Ep #235 Up Level at Markets with Danny Walsh + Pro Tip for Hiring Prep

Markets, pop-ups and in person events are a sales channel that Danny and I both love and on today's podcast we discuss why we love them so much, how to get into the events and markets you really want and how to make more money per minute once you are there. 

Plus, I give you a bonus tip on what you can be doing right now to get ready to hire and train well, so someday you don't have to attend the market (by choice or because life forces you) and it still makes money for you! 

Get the Up Level Workshop for just $97 and increase your sales - guaranteed. 

Get the bundle offer and save big already ($171), plus use code SELLPOD50 for an additional $50 off the full course.  Purchase either offer here.

Market season is around the corner (for our winter friends) and it's time to get into the markets you want and make WAY more money every minute you are there. Get the Up Level Workshop for just $97 and increase your sales - guaranteed.

Get the bundle offer and save big already ($171), plus use code SELLPOD50 for an additional $50 off the full course.

Purchase either offer here.

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Transcript

Sari  0:00  
Welcome to your Food Business Success. This podcast is for early stage entrepreneurs in the packaged food industry ready to finally turn that delicious idea into reality. I'm your host, Sari Kimbell. I have guided hundreds of food brand founders to success as an industry expert and business coach, and it's got to be fun. In this podcast, I share with you mindset tools to become a true entrepreneur and run your business like a boss, interviews with industry experts to help you understand the business you are actually in, and food founder journey so you can learn what worked and didn't work, and not feel so alone in your own journey. Now let's jump in!

Sari  0:49  
Welcome back to the podcast everyone. All right, this episode is a little bit of a hybrid. I hope it works, trying something different here. I am still in Costa Rica, as you can probably tell, I feel like the sweat just never ends. I always have a little sheen to me, but that's okay. So if you're watching the YouTube video, which I hope you are, because today's podcast is in part, a reprise from a podcast that Danny and I did last year about this time, and it was before I started doing video, the actual video on YouTube. And so I had it, I had the video, so I decided I'm going to reuse it, and that way you guys can actually see our conversation, if you head over to YouTube, or you might be here already, welcome. And in addition to this podcast that Danny and I did, where we talk about how to get into a farmer's market, and then how to up level your presence there, and what you need to think about when going to farmers markets to make it worth your time, and why we love them as a place to test your product, to get feedback and to iterate in a low risk and actually a place where you're making money in your business. We also touch on hiring. And Danny, as you will hear, does over 200 events, farmers markets and other kinds of events during the summer season. So not year round. He's in Colorado. And so I know many of you do year round markets, but he has a very compressed window, right, like end of April through like October. He does over 200 events because of that cash flow, but he is not there at all of those events, and he has dialed in his hiring strategies, and he gives you his hiring and training playbook inside the full Up Level Workshop, which you guys will have an opportunity to grab. But as a bonus on this podcast, at the end, I am going to share with you a couple of strategies that I share with our Master Your Business students about hiring and about training. So I want to give you my take on what it looks like to run markets as a business and hire and train. And many of you guys know that I own and operate a farmer's market, and I'm here in Costa Rica while the market is happening. So I went through to a couple of markets at the very beginning of the season, because we're a winter market, and I've been in Costa Rica this whole time, and all I did was use the exact tools and strategies that I teach in Master Your Business. I'm just using those to run my business, to bring in staff and make sure that they are equipped. A, it's the right people and then B, they know exactly how to do it, and what to expect, and what the results are that they are trying to create. So I'm going to give you my take on hiring and training at the end of today's podcast. Let's get into Danny and I's conversation about farmers markets and why we love them so much, how to get into the markets that you want, and what to do when you get there to up level. Hey, Danny, welcome back to the podcast.

Danny  4:26  
Hey, Sari, good to be back again. 

Sari  4:29  
So today we're talking about one of our favorite things that we share in common is farmers markets. Talking about farmers markets. And I love Spring. I always love talking about farmers markets. I know some people go year round with markets, but a lot of people, you know, farmers markets ramp up in a lot of areas in the springtime and going into summer and fall. So I love helping people get prepared for farmers markets. And you and I are going to do an amazing workshop on March 13th live, and we'll talk about that at the end, but I just want to have this fun conversation. We're going to have a back and forth about taking your farmers market business to the next level. So tell us why you like farmers markets. Tell us a little bit about your farmers market game. 

