Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Alejandro Enderica, Owner of Aina Meals LLC, located in Waipahu, HI, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My business handles 3 different products/services. The first is meal prep
we service the local community with refrigerated, ready-to-eat meals that we deliver to their homes or workplace. We have partnerships with health stores, local gyms, and gym franchises. So our customers are health-oriented and either work out and maintain a healthy lifestyle or also are looking to start a healthy living journey. Other customers who benefit from our services are busy professionals who don't have time to cook, and this is an easy solution for them and their families. We have also serviced professional athletes, which due to sponsorship contracts, I can't disclose.
We also run a restaurant that serves local Hawaiian BBQ with some French and Latin fusion menu items. Our customers enjoy local eateries and often order for pick-up, dine-in, or delivery. And our third business is our catering services. We cater to any sort of event, specialize in healthier catering options, and offer upscale menu options to satisfy any taste buds. We have catered and performed private chef services to famous performers like Bruno Mars, Guns N Roses, Jo Koy, Gabriel Iglesias, Journey, New Kids on the Block, TLC, and Brett Young, among others.
Tell us about yourself
After working in retail sales for years, but with previous management/entrepreneurial experience plus a Business degree. I always dreamt of being my own boss and was always drawn to the food industry because of my passion for cooking. This passion led me to obtain a culinary degree after graduating from business school and making my first attempt to start a successful business. I started a pizzeria that had some good years, but after making some mistakes and not being able to sustain operations due to wrong financial projections and revenue decline caused by state road work in front of a retail location. This experience was the main factor in drawing me to study for a culinary degree so that I can improve on quality and improve margins next time I go about it. That time came in 2018. I patiently waited until I could come up with an idea that was low-risk and scalable.
After years of fitness training and recreational sports competitions, which is my other passion (Crossfit, Soccer, Surfing, Tennis, Hiking, Triathlons), I started to learn about nutrition to step my game up. I learned about Whole Foods, Paleo, and Keto diets, among others. I started to experiment, create menus for these different diets, and track the results. I was surprised by the results and got very into healthy eating. This was when something clicked, and I decided to combine my two passions. I learned about shared commercial kitchens; it was a no-brainer that it was a low-cost start-up. I just needed a website, a kitchen, and my recipes. And this is how my business took off.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I think no matter what, starting a business with about $5,000 in my bank account and scaling it up to where it has its own commercial kitchen and retail location that has produced over $700K in yearly revenue would always be my biggest accomplishment. Just looking back from where I'm at now, I don't know if I could do it again.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Dealing with work obligations, family, and personal time. Until someone owns a business, I don't think they know how short days are, and finding time to spend with family and to take care of yourself is a challenge. This was especially true during the pandemic and the labor/supply shortages. My business was able to overcome all the challenges we faced and grow during these hard times, but it required a lot of sacrifices.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Learn to manage risk.
- Don't be afraid to fail but make sure you learn from it.
- Starting and running a business requires you to be proficient in all fields. With all the free education online, I would recommend anyone starting a business to learn basic accounting, finance, marketing, photography, SEO, SEM, sales, customer service, and HR. I was lucky that during my professional career, I became very knowledgeable in all of these fields. I think the most important product from this is that you can mentally picture the whole structure of your business. If you change one piece, you can see in your head how it will affect the others. If one is lacking, you learn to notice where the weaknesses are and how to turn them into strengths. It also helps when you find it impossible to hire an expert due to budget or availability, your business will not be stuck and relying on a third party.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.ainameals.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ainagrill808/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ainameals/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aenderica10
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandro-enderica-339a1114b/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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