Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jessica Williams, CEO of Food Forward Thinking LLC., located in Campbellsville, Kentucky, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Food Forward Thinking is a consultancy that partners with restaurants, convenience, and grocery stores. I help foodservice professionals create menus, source equipment, understand costs and margins, calculate nutrition facts, and elevate food and beverage programs.
Tell us about yourself
In 2015 my husband shared a poem with me titled Mad Farmer's Liberation Front by Wendell Berry. The poem so moved and inspired us, that we made plans, and two years later, we moved to our hometown with our two children to be near family and run our organic dairy farm. My heart and career are in food, and I realized that my specific skill set is unique in general, especially in a rural setting. I was inspired to - really forced to - invent a business that allowed me to continue creating, troubleshooting, and partnering with food teams across the country.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
As a business owner, I get to work on many teams. Working for other companies, but having the flexibility to determine how and when I work, has led to my biggest accomplishment: I get to spend most of my work time doing work I truly love.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things about being a business owner is not over-committing. I have the tendency to stretch myself too thin, but I am driven to never, ever miss a timeline or disappoint. Setting achievable targets on reasonable timelines is something I have to work on every day.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Soul-search the WHY behind what motivates you.
- Allow your heart to lead you, but spend time carefully planning and calculating a business model. When you trust both your head and your heart at the same time you're ready.
- No one has it all figured out. If you're reading this, you are just as smart and capable as other business owners.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
It's more than ok to have a unique outlook, set of talents, dreams, and vision. You are the only one who can authentically be you, and you have the autonomy to set your own hours, barriers, goals, and dreams, whether you report to someone else or no one else.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://foodforwardthinking.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FFThinking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foodforwardjess/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bestforwardfood
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-williams-0474165/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.