Danny  5:19  
Yeah, sure. I mean, I love farmers markets. This is the right time of year to be thinking about them. You know, a lot of people think that they're kind of like a little, you know, kind of cute, like thing that isn't like, really, you know, a way to grow a business. But I'm quite the contrarian with it. I think it is one of the best way is to grow your business. And the reason is how capital efficient that channel can be. You know, when you look at, you know, the goal of the business ultimately, is that it needs to profit to self sustain. And when you look at how much margin you give away in almost any other channel, including e com, where you have to pay freight, you're actually the most profitable in the farmers market channel if you can figure out how to scale it. So at Peak State, we have doubled down on that and really focused on our events and grassroots farmers markets to grow our brand. And there's a whole list of reasons why I could basically sell you on how the farmers market channel can be wiser than retail, can be a great marketing strategy, and a whole lot more. 

Sari  6:30  
I love it. So you're a big advocate of markets. Can you tell us a little bit about, like, last season? How many markets were you in? As far as you know, actual, like, the physical number of markets. But then you also did, you know, a ton of markets generally. 

Danny  6:48  
We average about 200 events per year. I think in 2022 we did almost 300 so that's how all in we are. And, you know, I think it all started for me where people were like, oh, you know, you should open a coffee shop. And I was thinking about that, and I was like, okay, the majority of people will come on Saturdays and Sundays. And then I'm like, okay, I got to pay rent, and that's going to, then I have to make sure it's staffed all the time. Basically, need to live right behind it and make sure that if no one shows up, I show up and if you 80/20 the coffee shop, you do a Saturday and Sunday thing, and then if you want to eliminate rent, you have a farmer's market. For me, it was a no brainer.

Sari  7:34  
I love it. So, yeah, so let me just ask 300 events, or 200 whatever the number was last year, I'm assuming it wasn't all you. That'd be a lot.

Danny  7:47  
And that's the whole thing. In the beginning, it was all me. And I had to realize I was not Superman, and ask for help and find some who's. 

Sari  7:56  
A hundred percent. Yeah, that would be a lot to do. And so what I love and things that you bring to Fuel and to Master Your Business is that you have created strategy around farmers markets and in fact, you are not, like, scheduled for any farmers markets. You're there to, from what I understand, what you've told me, you're there to, like, be a backup when necessary, but you actually took, what did you take? Like, two months off last summer?

Sari  8:27  
Farmers Market season is well upon us whether you are a year round market or you are applying and getting ready, gearing up for spring, summer, fall markets. I got you covered with the Up Level your Farmers Market workshop. This value packed workshop covers everything from how to apply and get into the most coveted markets, and then once you're there, how to make every minute count so you make more money. Guaranteed. This workshop is guaranteed to increase your sales or your money back. And there's a special bundle offer where you can get the hiring and training workshop where Danny breaks down his playbook for how he attends so many more events than just one person could ever do. And you're going to get my increase your sales at a farmers market workshop for even more strategies on how to make more money. And you get my Pricing For Profit Workshop. This includes my cost of goods sold spreadsheet and pricing calculator so you are priced correctly and with profit in mind, go to foodbizsuccess.com/uplevel for all the details. For the month of February, you can save even more on the bundleoffer, use the code sellpod50 for an additional $50 off the bundle deal. All the links are in the show notes below, and happy selling.

Danny  10:16  
Yeah, I needed a sabbatical last year after three years of being all in building a brand, and I was able to take one, and the systems were in place. And that felt really good. 

Sari  10:27  
Because that's probably one of the number one things we hear, right, of like, why people don't want to do farmers markets is because they don't want to give up their whole summer or every weekend.

Danny  10:39  
Yeah, yeah. It's fair.

Sari  10:43  
Yeah, but it's not necessary, and that's the whole point of what we're going to talk about in this workshop. But yeah, so if you want to go ahead and ask me, flip the tables. 

Danny  10:55  
Yeah. Okay, so everyone listening also wants to know, you know, because secretly, you also wear the hat as a market manager for up there in Fort Collins. So tell us brands like, you know, when you're looking at an application for a farmer's market, you know, if somebody is trying to get into your market, tell us some of the things you'd like to see and some of the things you don't like to see. Maybe start with don't like to seize and then get into the like. 

