Episode Description
Have you been wondering whether or not you could start a microgreens business? In this episode I cover 5 questions to ask yourself to help you decide if starting a microgreens business is the right thing for you. The 5 topics the questions centre around are potential markets, resources, time, communication and competition. Website: microgreensentrepreneur.com. Microgreens Seed Density Calculator: microgreensentrepreneur.com/seedcalculator
Episode Transcription
Microgreens Entrepreneur Episode 2: Can I start a microgreens business?
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[0:10] You’re listening to The Microgreens Entrepreneur Podcast, where the aim is to help you start, grow, and improve any microgreens business. I’m your host, Brian, owner of a microgreens business that I operate out of my own home. Stay tuned and welcome along.
[0:26] Hello, there, and welcome along to the second episode of The Microgreens Entrepreneur Podcast. Thanks very much for tuning in and being here with me. I hope you’re keeping well, and you’re having a good week.
[0:36] On today’s episode, we’re going to cover the question: Can I start a microgreens business? This is one of the questions that you ask yourself when you’re first thinking about starting a microgreens business: Can I do it? The short answer to that question is: Yes, you absolutely can.
[0:51] But I’m not just going to leave you with that answer. I’m going to give you the long answer, and I’m going to go through five questions that you need to ask yourself to know for certain whether or not that starting a microgreens business is right for you. By the end of the episode, you should have a better insight into knowing whether or not a microgreens business is something you want to look into.
[1:10] You might need to do a small bit of research to get the answers to some of these questions. So, if you can grab a pen and paper and take a couple of notes of the questions, or if you can’t, just take some mental notes, and you can come back and have another listen again whenever you can.
[1:25] Question #1: All right. So, we’ll dive right into it here. Question #1, and I suppose the number one thing that you need to find out before you start the microgreens business is: Is there a market for them in your area? So, you’re thinking about potential customers here. Who are you going to sell them to?
[1:42] Obviously, there’s no point in starting any type of business if there’s no one to sell them to. So, what you’re looking for are places to sell your microgreens. Are there any restaurants within driving distance of where you live? Is there a local supermarket that might stock them that’s close by to you? Or maybe you live in a populated area where, potentially, you could do a home-delivery service.
[2:03] A farmer’s market is also a great place to sell microgreens, so if there are one or two of them close by, that’s a possibility. Those are some of the avenues where you’re going to be able to sell your microgreens.
[2:14] Now, there’s going to be a little bit of a different selling technique to each one, and there are going to be different levels of profit to each one. I’m going to go through all of that in an upcoming episode on the levels of profit you can make from microgreens, and the different avenues you’re going to be able to sell them in.
[2:29] Question #2: Let’s presume that you have a market to sell your microgreens, and we’re going to move on to Question #2 now, and that is: What resources do you have available to you? When I say resources, the first thing that I’m talking about is the space that you have available to grow in. Where would you be planning to grow the microgreens? In a spare bedroom, or in a greenhouse in the garden, or maybe like a rack in your apartment. You need to figure out, is there an area in your home where you’re going to be able to grow the microgreens.
[2:57] One of the best things about microgreens is that you can do a lot in a really small area. My business is run out of an 8 x 8-foot spare bedroom, and I know for a fact that there are a lot of people out there that are running a microgreens business out of a much smaller space than this.
[3:13] So, if the space that you have available to grow in is quite small, I wouldn’t be discouraged. You can do a lot with microgreens in a small area, and if you were lucky enough and the business took off for you, you could always find a bigger place to grow in after. I think the key is just to get started.
[3:27] If you look back at Amazon and how that got started, it was Jeff Bezos starting to sell books out of his garage. So, we shouldn’t be afraid to start off small and see what happens.
[3:39] Another resource you’ll have to take into account is money. You’re, obviously, going to need money to buy the equipment that you need to start the business. Another good thing about microgreens is that the entry costs are actually pretty low compared to some other businesses that you might need to invest a good chunk of money to get started in.
[3:56] I’ve seen videos on YouTube out there that say you can start a microgreens business for 50 euro or $50, whatever your currency might be. But really, if you’re going to get into it properly, you’re going to have to spend a little bit more to get the proper equipment on materials you’re going to need.
[4:11] One thing I recommend is to start small, buy the least amount of equipment that you need at the very start, try and make some sales early, prove the concept of your business, and then you can scale up after that. Then you can buy more equipment when you see that there’s money coming in and you’re going to get that money back. That’s the way I did it.
[4:30] Question #3: Okay. So, there are some of the resources that you’re going to need to think about. We’re going to move on to Question 3 now. This one relates to time. It is: Do you have the time to start a microgreens business?
[4:41] This is one thing that I think maybe we’re all guilty of thinking at one point or another, and that is, I don’t have the time to start a business. Maybe you’re working a full-time job, or you’re at home with the kids, or whatever your situation might be, and you’re just thinking, “I don’t have the time to do this.”
