As you can see from the Subject of this post, this is what I intend on starting up in the near future. I am totally new to all of this but my interest level is very high on going forward with this. I live in Texas.
I just kind of wanted your take on a few things I should be considering when starting a meat market. I have my doubts of course because starting your own business can be scary and everyone always thinks about the negative. But if it's something that I love then I should go for it.
I am open to advice and I'll probably have a ton of questions that I hope some of you can answer or just share experiences.
Hi Brooklyn. Thank you for Joining the club. We are happy to have you with us.
I am aware of several very successful privately owned meat markets. I worked for a couple of them. I found that the most successful ones learned sausage making and won awards for their sausage. They didn't start out as experts, but had to learn everything they could about sausage in particular. Sausage gets people in the door. My advice is to to learn everything you can about sausage making, curing and smoking. Try to come up with your own award winning recipes.
You will get all kinds of negative run downs on how expensive everything is going to be, how you will be in the red for at least 5 years and how a large percentage of businesses fail in the first few years. All that is true, but don't let it discourage you. If you have the drive and determination and this is the field you want to go into, you can make it work.
Don't let anyone debunk your goal on lack of experience either. The human brain is designed to learn new things and keep growing with knowledge. Reach out to masters in the trade (there are a lot of them here) and you will learn a lot from their experiences.
Post any questions you have and we'll do our best to respond to them.
Hi Brooklyn and welcome to The Meatcutters club. We wish you well in your endeavor and when ever you need feedback we are here to help you as much as we can. Like anything else starting a business comes with many challenges, too numerous to mention in just one post. That being said there are some basic fundamentals that should be taken into consideration such as;
Scope out your competition in your area and get as much information from them if you can. Spend time shopping in their stores and listen to customer feedback.
Get your funding secured.
Seek advice from many sources, accountants, and other business people.
You should be computer literate because everything revolves around computers.
Create your business plan by creating a niche for your business something your competition isn't doing or is doing but poorly.
You will need help, so you will have to know where to find it. Good employees are hard to come by.
Know your tax requirements, understanding local rules and regulations like business license etc., health and sanitation, weights and measures. These are different in every state.
Find out what kind of insurance you will need other than fire insurance, you will need product liability insurance as well. Get the cost on these items.
This sound negative but it must be said. Make sure you have an exit plan set in your mind if your business does fail. Getting in is much easier than getting out.
The first thing I would do is do a gut check to see if I really wanted to go into this beautiful business and be successful.
Why do you want to go into the business
what skills do I have or need
when do I want to do this
where do I want to do it
who is going to help me
The biggest is do I have the money to go into the business
the last one Passion!!!!!
I do not want to discourage you but I do not want you to say I should't have done it. I do not own a butcher shop any more. The reason is that my family let me down or I let my self down. i allowed other people to use me and I did not know it. Am I sorry, to a point, I try not to think about it. I teach butchery (thats ending soon) would I have dne some things differently, maybe. I love my life, have taught, traveled, eaten around the world.
answer those questions, do a study on who your customers are going to be, competition. is it worth your effort.
another item: Last night I was helping a Chef who is a good friend. My back was killing me and the pain was running down my side. I could hardly walk. I took three alieve, hot baths,
and got dressed to go to work, It was not hard work, prepped a little ran food, talk to customers. I made it through the 7 hour shift. If you are a worker you would have called in sick,
if you own a business you suck it and work.
My father, who owned a great butcher shop, was sick for a half a day in all of the 20 years that he owned it. If you are not there you are going to lose money.
Answer that question and you will get your answer.
Good morning Alan. Leon put that in there for me but you do have one in your avatar because it shows up when you post. I will get with Fred for your to see if he can do that.
Brooklyn, welcome. Though you say you love it, you have not done it, therefore can't love it. I would be a cutter and manager first 5-10 years minimum, then you will have some basis for loving or not loving it. I recommend The Fresh Market if you have one in your area. Happy cutting!