Sari  11:30  
Yes, it's, it's secretly, but not really a secret, yeah. So I have managed a farmer's market, own a farmer's market, which is a weird thing to say, people are like, you own, I do. So, gosh, I took that over in 2019 so it's been a number of years, and I've created a really great strategy slump of like, I don't have to go to those markets either, which is amazing. They just work every season. You know, we open up the applications to every year it gets bigger and bigger, and we have to go through and review, you know, especially categories like coffee and baked goods, and there's definitely categories that have a lot more vendors, hot sauce, all of those things that we have to review and consider, and when I think about what I look for, and I've worked with a number of people on their application process and helping them get into those coveted markets, you know, first of all, it's just like looking like you have your act together, like it's like any application for a job, like, if the question says, please list your products, and, you know, ask you for specific details, then do that. Only, like, you know, some vague question, or only list a couple, or something like that, right? Like, we never want to have to go and explore and go look at your website and be like, what they also sell all these other things. Like, I'm confused. What are you trying to sell, right? Like, fill out the question in sentences and, like, take it seriously, right?

Danny  13:20  
So meet the basic requirements. Half of an effort, and then listen, we answer every question you know, as if we're trying. 

Sari  13:38  
So that's the basic, right? But at beyond that, it's like showing me that you're going to be successful because, well, maybe people think that, and some markets are run by like nonprofits or government agencies, but you know, private markets especially, and they still have to pay for staff, like a market is still a business, and so I, as a business operator, am looking for people who are actually like, going to be successful, and are going to show up on time and bring lots of product and sample and know how to sell their product, because we do a hybrid model, right? Where it's a booth fee, a lower booth fee, and then we also take a percentage of sales. And so the better you do, the better we do, right? And then the more we can put back into marketing so that we can grow the customer base and we can grow the support staff, and everybody's happy, right? So I'm definitely looking for people who are like, maybe have a track record of sales. And even if you don't have a track record that you're like, I'm there to show up. I'm there to sell. I have my act together. I got great marketing, right? Like, it looks like they're in it to sell. 

Danny  14:56  
Yeah, a lot of us need to remember that this is about proving to you that will help make you money by selling, so that's one piece. And then talk about, like, what about, you know, some sort of like, what about, like, reliability or punctuality, or, what about, you know, picking up my trash. Or, what else can we be doing? How about differentiation as it pertains to the market? What else should we be thinking about to really be a shining star in your application pool, hundreds of brands? 

Sari  15:28  
Yeah, exactly. I mean, we probably get, yeah, 300 applications. So it's a lot. And I know markets, you know, Boulder County and South Pearl probably get even more than that. So I'd say, like, anytime you can show that you're going to be a great partner to the market that you know you're talking about how you're going to show up early. You know, every time you're going to communicate with us, you're going to post on social media and tag the market, and you're going to tag us and, you know, like and share our stuff, and you're like, engaged again. The more we can get more people to the market, then everybody does better and that, yeah, you're going to pick up after yourself, and you're going to be a great neighbor and like, there's definitely some words that I can tell or I'm like, feels either like a little entitled or kind of a bad attitude. So I'm definitely looking for like, positivity and great partnership, and like recognizing that, yeah, we're there to serve you and provide you a platform, but it's a community effort, you know, it's a group that's all winning together. So I'm looking definitely for words and, you know, stories or examples around partnership. 

Danny  16:46  
I like that. So just thinking about what it's like to be a market manager and what problems you might face, and seeing how I could make sure that I'm not one of those problems.

