I watched a video recently about building a business. I will sum up the main point as: Find your passion, package it perfectly, and find a give-away to get them interested. This is a great concept, even if I have over-simplified its core. I am trying to sort out what that means to me and Blue House Garden, to figure out what Blue House Garden is, which direction to take it, where it wants to go, or where I want it to go.
First I need to revisit our family mission:
We wish to live well on God's land, being good stewards of his creatures, plants, and soil. We wish to raise our children healthy and strong - physically, mentally, and emotionally. We wish to be independent of the economic tide. Work well, play hard, create beauty.
Then I need to address the question of which passion, which packaging, which give-away.
Among my list of passions is Wholesome Foods: Growing, creating, baking, and selling of wholesome foods make me happy. I love being in the kitchen and attacking a recipe mad-scientist style.
Side questions:
When does a recipe become your own? The writer in me wants to attribute recipes to their source. Where do all the "new" recipes come from published in the new cookbooks (even ghost cookbook writers must get it somewhere)? Are they just slight modifications from the original? Do they change one ingredient, or even just relabel it and call it their own?
I was given a newspaper clipping of a cracker recipe this week. I was missing one ingredient, and contrary to my usual methods, actually went and purchased the one ingredient instead of substituting. I also did not make the other usual modifications I like to make to recipes. Had I made these modifications, would it then have been my recipe, and not needed a reference? I did use a different method for one step. Does that make it mine? If I explain in a different way, does that make it mine?
These questions swirl in my mind as I consider what Blue House Garden is going to be. What direction I will take. I can imagine myself one day having a book. Perhaps a guide on how to be a homesteader. Perhaps a cook book with the tips, tricks, and twists I use in most of my cooking and baking. Maybe a combination of both. Maybe a story, with the recipes, tips, and guide rolled in unexpectedly?
What can I give for free to encourage my customers to want more? We usually have samples at our farmer's market stand. Most of the time that works well. What else can we do?
An article I read this week spoke of a family that had an open door policy one night per week, everyone was welcome to "Taco Tuesdays". It helped them get to know the neighbors and their kids friends.
What if Blue House Garden instituted Tasting Tuesdays. Every Tuesday at dinner, the doors are open to everyone, and anyone. Come try out the latest recipes, tour the farm, meet the goats. It might help with word of mouth advertising. It might show people a little more about who we are. It might encourage people to buy the product because they were getting a small taste.
Things to ponder...
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