Being an entrepreneur and building your food brand is not easy. Having a trusted circle of other entrepreneurs in your life to share your opportunities and hurdles to help you determine the best path forward can make all the difference.
Today on the Real Food Brands Podcast, host and Brand Strategist Katie Mleziva tells us why building a peer community for yourself as an entrepreneur is so important when building your food brand. Katie is going to be offering a Food & Beverage Entrepreneur Mastermind group this Fall, and she wants you to be aware of that opportunity, however, the Mastermind won’t be right for everyone and there are many ways to connect with peers to build your trusted circle!
Connecting With Your Community
The Real Food Brands Podcast started because of Katie’s experience working with her own peer Mastermind group. This talented group of business-savvy ladies have made a big difference in Katie’s life over the past few years, and there was a key moment when they challenged her assumption that she should write a blog and said, “you know, Katie, this idea sounds perfect for a podcast!” While not something she considered before, it was absolutely the right move and she is so grateful the group challenged her assumptions and helped her think bigger.
This episode, we talk through the different ways you can build a peer community of fellow entrepreneurs. At the end of the day, we want to have that voice in our life that helps us push past the opportunities and challenges we’re experiencing to find new and different ways to reach our goals and getting us to all think bigger.
So, here are a few ways for you to build your peer community with other food and beverage company founders:
1. Local Food and Beverage Organizations
In Wisconsin, we have Food and Beverage Wisconsin, and there is likely a food and beverage organization of some sort in your state. As Katie says, “When you’re part of one of these organizations, somebody has probably had the same probably that you’ve had at some point.” Even though food and beverage is a huge industry with a lot of variety, they at least know the language and lingo that you’re talking about.
On the other hand, with these kinds of local groups, you really get out what you put in. You need to take the time to be proactive and show up and be invested in groups like this. It’s only when you attend a session multiple times that you start to see an impact. Going to an event for the first time and not knowing anybody is very different from going to the same event multiple times and having a group of people that you know and love who are ready to support you.
2. Local Entrepreneur or Startup Groups
One way to get out of your comfort zone is to participate in local entrepreneur or startup groups that are not necessarily focused on the food and beverage industry. Many cities have a Startup Week, and there are a lot of great ways to get involved. You can get inspiration from any industry, and sharing in the unique challenges of entrepreneurship can give you new ideas to apply within your own industry.
The food and beverage industry is really a unique animal versus other industries like tech, so while these groups offer a lot of value, you need to be aware that there are limits on what someone else can know about product development, grocery distribution, inventory planning, and how investors work within the food world. Still, you can meet amazing people who are trying to do big things, so as long as you know that you may not get your food and beverage-specific advice from these groups, they’re worth the investment in time and energy.
3. Facebook Groups
Real Food Brands has the Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable to help people connect with each other over food and beverage business specific topics, but there are several groups you can find via a simple search. It’s not just limited to Facebook, so if you’re more focused on LinkedIn you can find groups there as well.
What’s really useful is getting specific about what topic you’re looking for, regardless of industry. You can find groups related to general entrepreneurship, operations, sales and more. The downside here is that Facebook groups can be a big suck on your time, so make sure that you’re only participating in ones that help you at this time in your business. There are so many resources out there and people who are willing to share, so dig in and explore to find what’s most useful for you. And, don’t forget to share and help as part of the community you choose to be a part of as well!
4. Masterminds
Masterminds are a curated group of people who are invested in the success of each person in the group. You can find a peer community, or Mastermind group, for almost any topic or industry, although there aren’t a lot of food and beverage industry specific Masterminds. That’s one of the main reasons that Katie is launching her Mastermind group, and you can check out the details here.
These groups help you build longer-term, close-knit relationships with people who are invested in scaling and growing their businesses…and yours. Because there’s usually a financial investment associated with joining a Mastermind group, people are invested in showing up and being an active part of the group. You get accountability, connections, and shared experiences that help you take things to the next level. On the other hand, Masterminds usually last at least three months, so if you’re not ready to invest the time and money you might want to explore other options to get started.
5. Live Events
Conferences and live events can be a great place to strike up conversations with people in your industry. You get a chance to meet with people who are your peers as well as industry experts who work with food and beverage founders in the same situation. While these may or not be long-term relationships, you can get a fresh perspective.
At live events, you also have the opportunity to deepen your relationship with people you may have only connected with online. Come prepared with a few questions to test out whether or not there’s a good fit to continue the conversation beyond the event.
6. Create Your Own Meetup
If you like to plan things, you can make your own event of foodies, entrepreneurs, or whoever you want to be in your group. You can set a price or keep it free. No matter what you choose, you’re seen as a leader in the scene. The downside here is that you need to do all the planning, and you need to look beyond the event itself to make sure that the group of people you’ve invited are the right mix.
Please join us by listening to the podcast for more in-depth information on each of these community-building approached. And, if you’re interested in learning more about Katie’s Masterminds, please visit the Mastermind page for details or email katie@realfoodbrands.com with the subject MASTERMIND and she’ll get back to you asap with information.
Now, let’s go shake up shopping carts!
In This Episode:
- How building your peer community can help you build your brand.
- Why Katie is starting a Mastermind group for food & bev entrepreneurs.
- How local food and beverage organizations near you can help you get to the next level.
- Why you only get out what you put into local groups.
- The benefit of connecting with entrepreneurs across industries.
- How Facebook groups can help you find a community on specific topics.
- How to prepare to network at live events.
- Why making your own meetup can sometimes be the best way to connect.
Quotes:
“I hear so many food and beverage founders say it’s a lonely road, and that they don’t have many people to talk to about big decisions that face them on a day-to-day basis.” – @RealFoodBrands
“Somebody there has probably had the same probably had the same problem that you’ve had at some point.” – @RealFoodBrands
“Once you really show up and contribute, you can build really authentic relationships out of food and beverage-focused groups.” – @RealFoodBrands
“The benefit of all these different ways of meeting other entrepreneurs is that you are able to build up your peer community in a way that allows you to help each other and to have a sounding board and have someone who can help hold you accountable as you build your brand.” – @RealFoodBrands
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