Sari  16:57  
Yes, exactly. And there's a really great podcast I did with Nicole Jarman, actually, of the, you know, all of her, she's got, like, she's got, like, four or five now, she runs a lot of them here in Denver, but it's called Confessions of a Market Manager. We kind of like spill the dirt on all the drive. That's crazy. But it's also things like, hey, if we give you, you know, maybe we can't give you the full season, like a lot of times with coffee vendors, for instance, you know, recognize that, you know, we want everybody to come. We don't want over saturation of any one product, because then, you know, if there's like, eight coffee brands, then maybe nobody does as well. But so sometimes we have to, sometimes we'll do something where we'll, like, give you certain dates that you requested. And so, you know, again, having a good attitude like, thank you for those dates, and we're going to kill it so that when I have a cancelation, somebody else cancels. I'm like, you're my first person that I'm pulling in. I get a lot to say about but yes, you can go listen to other podcasts and hear even more about it. But, you know, as a whole, as somebody who's been working with, you know, I own the market, but for the last, you know, five, six years now, I've been working with brands, hundreds of brands, helping them be successful in farmers markets, as a great platform. I'd love to actually talk about this, like, why do you think markets are a great avenue, a great sales channel to explore? And you and I talked about three different things that we're going to, you know, expand on in the workshop.

Danny  18:37  
Yeah, yeah, totally at the highest level, the reason we are such firm believers. I touched upon this one is the first one is really the sales, you know, and even more further from that, profitability. So that's one thing. You can make money really well in this channel, if you focus on it. And this is something that you can do while doing two other things at farmers markets. So another thing that you can get out of farmers markets is the marketing. So this has been so huge for us, because we get to give people the exposure of our brand. They get to feel our brand. They get to see it, interact with it, interact with our team and and see our products. It's the only channel where you get to see your customers. You might Google them if you see they ordered something online, or you might, you know, guess who your retail customer is, but at a farmer's market, you get to see who your customers are and meet them and build a relationship with them. And that could even be, you know, something that you take into another channel. So the marketing benefit is massive. And then the third reason that I highly encourage every single new brand to consider a farmers market is for testing and validation. You have so many decisions to make, why don't you let the people who are taking out their wallet and buying your products decide for you? So ask them, hey, which packaging do you like? And then the next week, come up with a new goal, test to two different sales pitches, see which one works better, and then maybe put that on your website or on your packaging, you know, try two different new products and see if there's one that they prefer. So you can double down on that and simplify so you have the opportunity to be a little bit of a mad scientist and refine your business at every single market. So yeah, those are the three reasons I recommend them, the testing, the sales, and the marketing.

Sari  20:32  
So we're talking about, we could actually make money. We can make cash flow. And I know quite a few brands who use markets in that way to help fund the rest of the business. I hope people listening understand like you have to put money into your business up front. There's just no way around it, right? You have a product based business, and so, you know, you need some amount of investment capital, but if you can just get to that MVP, that minimum viable product, which we've talked about before that then, you can test it, and you can be making money while you're testing it. 

Danny  21:10  
I mean, I don't know about you, but if I need to learn and I need to market, I'd rather make money while I learn and market. 

Sari  21:17  
Yeah, because it can be, I mean, I talk with some brands, you know. And sometimes there's products that are way more expensive to do, and you can't just like, let me try, you know, let me print off a different label or try a different spiel. But like a lot of products, you can get by with some minimal packaging, some minimal labeling. And you know, that way, you can test it and play with it. And I highly recommend you start there, because, yeah, I promise you, by the time you're ready to go into a co packer or get pre printed packaging, you will have completely changed what you thought it was at the beginning. 

Danny  21:55  
I love that. And okay, so you know, I'm a brand that does a lot of these markets, and you're actually a market manager. And, you know, you hinted that this, that we're going to collaborate on this workshop. 

Sari  22:08  
Oh yeah, let's talk about what we actually are going to offer. What are we going to talk about in this workshop, Danny?

Danny  22:13  
I was telling you all the things we've had to work through, right? So, how do I know which markets to apply for? You know, how do I get accepted this application process, all this paperwork is annoying. How do I do that in a seamless way? You know? How do I position my products and pricing? How do I not burn out? This channel can be exhausting if I do it wrong. How do I deal with slow markets and no traffic? How do I deal with wanting my weekends? How do I get my sales up? You know, how do I engage customers? I don't want to bother them, but, like, I'm trying to sell stuff here. You know, this is just beginning, but yeah, like, so we'll get into all of these things. And I think that coming from my real problems, I wish I heard this earlier. 

Sari  23:01  
That's what I kept coming back to. I was like, okay, picture yourself, you know, four years ago, when you were just starting, like, what are some of the things that you really would have loved to have figured out before you did it all the hard way, right?

