping others and fostering community, and eventually sold over 1,000 baked goods in a single dayGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/131
Denise Golia of North Providence, RI shares how she started a very successful bakery by niching way down, despite being limited by a personal injury and not being able to start from her home kitchenGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/130
Jondell Lafont-Garcia of Pflugerville, TX is one of the foremost experts in the homemade marshmallow trend and shares how she built her cottage food business despite facing a major personal challengeGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/129
Wynter Hosier of Greentown, IN shares how she built her cottage food bakery into a successful storefront by persevering and giving back, despite facing many unexpected twists and turns along the wayGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/128
Joan Eppehimer of Jamestown, NY shares how she raised thousands of dollars for charity with a cottage food business, and (with the help of her nephew Jason) rebranded her business to boost salesGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/127
Kristi Otto of Fort Myers, FL shares how she leveraged her extensive food industry experience to succeed with her cottage food bakery, despite her community not resonating with her products initiallyGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/126
Nicole DiMarco of West Deptford, NJ shares how she took the leap with a new product, and leveraged her sales, retail, and social media experience to quickly start a successful cottage food businessGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/125
Steph Uittenbogaard of Loveland, CO never thought she'd run her own home bakery, and she shares her atypical business journey, including both the triumphs and challenges that she's faced along the wayGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/124
Jenn Bowersock of Sidney, OH runs an authentic German bakery from her home, and shares how she went from struggling as an entrepreneur to experiencing rapid success by finding product/market fitGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/123
Alexis Kron of Bullhead City, AZ shares how she built a successful cottage food bakery selling luxury custom cakes, despite overcoming personal challenges and facing resistance from her communityGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/122
Tyler Worthey of Neoga, IL shares how he built a very successful cottage food business during high school, and how he and his mom Angie now work together as a mother/son team to take it to new heightsGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/121
Ka'Terra Dettbarn of Ocean City, MD endured lots of trial and error when starting a cottage bakery with her sister, but by persisting and listening for guidance, they transformed it into a successGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/120
Valerie Allensworth of Sitka, AK shares how she built a very successful cottage food business by focusing on consistency, despite living on a remote island in Alaska and facing many unique challengesGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/119
Marci Larson of Sioux Falls, SD shares how she turned her longtime dream of selling baked goods into a reality and built a successful cottage food business by selling wholesale and at many eventsGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/118
Jenifer & Tristan Hoke of Tecumseh, OK share how they used sheer persistence to overcome early sales struggles, and found a business model that works so well that they now can't keep up with demandGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/117
Rob Sanz of Rockville, MD shares how he's added a cottage food bakery to a busy family life and career, and why he has intentionally kept his microbakery small, even though he could easily grow itGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/116
Elisa Marie Lords of Placentia, CA shares how she overcame early struggles with her sales and built a thriving cottage food bakery by focusing on community, consistency, and customer serviceGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/115
Tiffany Hill shares how she built on her success as a cottage food baker by creating a thriving online community/course and a packaging business, both of which have experienced unprecedented growthGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/114
Tiffany Hill of Apple Valley, CA shares how she switched careers and built a full-time income from her cottage food bakery, after initially struggling to make sales and nearly shutting it downGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/113
Mark Elvidge shares how he and his wife started Vermont Nut Free Chocolates from home in 1998 and built it into an international brand with over 1,000 wholesale locations and constant growth each yearGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/112
Monique Germaine of Nashville, TN shares how she built and rebuilt her cottage food bakery in 3 different states, plus a crazy commercial food business journey that got her products into big retailersGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/111
Michelle Dukes of Penfield, NY shares why she shifted her business model after 10 years of running a cottage food bakery, while keeping focus on the most important aspect of her business: having funGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/110
Shupan Abraham of Lawrenceville, GA shares how her cottage food bakery transformed once she hired a coach, and what she's learned about putting herself out there and marketing her business effectivelyGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/109
David Bock of Altadena, CA runs a multifaceted honey business that specializes in rescuing honey bees, and he shares local marketing tips that helped him build an email list of 3,500+ subscribersGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/108
Jessi Deily of Helena, MT sells macarons and custom-decorated meringue cookies with her cottage food business and shares her journey from struggling artist to successful baker and TikTok influencerGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/107
Eric & Denise Steilberger of Ocala, FL sell their homemade fudge all year long and share how the lessons they learned from running a cafe in Alaska helped them build a successful cottage food businessGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/106
Kristyn Suemnick of Murrieta, CA shares how her discovery of sourdough bread led to building a thriving home bakery that allows her to stay at home with her kids and better connect with her communityGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/105
Megan Shonka of Papillion, NE shares the highs and lows of her home-based bakery journey, the importance of being involved in her community, and her plans to expand into a brick-and-mortar storefrontGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/104
Angela Awunor of Glenn Dale, MD shares how she moved her thriving custom cake business from a commercial kitchen into her home, and how she maintains work-life balance with two full-time careersGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/103
Denae Spiering of Bridgeville, DE shares how she realized her long-time dream of building a brick-and-mortar bakery despite life getting in the way and pausing her cottage food business for many yearsGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/102
Deanna Martinez-Bey of Wake Forest, NC is a multi-faceted food entrepreneur and shares her experience in building a cottage food bakery, writing books, managing social media, and running pop-up eventsGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/101
In this very special 100th episode, previous guests come back on to share an update of what's changed since they were last on the show, what's surprised them, and what they've learned along the wayGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/100
Nancy Chang of Oakland, CA sells healthy soups with her home-based micro-restaurant and shares how her mother's battle with cancer inspired her to provide nourishing food to those facing health issuesGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/99
Stephanie Wiley of Whitefish, MT shares how the tragic loss of her son inspired her to start a cookie business, which she has quickly grown by seeking help from others and investing in the businessGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/98
Tamara Ketchian of Orange, CT sells gluten-free vegan granola and shares how she's gone from stay-at-home mom to starting a cottage food bakery to now scaling her business with a commercial kitchenGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/97
Jana LaViolette of Clovis, NM shares her incredible journey from cottage food to food truck to storefront, and how she overcame many obstacles by constantly trying new things and never giving upGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/96
Robert & Paula Grosz of Murray, KY share how they built a thriving jam & jelly business that allowed them to quit their jobs by focusing on quality, listening to customers, and scaling their businessGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/95
Susan Ting of Needham, MA shares how quitting her corporate job and facing burnout led her to start a cottage food bakery where she sells very unique and high-end gluten-free mochi dessertsGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/94
Janna Newcomb Walworth of Choctaw, OK has rapidly grown her cottage food business selling freeze dried candy, fruits, veggies, etc, and shares why she doesn't think this trend will end anytime soonGet full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/93
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