Healthier food and beverage habits are catching up with companies like McDonald’s and Coca-Cola, says a brief in Bloomberg Business week. Profits of both companies have declined.
Customers of McDonald’s see the company mostly as a “manufacturing plant” and not an eatery.
In the US and China consumers are increasingly skipping sugary beverages, including juices and sports drinks.
Just this information alone is good news for entrepreneurs and would-be start-up founders. With the trend towards healthy eating and drinking the gap is there for the smaller business. Consumers are more likely to go for healthy and nutritious alternatives these days.
The other day after swimming a good few lengths at a local pool we went to a little eatery nearby. All four of us were thirsty after swimming and opted for the healthy alternatives: beetroot, orange, carrot and strawberry drinks freshly squeezed. You could have the fresh juices separate or in various combinations.
The trend towards healthy food is also sparking interest from entrepreneurs in online food. Consumers, tired of fast food and the “negative consequences”, want good food fast.
New online restaurants based in the cloud in San Francisco, reports Businessweek, are making food in their own kitchens, employing professional cooks and make meals customers can order via mobile apps. Some of the start-up use healthier, locally sourced, organic ingredients.
You not going to find a concentrated market like San Francisco here. So you’ve got to think different. It may mean starting something small in your local community and building it up before you go online. One local entrepreneur started preparing home-cooked meals for friends and soon built it up into supplying her local community.
The challenge is to identify a group of customers big enough in your local market and position your food for this niche segment. The trick is also to match the right food offering with the right segment.
Going for the food prep market also requires what I call “domain expertise”. Passion is a requirement for any new venture but knowing the industry, how to prepare meals and deliver them, is key activity knowledge that you gain from prior experience or getting yourself educated and experienced.
Knowing how to turn your promising business idea into a product or service requires specialised knowledge. Before jumping into anything get hold of a copy of “Breakthrough Ideas”. It’s as close to real magic in developing your promising idea as you will ever find.
