Start-up Seminars

Starting a Food Business & Regulatory Compliance 

This session is for you if you are in the early stages of development and are looking to gain knowledge in the food and beverage industry.

In this free 60-minute online seminar learn about:

  • Creating a Business Model
  • Doing your Market Research
  • Analyzing the Competition
  • What is Your Value Proposition?

Do you have an idea for a food business? Want to learn more before you venture into food production? Do you have a delicious recipe you wish to cook up into a money-making business? 

Make sure you are complying with applicable codes and regulations.

  • Fire Code Compliance & Building Permits
  • Zoning Requirements, Municipal Bylaws & Licensing
  • Food Safety Requirements 

Be sure to attend this valuable workshop on “Starting a Food Business”.

You will leave with a better understanding of how to get started on your path to success in the food and beverage industry! This webinar will assist you in navigating the permits and legislation requirements for a food and beverage business. You will leave with a better understanding of how to navigate the regulatory compliance in the food and beverage industry!

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights that will help you avoid costly mistakes!

Next Session: Thursday, April 25th, 2024 at 10:00 am (This session is offered 4 times per year.)
Duration: 1 hour

How to Sell Your Food Product

This session is for you if you want to learn how to sell your food product at markets, online, or to retailers.

In this free 60-minute online seminar learn about:

  • How to set your pricing for success
  • Positioning your product on the market
  • Building an audience of raving fans
  • The key things you can do to secure the sale

You have worked hard to develop a great product but you’re struggling to make sales. What gives?

Successfully selling your product involves more than just having great tasting food. Pricing, marketing, and how you position your product all play a key role in ensuring that people will buy it.

In this session, we will be joined by Nicole Haney, former Founder & CEO of Boho Bars, a national energy bar company. Nicole will guide us through the key factors to consider in successfully selling your product, whether you’re selling at markets, online, or to retailers.

You will leave with a better understanding of how to successfully sell your product in the food and beverage industry!

Next Session: Thursday, May 2nd, 2024 at 10:00 am (This session is offered 4 times per year.)
Duration: 1 hour

Costing & Pricing to Make Profits

This session is for you if you want to know how to price your food or beverage product appropriately.

In this free 60-minute online seminar learn about:

  • Understanding your COGS
  • Cash Flow Management
  • Planning for Profits

If you want to run a successful business it’s important for you to know the ‘numbers’. Learn how to cost and price your products and services for profitability and how the decisions you make about your operations and production processes affect your bottom line. Understand how to budget and spend money so you can pay all your bills and still have money left in your pocket at the end of the year.

Each participant will receive an Excel Financial Forecasting spreadsheet (blank) and completed examples for both a product and service business to assist you through the process. Use the spreadsheet to develop your individual timeline, operating and capital costs, and pricing calculator to create a cashflow projection and income statement for your business.

You will leave with a better understanding of how to properly cost and price your product to make a profit in the food and beverage industry!

Next Session: Thursday, May 16th, 2024 at 10:00am (This session is offered 4 times per year.)
Duration: 1 hour

Marketing & Branding your Food Product

This session is for you if you have a food or beverage product that needs the perfect brand to suit the right market.

In this free 60-minute online seminar learn about:

  • Why YOU are your brand as a new food or beverage business
  • What to consider when creating a visual identity for your company
  • What does marketing your product look like?

Amanda DeVries of Eye Candy Design specializes in branding food and beverage companies. In this webinar, Amanda will share her expert insight, from how to create your brand, how to retain and grow your brand to what sort of colours and typography styles are right for your product. You will learn the difference between designing for store shelves vs. food markets vs. digital spaces. She will also cover tips for working with a graphic designer and determining exactly who your product is for. As Amanda advises, “if your product is for everyone, then you are selling to no one”. Know your target market.

You will leave with a better understanding of how to brand and market your product in the food and beverage industry!

Next Session: May 23rd, 2024 at 10:00am (This session is offered 4 times per year.)
Duration: 1 hour

Labelling & Packaging your Food Product

This session is for you if you have a food or beverage product that needs an accurate and compliant label.

In this free 60-minute online seminar learn about:

  • Packaging Considerations
  • Labelling Requirements
  • Mistakes to Avoid

Packaging and labelling your food product is where marketing meets regulatory compliance and food safety. You know you want your product to look great on a store shelf, but what are you required to put on the label? How do you choose the right package for your product? For this session, we will be joined by Nicole Haney, former Founder & CEO of Boho Bars. Nicole will guide us through what to consider when choosing a package for your food product, what to include on your label, and what mistakes to avoid when packaging your food product.

You will leave with a better understanding of labelling & packaging in the food and beverage industry!

Next Session: Thursday, May 30th, 2024 at 10:00 am (This session is offered 4 times per year.)
Duration: 1 hour

Selling to Food Retailers

This session is for you if you have a CPG (Consumer Packaged Good) Product but have never sold into retail stores.  Gain some insight and instructions on how to conduct a sales call.  

In this free 60-minute online seminar learn about:

  • Breaking down a sales call into 7 clear steps  
  • Creating a plan for your sales call  
  • Learning how to overcome objections  
  • Closing the deal  
  • Following up & Customer Service 

Many food & beverage business owners believe their products will sell themselves.  “It’s the highest quality, low price, and there is nothing like this in the marketplace today.”    

Creating a sales strategy without a defined sales process is a mistake a lot of businesses tend to make. A standardized sales process with clearly defined sales stages establishes efficiency and will allow you to gain new retail accounts and scale your business.    

This session will be hosted by Paul Dromgole, a member of the Foodpreneur Advantage Team, who has extensive training and sales with Fortune 500 companies as well as his own independent Sales Agency.

Next Session: Thursday, June 6th, 2024 at 10:00 am (This session is offered 4 times per year.)
Duration: 1h hour

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Small Business Centre Windsor Essex
Small Business Centre Windsor Essex
Small Business Centre Windsor Essex