My business venture - SnackFirst
I mentioned about trying to take on a part time business venture and here I am, announcing and asking for your support below for SnackFirst:
Why snacks?
I am not kidding you when I say I have tried far too many nuts to get a good source. During my pregnancy, I bought my nuts and seeds from supermarkets. Every time I look at the nutrition label, I was disappointed. They taste so full of salt and sugar that I can no longer taste the sweetness of the nuts. It's a different story if I am eating honey coated or caramel laced nuts but no, I wanted raw nuts or only slightly roasted ones. This is mainly due to health reasons because I needed to take a lot of snacks everyday throughout my morning sickness.
You won't believe how hard it is to find some tasty raw nuts.
You know how pregnant mothers can't eat a lot? It's true, they cannot eat a lot but they can eat many meals. For me it's even worse. A few morsels and I feel bloated. If I get hungry, I will vomit stomach acid. It's hard to find a balance so I kept an empty plastic bag with me and a compulsory bag of nuts.
There were 2 occasions my vomit bags were put to use because my nuts ran out!
This is where my idea formed. I wanted to put these healthy snacks within reach of everyone, not just pregnant mums who encounter the same problem as me. I love a combination of Almonds (high antioxidants to prevent aging), Macadamia (high unsaturated fats for a healthy heart) and Pine nuts (high amount of Manganese to boost my energy level).
For all readers, there is a Mix & Match discount where you can get $3 off any $30 purchase! Promo code: TAKE3OFF
The initial stage
It was not an easy route but the decision was easy to try and do things on my own. Thankfully, I found a partner who is savvy in IT and able to help me with the non-human aspects. My abilities are only limited to humans :)
From thinking about the company name, designing the logo, website, creating everything out of a blank paper, I am happy to say that I enjoyed it. It was hard work and long hours, definitely longer than a 9 to 5 job and non stop turning wheels in my brain. I believe with time, SnackFirst could be even better than how I managed SimplyJesMe, and I am thankful for the valuable experience.
How we found a good source
I went to a few wholesale source all around Singapore and bought their top 5 popular ones. Then, I brought them to my friends and family to get their feedback. Price was not a consideration, just a blind taste test. Luckily, there was a clear winner so I know I have found something good.
I guarantee that you can't stop after just one handful :)
Our direction
For a start, we will be selling nuts and seeds. We will be adding more snacks to build up a whole portfolio of healthy snacks and some slightly unhealthy ones.With demand, we will be doing gift boxes, hampers, wedding favours, maternity packages in the future.
To get more people to try, I wanted a reasonable delivery charges that does not overcharge you even when you try small quantity. So, free shipping comes in. I had to do my own shipping for big items and mail it by Singpost for smaller quantity.
My thoughts
There is never a better time. Considering I have just given birth and got to take care of a 11 month old baby, working as a regional sales rep (shhh!) but still found time to start this business? There is never a good time, you just have to do it.
I will be blogging about my business venture, even if it fails, I know I would have learned something from this and emerge stronger. My hope is to inspire more people to do things and not just keep thinking of What Ifs.
I am not afraid of failure, I am terribly afraid of regrets.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
P.S: You do not have to purchase anything, just by clicking and giving me feedback, liking my facebook page and follow me on instagram is more than appreciated! To fellow bloggers, I would be truly grateful if you could mention my website. Thank you in advance for your support!
I am not kidding you when I say I have tried far too many nuts to get a good source. During my pregnancy, I bought my nuts and seeds from supermarkets. Every time I look at the nutrition label, I was disappointed. They taste so full of salt and sugar that I can no longer taste the sweetness of the nuts. It's a different story if I am eating honey coated or caramel laced nuts but no, I wanted raw nuts or only slightly roasted ones. This is mainly due to health reasons because I needed to take a lot of snacks everyday throughout my morning sickness.
You won't believe how hard it is to find some tasty raw nuts.
You know how pregnant mothers can't eat a lot? It's true, they cannot eat a lot but they can eat many meals. For me it's even worse. A few morsels and I feel bloated. If I get hungry, I will vomit stomach acid. It's hard to find a balance so I kept an empty plastic bag with me and a compulsory bag of nuts.
There were 2 occasions my vomit bags were put to use because my nuts ran out!
This is where my idea formed. I wanted to put these healthy snacks within reach of everyone, not just pregnant mums who encounter the same problem as me. I love a combination of Almonds (high antioxidants to prevent aging), Macadamia (high unsaturated fats for a healthy heart) and Pine nuts (high amount of Manganese to boost my energy level).
