To start your own luxury picnic business, you’ll need to follow some basic steps. First, you’ll want to find the perfect locale for your business and make sure it can be used legally for picnics. Once you’ve found the perfect spot, you’ll need to rent or buy it so that you have legal access to it on weekends and other open days.
If you plan to sell food or beverages at your picnics, you’ll also want to make sure you follow any local health department rules and get any necessary permits and licenses before selling anything.
What Do I Need?
In order to make your luxury picnic business run as smoothly as possible, you’ll need a van or truck that is large enough to fit all of your equipment. If possible, also make sure that it has an extra space on which you can store all of your food and drink.
Some people prefer getting branded with their company name in order to create recognition and credibility. It’s important to use high-quality materials for your packaging so customers know they are receiving a high-quality product. As far as insurance goes, you will want to check into commercial auto insurance, so you are covered if any accidents occur while on duty.
You may also want to purchase general liability insurance just in case someone gets hurt during one of your events. Finally, if you plan on serving alcohol at any point during an event, then it would be best to have liquor liability coverage so there are no legal issues later down the road.
Who Can Help Me?
In order to run your luxury picnic business, you will need help. You will require people who are experts in certain fields that may be unfamiliar to you, such as law and accounting. People who have experience running their own businesses can be very useful. Finally, friends and family members can offer support, ideas, and motivation while they give you an honest critique of your company’s strengths and weaknesses.
This support is invaluable when running your own business. However, it is wise not to turn too much of your focus away from growing your enterprise, as having other priorities at times can prevent you from really pushing hard enough towards growth when it matters most. You should learn how to hire employees so you do not have worry about every little detail or setback that may occur during the operation of your company
Time To Get Ready
don’t wait until you can’t bear it any longer. Get started on your luxury picnic business today by taking an inventory of your skills and hobbies, checking into local state laws, identifying potential clients, and researching competitors. Once that’s done, it’s time to get some cash-flow from your services by capitalizing on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
It also doesn’t hurt to spread word about your upcoming service through traditional advertising avenues like print and radio. With these first steps in place, you’re just days away from enjoying your first few customers’ adulation for great food in pretty locations!
How Much Does It Cost?
As of 2015, starting and maintaining your own picnic basket company will cost around $1,000 in start-up capital. This figure doesn’t include your initial stock; you should be prepared to spend at least another $2,000 on items such as gourmet cheeses, artisan breads and imported wines. Additional expenses—such as transportation costs and health department fees—will add up quickly.
And let’s not forget about insurance costs. Your biggest expense will probably be paying for an insured courier service for food deliveries and customer pick-ups. In total, you can expect to spend between $5,000 and $10,000 per year just running your small business — with no guarantee that you’ll make a profit.
Branding – My Name on Everything
Planning for success isn’t just about having a great idea. It’s also about having a plan in place so you can follow through and make your idea into something successful. One of the most important things you need to think about is when you should launch your new business—that is, how much time should pass between starting your company and going out on your first sales call?
The answer will depend on what kind of product or service you offer and how competitive it is but remember that early doesn’t always mean better. Although those who enter an industry early have an advantage, other factors like costs and competition are important considerations as well.
When Should I Start the Business?
As soon as possible. Even if you’re not ready to go full throttle just yet, starting small will help you figure out your niche and work out any bugs before you invest too much time or money into your business. Don’t be afraid to get your feet wet with an experiment or two, even if they fail—it’s better than knowing nothing about what works.
This can be as simple as offering a small number of products at an event on weekends (or during off-peak hours) until you learn what sells best and can scale up accordingly.
Marketing, Marketing, Marketing…
Your start-up has two components that determine whether or not it will succeed: building an excellent product and marketing. Building an excellent product is more important than you think, but marketing is still very important. You can’t just build something and expect people to buy it without much help from your own efforts.
Instead of asking How do I promote my business? ask yourself, what would make my customers want to tell their friends about my company? Once you identify what makes your company stand out from competitors, design a marketing plan around it.
Get creative with how you market your business, particularly when you’re just starting out. Can you offer something unique that other companies aren’t? How do people find out about your company in its early stages?
Conclusion
Beginning your own food service enterprise may not be as easy as it sounds, but if you already have experience in food preparation and have strong financial backing, you’ll probably have little trouble getting your new business off the ground. The more difficult challenge will be maintaining that initial momentum and turning your start-up into a thriving company.
Be sure to select an industry that is profitable, has future growth potential and can support ongoing innovation. Don’t underestimate how important branding will be; strive for perfection from day one (or even before). Once you’ve established yourself as an industry leader in terms of quality, value, and overall customer satisfaction, then it’s time for expansion. Set specific goals for what kind of growth or profits you want to achieve within a year or five years.
