This last week, my husband and I took a road trip from San
Jose to San Diego for a business meeting.
Before we left, I researched several young companies for consideration
in this blog. A list of young companies (less than five years old) was created
using web searches and local press. My
plan was to visit the companies during the road trip, meet with owners and managers,
and gather information about their strategies for success. This time, since a girl has to eat on the
road, the list focused on bakeries. All
in the name of research.
What surprised me most wasn’t the fantastic companies that
will be discussed in future entries. It
was actually the companies that were taken off the list. Let me clarify something here. I don’t get
paid to visit companies or write about them.
The products sampled are usually purchased by me, unless I happen to be
on the factory floor and sampling is part of a tour or something. Objectivity is paramount. What you get here are my observations on what
makes start-ups succeed and examples of potential weaknesses.
For example, a bakery near San Diego has a recipe for
success with a perfect location and a lot of foot traffic. However, the product that I had was, quite
honestly, inedible. (I am not one to throw away food, but I couldn’t finish
that cupcake to save my life.) Additionally,
the menu was remarkably limited with very limited product on display, and the
hours were short. On the one hand, just because a company exists doesn’t mean
that it is successful. On the other hand,
there are many factors that I did not observe.
Another bakery had a decent amount of press and a great
website - two items in the plus column. In
contrast with the other bakery, the central coast had a huge range of products,
um… if you like donuts. Fun donuts of
all flavors from traditional old fashioned to maple bacon logs - three items in
the plus column. But in no way, shape,
or form does one appreciate flies on food.
Nope. My co-pilot almost ran for
the door. Undaunted, I got a couple of
things that looked the least likely to have been visited by airborne
insects. After missing lunch, I tried
one of the donuts. Unremarkable. Ok – I liked the chocolate frosting, but the
donut itself was just there. We tried
the other one. Not even unremarkable. As hungry as I was, I put away the
pastries. (In the end, they ended up in
the trash. Don’t tell my mom.)
Just like our judgment of food, success is subjective. The customers of the donut shop may love the
crazy flavors and maybe I was there on an off day. To the locals, this place may be hugely
successful if it is revitalizing a neglected neighborhood or building community
by bringing people together. To the
owners, it may be a success if it is not losing money. To others, they may expect the next Dunkin or
Krispie. It is all relative. So – your question for the week…
What do you consider success?
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