For all readers, there is a Mix & Match discount where you can get $3 off any $30 purchase! Promo code: TAKE3OFF
The initial stage
It was not an easy route but the decision was easy to try and do things on my own. Thankfully, I found a partner who is savvy in IT and able to help me with the non-human aspects. My abilities are only limited to humans :)
From thinking about the company name, designing the logo, website, creating everything out of a blank paper, I am happy to say that I enjoyed it. It was hard work and long hours, definitely longer than a 9 to 5 job and non stop turning wheels in my brain. I believe with time, SnackFirst could be even better than how I managed SimplyJesMe, and I am thankful for the valuable experience.
How we found a good source
I went to a few wholesale source all around Singapore and bought their top 5 popular ones. Then, I brought them to my friends and family to get their feedback. Price was not a consideration, just a blind taste test. Luckily, there was a clear winner so I know I have found something good.
I guarantee that you can't stop after just one handful :)
 |
| Snackfirst, talk later! |
For a start, we will be selling nuts and seeds. We will be adding more snacks to build up a whole portfolio of healthy snacks and some slightly unhealthy ones.With demand, we will be doing gift boxes, hampers, wedding favours, maternity packages in the future.
To get more people to try, I wanted a reasonable delivery charges that does not overcharge you even when you try small quantity. So, free shipping comes in. I had to do my own shipping for big items and mail it by Singpost for smaller quantity.
My thoughts
There is never a better time. Considering I have just given birth and got to take care of a 11 month old baby, working as a regional sales rep (shhh!) but still found time to start this business? There is never a good time, you just have to do it.
I will be blogging about my business venture, even if it fails, I know I would have learned something from this and emerge stronger. My hope is to inspire more people to do things and not just keep thinking of What Ifs.
I am not afraid of failure, I am terribly afraid of regrets.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
P.S: You do not have to purchase anything, just by clicking and giving me feedback, liking my facebook page and follow me on instagram is more than appreciated! To fellow bloggers, I would be truly grateful if you could mention my website. Thank you in advance for your support!
Jes
If you have benefited from this post, support our first business venture at snackfirst.com or like us on Facebook!
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Jes,
ReplyDeleteAh! So that's his name ;)
You guys have been busy!
P.S. Anytime is a good time - now that's not lying to yourself! You go girl!
Hi Jared,
DeleteI jealous because you take notice of him more than me! LOL. Yep, very busy and hope to give it a shot. Still young, can start all over :) Thank you for your encouragement!
Hi Temperament,
ReplyDeleteWell, me too, I also admire but I have the thinking, if they can do it then so can I! Don't know if I am suitable or will succeed or not but I want to try!
Sleeping partner is also good, in the end, you earn money which is one of the important goals. Great that you are 'nuts', haha! Oooh, I can't claim I am the cheapest but I am definitely competitive. Especially for almonds and pistachio. One snack others don't have the same is my roasted cashew... perfect to go with alcohol!
Please compare and give me feedback. I will need a lot of luck and support and I appreciate all the details you have mentioned. Let's go nuts together :)
ReplyDeleteHi Temperament,
ReplyDeleteWah wah wah u think so highly of me! Thank you so much and hope I can prove you right but please remind me if I fall :)
Doing business is really bao ga liao. Details I used to take for granted add costs and learning how others do things take money. All about dollars and cents!
I think if I restrict myself to healthy snacks only, then only cater to a small proportion of people. It's good for a start but in the long run, definitely need more variety to keep going. All of us have cheat days, can't be healthy all the time, very boring leh! How to get people to buy is difficult man..
Appreciate all the constructive comments, expect more from you in the future liao :P
Jia you!
ReplyDeleteHi Nerd,
DeleteThank you for the much needed encouragement! Hope to hear from you again soon :)
Chanced upon your blog randomly and it is heartening and inspiring to hear about your business! Hope it is a great success!
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to try to have a side venture but the time management between the day job and family means progress is slow. Will love to hear more about how you managed to balance all your commitments and get this going, and if you have any productivity tips to share!
Hi James,
DeleteWelcome to my blog and happy to hear from you! I expect it to be extremely slow traffic in the initial blog but hopefully I can report some success next year:)
It will definitely not be as productive as a full time job but brand awareness also takes time. I think for a start, side venture is good enough. The toughest part is getting people to part with their money, the rest just needs some prioritising to get through. I am sure if you really want to do it, you can too! Definitely will be blogging more so others can learn from my mistakes or get motivated. Have a good weekend.
ahh, nice.. i admire your drive and passion..
ReplyDeletei and nuts about nuts .. and i have been buying wholesale raw cashews for a long time. it is indeed hard to find these, as mostly in the supermart are those with salt and stuff. . i eat them in the morning with cereal. and they are awesome even as mid day snack..
glad you are offering these! keep it up, and all the best for the biz!
Hi FC,
DeleteThank you so much for your encouragement and motivation! I needed them because I am now in the initial starting stage where everything is inefficient and sales is slow. Although I have anticipated it and expect traffic to be bad for the first year, sometimes the doubts just creep in. Glad to find another 'nuts' person and appreciate your positivity in pushing me forward :)