Danny  23:19  
Yeah. I mean, how to apply and get accepted every time. You know how to plan and what goals should I even set for a farmer's market? Are my goals realistic? Like, am I being intentional enough about what I'm hoping to get out of them? Or am I just, like, dragging myself there and going through the motions?

Sari  23:37  
We're going to cover all of that, because I know people are like, oh, how do I hire staff? How do I do all of these extra things so that I can take the weekends off? And so we'll touch on it, but then Danny's going to really give us all of his strategies for how you've set up this business that you could take two months off in the summer and you're still making money in your business through the farmers market channel. The workshop is going to be incredibly valuable. You're also going to get. Danny, you're putting together a farmer's market packing template that you're going to get as part of it. I have my favorite things, tool kit of everything, all my favorite things over the years that you need to run a successful farmers market. I'm also going to have a template and help you with crafting that application so that you can get accepted into those markets. And then you're also doing just like a planning for the season work worksheet to set those goals and be intentional with it.

Danny  24:41  
Yeah. I mean, I think when I started markets, I was making about 1/5 of what I make now at the minimum, and sometimes 1/10 and so, like, the things I wish I knew in the beginning, like, if you join us, I can guarantee you you're going to so quickly break even on this investment within one day at a farmer's market, it's a no brainer.

Sari  25:03  
That we will get your sales up by at least $97 in the first market if you apply these strategies. So I'm excited about it. And you know you were telling me that you do some of the sales strategy for brands, and you charge like 500 bucks where you're you go in and work with them and help them set up their booth and create their pricing strategy and set up all their email stuff. So we're just, we're putting that into this workshop format, which is gonna be so good, yeah, and of course, it will be live on March 13th, is when we're going to teach it live at 12pm Mountain Time. And the link for that is foodbizsuccess.com/uplevel, and it'll be in the show notes down below. And and of course, you can get this anytime. You can buy the replay and grab the grab the workshop if you're listening after March, but it'll be a 90 minute workshop, or then we'll also have Q and A at the end too. So that'll be really great to be able to pick our brains.

Danny  26:15  
Love it. Let's go sell stuff this year everybody in Farmers Markets. 

Sari  26:20  
Yeah, let's use the farmers market channel as a way to grow your business, to take it to the next level. You know, I have my Farmers Market master class, which is free right now anyway, could change, but it is free right now. And that's really about like some of the, you know, the basics, the like your licenses and things like that, things you need to consider to get started. And I really wanted with you, because, you know, we're both on a mission to help brands create 100k business and then go to the next level, right? Go to that 300-500k business. But I wanted, well, we both wanted, to create a workshop that was very much about, like, let's up level that farmers market game. Great. You got into the market, or you did your first pop up. You've kind of like, gotten started. Now, let's go. Let's turn on the juice. Let's light a fire and actually make money and use it to grow your whole business. Anything to add to that? Just like shaking his head, he's like, yep. 

Danny  27:25  
Preaching to the preacher here. So. 