[4:58] Well, look. Starting any business is definitely going to take up a good chunk of your time to get it started and get it up and running, but the reward for doing it is going to be absolutely worth it in the end. I really encourage anybody not to let a lack of time hold you back from doing something you really want to do. There’s usually a way to find the time to do it.
[5:17] If you are thinking that this is something that you’d like to do, but you don’t have the time, I want to challenge you to do something. I want you to take five minutes out of your day and sit down and write out how all your time is spent every week. Write down everything.
[5:30] Obviously, you’re going to have to do certain things like go to work and spend time with your kids or your family, or whatever is really important to you, and that’s absolutely necessary in your life. But I want you to look out for things like how much time are you spending watching TV or Netflix or looking at social media on your phone? Really look at this and be honest with yourself, and hopefully, you’ll be able to find some portion of time in your life that you’re going to be able to use better, and maybe use it to start that microgreens business that you’ve been thinking about.
[6:01] Question #4: Okay, so we’re going to move on to Question 4 now, and that is: How are your communication skills? You might be thinking, “What has that got to do with microgreens?” It has absolutely nothing to do with growing microgreens, but you’re also going to be selling microgreens, hopefully, and you’re going to need those skills for that.
[6:18] You’re going to have to approach chefs, or grocery store owners, or the general public and ask them to buy your product. This might be the scary part of a microgreens business for some of you, and it certainly was for me, but it’s actually not that bad. You’ll get better at selling and talking about your product the more you do it. It’s like anything, really. The more you do it, the more comfortable you get, and the better you get at it.
[6:43] The key, really, is just to go and do it. Like, the worst thing that can happen is that you’re told no. Yet, there’s definitely a bit to learn about sales, but you don’t need to know everything at the start, and you can definitely learn more about it and improve it.
[6:56] So, this makes me think back to when I made my first sale. I had spent so much time getting everything ready and set up at home. I had done practice grows to make sure I could grow everything on time and right. Yeah, I probably spent too long just growing and testing before I built up the courage to actually go out and try and sell and give some samples to people. But I did eventually get the courage to go out and try to sell, and thankfully, the very first time that I did it, it was a success.
[7:24] I walked into one of the restaurants that’s local to where I live. I asked to see a chef. I showed him my samples, and he loved them, and he made a recurring order with me on the spot. It was such a boost to make that first sale because, you know, you had this idea. You’d been trying it and testing it yourself at home, and your concept is then proved right. You’re in business, and you’re an entrepreneur. So, that was a real boost.
[7:48] Look. If I can do it, you definitely can too. So really, the communication and selling, it’s a matter of just getting started and getting better as time goes on. This might be a little bit corny, but you know that old saying of, “Feel the fear, and do it anyway.” That comes to mind when I’m thinking about that.
[8:04] Question #5: So, on to the final question, Question #5 – and thanks for sticking with me up until this point. The fifth and final question is about competition. Is there already somebody doing it in your area?
[8:17] So look, you might be thinking that if the answer to this question is yes, I’m going to tell you that no, you won’t be able to start a microgreens business, but that’s not the case because if somebody is already doing it, it means that there’s a market for it in your area.
[8:31] I read somewhere before that for years, McDonald’s would spend loads of money researching the best locations to put their restaurants, and then straight afterward, Burger King would just come along and put a restaurant on the opposite side of the street from them.
[8:43] The reason for that is because they knew there was a market there. So, don’t be afraid of competition. It just means that there’s a market there and people already like them if somebody’s already selling them. There’s room for everybody once you’re providing a good product. And how about trying to provide the best product in your market?
[9:00] I wasn’t first to market in my area, and I managed to do pretty good. You see, the thing about microgreens is that the market isn’t saturated yet, and they’re really just beginning to be discovered by the public, and they’re gaining popularity now. So, it’s still a niche business, and I think the market is just going to keep growing for it.
[9:17] Those are the questions over with. There might be something that I left out there, but they are the main things to consider. I hope that by answering the questions, it’s given you some insight into whether or not you feel like you can start a microgreens business. There’s probably a lot for you to think about and consider. Just know that if you take the first step and take it one step at a time after that, it is very achievable.
[9:39] If you want to go over and take a look at my website, microgreensentrepreneur.com, there’s more information and resources available there, and it will help you get started. That brings us along to the end of the episode. I hope you’re able to take something away from it and maybe learn something from it.
[9:56] If you enjoyed it, I’d really appreciate it if you would subscribe to the podcast, and I would really, really appreciate it if you left a review on iTunes. There are none there right now, so you could possibly be the first to do it. Thanks again for listening, and I’ll catch you on the next episode.
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[End of episode 10:40]