Find operations partners

Especially as you are starting up, consider what the core parts of your operation are and what you can hand over to someone else. Since it’s hard to know exactly what your business will need a year or two from now, can you start by renting space in someone else’s underutilized coolers instead of committing to a lease and building your own? That’s just one example and not every community has every asset you’ll need, but think about food sector partners that can help you focus on your main business and its success. Some partners you might not need at first but cultivating relationships can be a huge boost to your long-term success. Here are a few to consider:

• Box manufacturers

• Truck rental companies

• Commercial kitchens

• Existing food distributors (for extra truck capacity?)

• Food businesses with extra cooler capacity

• Food Innovation Centers (often state or university led)

• Healthcare stakeholders

• Buy Local groups

• Community and local economic development groups

• Municipal, county, state departments of agriculture, USDA

One way to think about these relationships is to sketch a map to visualize how the various people and organizations in community connect and could facilitate further partnership.