Yesterday morning a friend of mine emailed me to let me know the sad news. After 4 years of building her food brand (in the condiment category), she had made the difficult decision to take a step back and pause her business. After reading this, the first feeling that came over me was sadness. I was sad to see her close it down after putting so much time and effort into building the brand over the past 4 years.

I had so many questions I wanted to ask her. Why was she closing it down? Was she just over it and tired of running the brand by herself for 4 years? Did she lose her passion after the lonely and daunting grind as a solo founder? Did she run into financial or capital issues with the business? What was she going to do with the rest of the inventory? How was she going to announce it to her customers and her retailers? Was it personal or business reasons that pushed her over the edge? I can only imagine how many long nights she had thought about it before ultimately making the decision to close down.

After thinking about it some more, I honestly don’t blame her. Building a food and beverage brand is fuckin hard. Here are the top pitfalls that fellow food founders can learn to avoid from her experience:

1. Failing to set appropriate expectations.

   Most of the origin stories from brands are similar. What started as an idea and a personal passion gave birth to early product prototypes and an inkling of a brand identity. As the product and brand evolved, so too did the founders’ expectations of turning their passion into a business. But how does the expectation of running a brand actually compare to reality? More chances than not, the idea of running a brand seems a lot more glamorous that is actually is.

2. Not understanding your category and what makes you different and unique.

   There are so many brands out there. While you might not know all the brands in your own category, you should because you’re competing against all of them. Do your homework. Learn how you can make yourself different and unique in the space. Most brands and products are so similar that it’s hard for consumers to tell them apart. Most brands do what other brands in their space do because it’s ‘safe’ and proven. Think different or you’ll become part of the rest.

3. Attempting to go on this journey alone.

   Find a community and befriend fellow food founders. Trust me. It’ll make the journey so much more enjoyable having company and friends who you can talk to about the problems you’re facing. Chances are there’s food founders who are a few steps ahead of you. Build relationships with them. Learn from them both their successes and their failures. Hey they might even connect you with people in their established networks which could serve as a fast-track for your brand.

4. Running someone else’s race.

   It’s easy to get caught up in the comparison game. ‘Well brand X has such great branding, so much funding, and connections to influential people’. You are not them and they are not you. Don’t think about what you don’t have and other people have. Flip the narrative. Focus on what you do have and others don’t.

5. Thinking that you’ll get rich quick.

   Sorry to break it to you but the chances of you becoming a millionaire through your food or beverage brand are slim to none. If you’re looking to make a quick buck, you’re in the wrong industry. The few success stories that do happen in the space take many many years, if not decades.

Hopefully these few pieces of advice can help emerging food founders avoid the top mistakes that food startups make.

Happy tastings,

Phil