Sari  27:28  
I know, I know. All right, that's it. We're going to wrap it up. Keep it sweet and short here. So if you are at all into farmers markets, come join us in this workshop. It's a no brainer. We'll see you there. All right, that was so fun to revisit that conversation with Danny. I hope you got a lot out of that. I do want to invite you to go and get the Up Level Your Market workshop. And you can get the basic one, or you can get the full bundle with the hiring workshop. It also comes with my Pricing for Profit tool, and you get a workshop that I did about increasing your sales, so some extra more strategies beyond what even Danny talked about, because we want you to make every minute count when you're at those markets. And after people took even just that first workshop, we had people who were applying for markets who use the strategies and got in, and they were like, oh my gosh, Sari, I've been trying to get in this market for a couple of years, and I was always rejected, and I got in, which was so cool. And then we had people who were in farmers markets, right? They live in more and more climates, and they were like, oh my gosh, I put one or two of these strategies into place, and I made an extra $500. We seriously had somebody tell us that, and people were like, I doubled my money, or, you know, I just felt so much more confident. It was easier to sell. And just that alone makes it more fun to go to the market. And then for people who got the full workshop and all the bonuses and the hiring and training workshop, we had people telling us like the market happened and I made money and I wasn't there, right? I was camping, or I was resting, or I was doing other things that benefited my business, but I wasn't at the market, and it felt amazing. And so we want this for you. It is all possible. All the links for the workshop will be in the show notes. Or you can go to foodbizsuccess.com/uplevel, and get either just the basic workshop or get the full bundle with all of the bonuses and the hiring and training. Okay, so I promise you, I would give you a couple of strategies, couple of things I've learned about hiring and training and how to have a successful experience bringing in other people. Because what usually happens, this is kind of the usual model, is that you get overwhelmed. And you're like, let me go hire some people. And so you hire a friend or your neighbor or somebody's, you know, high school kid or something like that, and you don't really give them what they need to be successful. You just kind of plug them in, or you micromanage them to the point where it's just no fun for them, and then things do not go the way that you want them to. And I am totally guilty of this, by the way. I did this at the beginning of my business, when I started bringing in some support. And it was textbook, right of what I'm telling you. Basically, I just got really mad about it, and I was frustrated, and I was like, why are you not doing it the way I said, why? What is so hard about this? And I was getting really frustrated, and then I just, like, took it all back, and was like, well, I guess I can only do it, right? I can. It's just I have to do it myself. It was not a good experience for either one of us, right? So I learned the hard way, and then when I read,

Sari  
And then when I read E Myth by Michael Gerber, which is what I based Master Your Business on, is one of the tools and teachings that inspired Master Your Business is, I was like, oh my gosh. This is the secret. This is how you hire well, train well, and then are able to step back and things happen the way that you would do them, right? In the way that you would do them. Now, it's not always exactly that they do it exactly how you would do it, but the results that you want are the same, and that's the important part, right? So there is some letting go. There is some allowing for different ways to get to the destination, but you as the boss, need to define the result, instead of just bringing in somebody that you hope will read your mind and gets the vision and then will do it exactly how you want to do it, how you think it should be done, and then we'll get the same results you want. And when I say it out loud like that, you're probably like, yeah, that sounds crazy, which it is, it's never going to work. Okay, so I want to give you the strategy that will get you on the road when you are ready to hire. And the beautiful thing is, if you start this now, even when you aren't ready to hire, like, let's say you're like, hey, I'm just going to my first market. I'm not ready to hire, right? If you start this right now, then you will be in such great shape when you are ready, if you are ready, when you decide, or maybe you're not even going to hire officially, but you're like, I'm sick, or I won the lottery, or I have this great vacation, but I still want to be at the market, and you have a friend come and help you, or you have a neighbor, but you are setting them up for success. So here is what I highly recommend. All right, so here's the strategy. Enough build up. I'm going to give it to you. What I want you to do is sit down and create the write out the customer journey. You are so in it, in your business, that you don't even know exactly what you're doing to get the results. And it may not be the results you exactly want, but to get the results that you are getting. And so you can't do this on the first market you go to, but after you've done a few markets, and you kind of get a routine, and you're like, this is how I like the booth set up. And here's the conversations that we have, and here's the pricing, and those kind of things, what I want you to do is step back and you can write it out, type it out. I love doing it visually. We're going to actually do that in Master Your Business this year. 

