STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 47
Budding Entrepreneurs
The process of becoming a food entrepreneur is not easy for the Oklahomans who wish to accomplish this . However , FAPC assists these individuals by offering many opportunities that allow state locals to enter the food entrepreneur process .
“ We have a system because we do this all the time . We have a step-by-step way of doing things because you don ’ t want to get a nutrition fact panel until you ’ ve done a scale up ,” said FAPC Business Planning and Marketing Specialist Andrea Graves . “ We make them do it in the right order , the right way .”
The step-by-step process begins with the Basic Training Entrepreneurial Workshop . This is a one-day class that teaches individuals how to introduce their product to the market . From there , experts and trainees work together to form a business plan , which narrows the desired marketplace to their specific target audience .
After creating a logo , webpage and social media accounts , the trainees and experts begin the final steps .
The experts assist trainees with scale ups , packaging with FAPC , every client who steps through their doors leads a different journey .
“ It ’ s kind of a one-stop shop here , which is nice ,” Graves said . “ If it ’ s not what they think it is , they can move onto something else if it ’ s not for them . They can expect a lot of expertise to help them with whatever issues they have throughout their journey .”
Support is often what aspiring entrepreneurs need most . When they go through basic training , clients want to know that someone is there to help them with the details they might not understand themselves .
For some , the beginning of the process can be slow . It may be difficult to work out the details with ingredients , logos and labeling .
“ Everybody thinks that they have the best product ,” Graves said . “ Everybody says that , and it usually is . I would say 98 % of all the products that have come through the basic training process have been delicious and wonderful . But , the center of the world is not them and they don ’ t understand that .”
Graves described salsa as an example of a great product that can be difficult to market .
FAPC faculty and staff have expertise in business and technical disciplines to help food industry professionals stay on the forefront of cutting-edge value-added processing and technology for 2023 .
and safety quality . The experts can also find a manufacturer for the trainee or set trainees up to attend marketing shows .
Most individuals enrolling in courses and dedicating time to become an entrepreneur have a daytime job . For those with daytime jobs , the process takes about a year . If an individual has a lot of time to work on the product , the process can be as short as six months .
“ It depends on the type of product , to o ,” Graves said . “ Something like a barbecue sauce . We have copackers for barbecue sauces around . That ’ s an easy one . If you want something that ’ s more complicated , that is a whole different thing .”
As for the experience of becoming an entrepreneur
The problem with salsa is that in order to market a popular product that is widely known to the public , the entrepreneur ’ s product must be different and grab attention .
“ There is a slide we show at basic training of grocery store shelves , and we show the salsa aisle ,” Graves said . “ Pace picante sauce is one of the big ones . Is it the greatest one ? No , it ’ s not that good . But , it ’ s got the most shelf space .”
While working out the kinks of how to properly introduce products is one of the most difficult aspects for FAPC , working with entrepreneurs can be just as challenging .
Most entrepreneurs have the idea of getting their
STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 47