The one thing that really stood out to me with regards to the idea behind SupperWorks is it’s underlying simplicity (don’t take that the wrong way, no business is easy to manage), but nowadays I think that quite a few folks (myself included) try to come up with earth shattering, never imagined before ideas, when there are a ton of business opportunities just sitting there in the everyday things that we do.
I absolutely love the idea behind SupperWorks! Everyone’s lives are so hectic nowadays that having someone “take the work out of supper” is just awesome. Chris Wood took some time out of her busy schedule to answer a few of our questions. I hope that her insights help to inspire your business ideas.
PE: Could you tell us a little bit about SupperWorks?
Chris: At SupperWorks, we take the work out of supper! We do all of the shopping, the washing and chopping of vegetables, lots of fresh herbs so that customers can easily and quickly assemble nutritious freezable entrees.
PE: What was your inspiration behind creating SupperWorks?
Chris: I actually read about the concept in Oprah magazine. At the time, there were no businesses of this kind in Canada. I love food and I love working with people. I also am very passionate about the importance of family dinners. This was a concept that from the moment I read about it, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I approached a friend about this concept one evening, shortly thereafter. She went home that night and couldn’t sleep that night for thinking about this business idea. We talked again the next day and literally started working on a business plan.
PE: I always like to talk to people about their vision. What’s your vision for SupperWorks, where do you see your company in say 3-5 years?
Chris: The response to SupperWorks and the food/service we provide has been tremendous. We have grown from one to 14 locations in just 2 and a half years. As the demand grows, we plan to continue to expand and add new locations. We also plan to innovate along the way based on feedback that we receive from our customers.
PE: I think that every entrepreneur has a “Eureka” moment, where the ideas they have been working on just come together and really start to make sense. Could you tell us about when this happened for you?
Chris: I don’t actually remember specifically having a “Eureka” moment. I do however remember the moment when we got word from the bank that they had approved our small business loan! That was when it all became very real for us.
PE: Could you tell us what it was like starting up your first location? What were the biggest roadblocks that you ran into?
Chris: Starting up our first location was very exciting, exhausting, exhilarating and stressful all at the same time. We really had to make our way and find all of the answers for every big and little thing because at the time no one was doing this in Canada. All in all, we were very fortunate in that we didn’t have any huge roadblocks that we couldn’t overcome. It was more a matter of sorting out all of the details and to remain focused, patient and persistent.
PE: What do you find to be the hardest part about running SupperWorks?
Chris: Probably the hardest part about running SupperWorks but also the most enjoyable part, is that our business is, by nature, a moving target. We change our menu monthly, so we are constantly in “change” mode here. We have to be organized for the current months menu but we are also continually planning for future months menus, while running the day to day business operations, as well as, supporting our franchises. We wear many “hats” and that keeps things extremely interesting. There is no opportunity for boredom and I love that!
PE: If you were able to give just one piece of advice to those aspiring entrepreneurs who are reading this right now, what would it be?
Chris: You have to be a bit of a risk taker to start your own business. We are always upbeat about the business and try as much as possible to keep the positive energy flowing! Our customers can clearly see that we are passionate about what we do and this is good for business. Even if you are a carpet cleaner and may not have a “sexy” service to sell, if you are passionate about what you do, it always shines through! As a customer, those are the types of people I want to give my business to.
PE: If you were able to change one single thing about how you started SupperWorks what would it be?
Chris: If we were to do all over again, we would probably hire people sooner! My partner Joni and I tried to do it all for a little too long (in my estimation). We worked ourselves to the point where we were practically sleeping at the store and it wasn’t necessary. Our advice to our franchises is to hire sooner rather than later.
(PE: Chris’ answer reminds me so much of Michael Gerber’s The E-Myth. Make sure that you’re working on your business, not just for it!)
PE: Could you tell us how you managed to attract those first few customers?
Chris: We started by hand delivering “door hangers” to homes close to our store. The door hangers were visually appealing and catchy. By delivering these ourselves, we knew exactly how many were going out and where they were going. We got most of our first bookings all via door hangers.
PE: What has been your most effective method of “getting the word out” about SupperWorks?
Chris: By far, our best method has been “word of mouth” – our customers telling their friends about their SupperWorks experience.
PE: How important is “word-of-mouth” advertising to the overall success of your business?
Chris: It is huge, especially with the fact that our type of business is so new. It’s fantastic to have our customers spreading the good word about SupperWorks. We reward these customers who have referred a friend by giving them a discount on their next order.
PE: I am an avid reader, mostly of business books; can I ask what you’re reading right now, and why?
Chris: Don’t laugh, I read a lot of cookbooks! I am fascinated with reading new recipes and am always on the look out for new ideas/dishes that we can use in our business.
PE: Finally, when you’re not busy with SupperWorks what do you like to do with your time?
Chris: I love to spend time with my family, hosting dinner parties and traveling.
Tags: business profile · entrepreneur · successful entrepreneur · supperworks · young entrepreneurNo Comments
0 responses so far ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.