Sari  
We're going to create it on whimsical and if you go to whimsical.com, you can get a free account where you can map it out visually, which for many of us, is really helpful. But you're going to map out the customer journey. You're going to put yourself in your customer's shoes and write the story from their point of view. And you're going to do it for three areas of their journey. You're going to do it before the sale. So as for instance, at a farmer's market, as they approach your booth, what is happening, and you're going to describe everything that they are seeing. So you're not going to describe like all the things you're doing on the back end. You're going to do it from their perspective. So in a pre sale situation, right? It'd be like they're walking along and they see my chalk out front that says free samples, and they see whoever's behind the booth smile at them and wave them over and say, come on over. Free samples. Come try this. And then you're going to keep going with like, what is the conversation that they are hearing? What do they see at your booth? And then you're going to do it. So pre sale, then you're going to do it for during the transaction, right? How do they pay? What are their options? How much is it? Does the thing get bagged up? Or do you offer, you know, bundles or upsells, or things like that. So you have the during and then you're going to have the post purchase. So do you get them on an email list? And if you do, what happens next? What is their experience? Not what do you do, but what is their experience. They sign up on the email list. I invite them to do so, so that they could be entered in a giveaway. And then they get on the email list, and then they receive an email that says, welcome. You're on the, you know, you're entered to win. And then what happens, right? What is that post purchase? Or maybe you have a punch card, which I love. Punch cards. You guys might think I'm crazy, but they work so, and I talk about this in the workshop, I do, but. Maybe it's a punch card, right? And so the post journey is reminding them, like, hey, come back. And then maybe they actually come back because they want to fill up their punch card, right? It's a beautiful thing. So what you want to do is go through this and start documenting the customer journey. And so this is all the prep that's going to get you ready to hire well and get the results you want. So you do that, then you actually test it. We had a member do this, and she's like, I wrote out the pre, you know, the customer journey, and then I actually had my husband try it, and then I got feedback, right? And it was like, oh my gosh, I totally missed this thing, or I forgot about this, or that was not intuitive. She was doing her website, right? But you can do it for anything. So if you're going to do markets, like actually see if you can step back or give this to somebody else and say, does this match your experience? And you're going to find holes, because you're so, you know, it's just so natural for you, and your brain has filled in all the holes. So you got to describe it so that somebody else could execute then from there, the customer journey. Now you're going to fill in all of the back end stuff, and this becomes, essentially your job description. This becomes the to do's so you're not necessarily going to regulate exactly how they say hello, although you could, right, you probably go to places where they say welcome, or they say what's chick-fillet, right? It's our pleasure, or something like that, right? Like you can if you want, but the result that you want is that the potential customer is greeted with eye contact and a smile and feels welcome to step into your booth area. That's the result that you want. And so you can allow for freedom in there based on the, you know, the person who's helping you. You want some individuality, but you get the result, which is a customer feels welcome, right? Or that every everyone is offered a sample and and you kind of go through and you break down, what does the sample process look like? How do we actually get the samples onto the table and look presentable in the way that you want it? So now you can start breaking things down, but they just become processes, and now you can start documenting those processes. It's the meta skill. This is the CEO skill of I do the work, and now I step back and I also document the work. Again, you can't do this on your very first market, but after you get a routine and you're seeing what works, now you're going to start documenting. So you might take photos, you're going to have a written description, you might do videos, and Danny goes through all of this and how he does it in his hiring and training workshop. It's pretty incredible because he has a large staff. That is all they're all incentivized, and they're all excited to be there and getting the results of sales and emails, which is what Danny wants, and that's just the whole point of it, right? He doesn't need to be there micromanaging when they know exactly the results that they're trying to create. 

Sari  
So you go through and you do that meta skill of documenting it, and now you've started to create processes and standards. And you go first, I will just tell you the more that you can do this early on, and then you follow your own list. You create checklists, you create processes, and you go through and every market you're like, let me follow my checklist. That's an amazing thing. A checklist is a beautiful thing, and we forget how simple they are, but they work. Let me follow my checklist for setup before I ever leave the house. Do I have all these things? Because you can be a pro, you can be on your 100th market, and somehow you still forget the charger, right? But not if you have a checklist. It's a beautiful thing, and you actually follow it.

Sari  
So those are some of the strategies I wanted to share with you today. A little sneak peek. Danny talks about this. We talk about it in Master Your Business, but these are things that you can be doing right now to create the same experience every time from the customer end, and that's really what you're going for it's not about you, it's about your customer experience. Alright, so I wanted to give you that little bonus here as part of today's podcast. I hope that's really helpful. If you want more support, go and get the up level and get the full bundle. Foodbizsuccess.com/uplevel to get the full bundle and you will be on your way to creating more money, to creating cash flow that will help fund all the areas of your business. Until next time, have an amazing week.

Sari  
The smartest thing you can do as an entrepreneur is to invest in a who to help you with the how to speed up your journey and help you skip the line when you are ready for more support and accountability to finally get this thing done, you can work with me in two ways. Get me all to yourself with one on one business coaching, or join Food Business Success, which includes membership inside Fuel, our community of food business founders that includes monthly live group coaching calls and so much more. It's one of my favorite places to hang out, and I would love to see you there. Go to foodbizsuccess.com to start your journey towards your own food business success.