Type of Products/Services Offered:
Meal Planning for the busy work week
Start Up Cost: $10,000
What did start up costs go for?: My
initial expense was in establishing my trademark.
Since I do not have personal programming expertise,
I needed to use my start up funds to fully develop
the technology used for this website and creation of
a database of recipes
Earning Potential: With a new
customer base of 2,000 subscriptions, I would gross
almost $50,000.
Skills Needed: I utilized my
organizational skills to develop an idea that I
found useful in preparing meals for my own family of
6. I found myself in many uncharted territories
during the various stages of development where I
found it necessary to have a philosophy of “Just
Ask”. I have asked many questions along the way to
familiarize myself with all phases of development
which has increased my technical knowledge. I was
assertive in finding out information about
partnering with a company to coupon enable this site
which adds tremendous customer value to Dinner
Wizard.
Special Equipment Needed: The Primary piece
of equipment needed was my trusty computer with cable
internet. The recipe database was completely created across
the internet.
Best Customers/Target Market: Our Service
has a broad range of appeal to working women, stay-at-home
moms, newlyweds, and single parents and families with
growing children of all ages still at home.
Resources & Organizations that help : Any
type of family focused group would be interested in
practical approaches to gathering families around the dinner
table. Cooking enthusiasts are also interested in our
service. Support type groups for Moms balancing career and
home, Home Schooling networks. Interest groups to build
personal organizations skills and anyone wanting to provided
better balanced, more nutritional meals for their family.
Any Tips?: Creating a business out of my
own personal sense of need has been very rewarding. When
my children were growing I went to a grocery store on the
other side of town, and I needed a plan. That was the
simple source of inspiration for me. I wanted a list that
hit the main items and got me started. I wanted to have my
recipes with me as I shopped so I could “ad lib” with a bag
of salad or a special rice mix. I wanted to be able to
refer to my recipes quickly all week long without fumbling
through pages of print outs or cook books. I discovered that
I was not alone, and that other mothers had the same need I
did.
I
attended a free community seminar at the local library to
learn more about the business structure I wanted to use.
From that free seminar I located an attorney to assist me
with trademark registration issues and establish myself as a
legal entity.
Starting a business that had no existing parallels has
proven to be beneficial as well as presenting many
challenges. I had to overcome objections such as “Why should
I pay for something that is free at so many sites?” The
value was created in the final printed format of the weekly
meal plan. I found myself doing hours of research on the
internet on large companies that I thought would be
interested in this fabulous new service. I came to the
conclusion that I should not try to navigate the
complexities of large corporations since I did not have any
starting connections within the industry. Blind calls led
me down blind alleys. So, I decided to just roll up my
sleeves and dig in myself.
I
presented Dinner Wizard to senior marketing students at a
state university. The students warmly embraced this company
and worked hard to prepare Integrated Marketing Plans. From
their hard work and research I was able to have some ideas
for marketing at no cost to me. The students developed some
catch phrases and advertising plans. I discovered the cost
of different advertising media (none of which I could
afford!). They did background research on similar websites,
compiled demographic information, and interview prospective
users for ease of use and functionality of the web site.
Their enthusiasm and positive reactions were instrumental in
keeping me motivated.
I
taught myself to use Power Point, and for the cost of a
display board I was able to showcase Dinner Wizard at a
local TechShow that featured new and emerging pieces of
technology that were developed within our community. I also
arranged to be interviewed by the local paper that did a
full page, colored, feature article on Dinner Wizard. I
entered a contest at a local radio station to become
“Business of the Day”, which that led to an on-the-air
interview and several new subscriptions.
I am
enthusiastic about future opportunities for Dinner Wizard in
working with organizations like momsnetwork.com
Owner's
Name: Sue Inskip