Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Rachael Myers, owner of Little Foot Foods, located in Windsor, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Little Foot Foods is a family-owned company that is eight years old. We use our old family recipes to make comfort foods. We specialize in gourmet pierogi and are known for our innovative flavours that are wrapped in traditional dough. Our cabbage rolls, macaroni, and cheese, meatloaf, meatballs and pasta sauce, cookies, and biscuits all use high-quality ingredients and are made from scratch. We cater to a wide demographic, but our core customers are busy families who want good food but do not have the time to make it themselves.
Tell us about yourself
I am Rachael Myers. I, along with my husband Rob, started Little Foot Foods 8 years ago after I graduated with a master's degree in Political Science from the University of Windsor. It all began after rob (my husband of 2 years at this point) learned for the first time that I knew how to make pierogi. I made a batch to share with him and other family members, and the rest is history.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Our biggest accomplishment so far is our ability to attract business owners who want to stock our products because they either have heard about how good they are or already enjoy our foods. Sobeys is our largest retailer, and we were actually approached by the Manager of the London store about stocking several Pierogi flavours! Furthermore, once word traveled about how good they were, the store managers of the Chatham, St. Clair Beach, and Amherstburg locations all wanted us on their shelves as well! After working so hard making sale after sale to independent retailers, it felt like a fairytale having one of the biggest grocery chains in Canada believe we would be good for their shelves. Since then, we have been approached by Remarks, No Frills, and several additional local vendors who believe our product can help attract more customers and help them bring in more revenue! We have also finally found a distributor to work with out of Toronto and have some of our Pierogi on shelves across the province!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Balance. Maintaining a good work/life balance has always been important to us as we grow. Sometimes this was easier to accomplish than others. Pre-COVID, we took on as many events and samplings as we could fit into a week. It was physically exhausting at times. Now, with minimal events, maximizing production and sales have become the main focus to make up for revenue elsewhere. Finding more retailers, new ways to schedule production, and getting more customers back into the shop are all important ways to add to our bottom line. Luckily, our food is so good it basically sells itself!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Plan. We started this kind of on a whim and didn't really plan for this to get as big as it is currently. It may seem like a lot, but the more time you spend analyzing your idea, the clearer picture you will have of where you want to be and, more importantly, how to get there.
- Don't be afraid to ask for help. A lot of work goes into building a business, even more, to maintain it. If friends and family are willing to pitch in to help you succeed, accept it. You are not a burden. People who care want you to succeed and will understand why you need some extra help. Just make sure to make it up to them and show how grateful you are to them for helping you jump these hurdles
- Be flexible. You can have the best-laid plans, but your business depends on other people. Whether it's customers, employees, or partner businesses, you need to be ready for all the curveballs that entrepreneurship will throw your way. Expect to have to work extra because someone will be sick and there is no one to cover. Be ready for something to need repairs every month. Build-in some looseness to your budget so when things are bad, it's not that bad. If you do that, then when things are good, they'll be great!
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Despite a great product, we would not be here without the support of the community!! Thank you to everyone who has stepped through our doors, gone to our event, shopped with our retailers, or gotten our food delivered! We are only here because you want our food for dinner. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for giving us a 'little' home in your freezer!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: http://www.littlefootfoods.ca/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlefootfoods/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/littlefootfoods
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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