Pushing Through Walls to Grow Your Business

When I left Kentucky for Dartmouth College in 1986, I found out that the college town lacked two important things: the famous mutton-based BBQ of the Moonlite BBQ Inn and the Burgoo Stew of Old Hickory Bar-B-Que. The BBQ in my hometown, Owensboro has a vinegary taste I just couldn’t find there, or anywhere else since.

A few years later, beginning work in Seattle, I said goodbye to the famous chicken sandwich from Hanover’s Everything But Anchovies. It kept me going often, at two in the morning while I was studying, so much that I’d happily order it to be delivered today. But the business closed after nearly 40 years and the impact was felt across the community,

It’s not hard to find people who’ll tell you how your plan for a restaurant or other small business can fail. I’m hoping, with this newsletter, that I guide more entrepreneurs on the path to profitability.

Today’s Opportunity

I am sure those missed food moments I had as a young man are being felt by many more, after what some call the great migration, provoked by the pandemic. Opinions vary about how significant this shift was, but many of us know someone who moved thousands of miles for an easier life.

And therein lies the opportunity for businesses to sell not just beyond their four walls, into their neighborhood, but to communities far away. These customers miss a taste of home, or are just curious about the flavors of a city they’ve vacationed in or longed to visit.

The USPS advises people not to even think of shipping food themselves unless it’s cookies, quick breads or granola. But I believe a company such as ours can help entrepreneurs bring some of the most perishable items to new customers, with nationwide shipping which we launched last year.?

I wanted to find out what some DoorDash partners go through before taking advantage of this. Mark Murrell (above), Founder of Get Maine Lobster laid it out for me: “When Maine harvesters catch a breeder lobster, they have to mark it and throw it back in the water. And even then, only 20 percent of the rest are robust enough to travel safely from the docks at Union Wharf, Portland, to, say, Los Angeles. And then, some customers only want new shell lobsters, because the cold salt water tenderizes the meat while the lobster is alive. A lot is riding on the ability to then pack it at the right temperature!

“We love using nationwide shipping because we get to tap into hundreds of thousands of customers we didn’t have before, without marketing costs. That number is only likely to get higher, since more people became comfortable cooking seafood at home during the pandemic.?

“Still, because lobster is not a staple, we have to be creative in finding ways to sell it. Corporate giving is one avenue we’re exploring. And now that so many people work from home or in small hubs, corporate events for a company based in one place could take place anywhere else in the country.”

Shipping More than Seafood

Ever admired the rose wall at the Tony’s? Or the gorgeous flowers awarded to Miss America? If so, you probably saw them from afar on a TV screen. What you probably didn't know is that these flowers come from a farm in South America that prides itself on quality, consistency, community, and sustainability.? Along with its petals for the Rose Bowl, this family farm has wowed people for years. The next generation of that family was raised on daily stories of the challenges, and beauty of working in the floral industry.

Last year, this education spurred Steven Peisach (above) and his cousin Ivette Harrouche to launch a consumer-facing brand, POMP Flowers, to bring their farm's epic flowers to the online direct to consumer floral market, and raise the bar for floral experiences across the U.S. I’m proud to say they’re a partner of ours.

Steven told me: “When you unpack a POMP delivery, you see floral excellence at its finest. It's our job to plant and cultivate the most robust flowers, with the optimal characteristics based on genetic varieties, and make sure they stay strong, through every part of our supply chain. Now our biggest opportunity is to get our name out there and enable more people to experience POMP's stunning blooms. With DoorDash, we can each play to our strengths: we’re the quarterback and you’re the wide receiver. We pass the ball to you, and score a touchdown together, in a way neither of us could alone.”

Speed is not the point when Shawn Davis (above) and his wife Robin, at ?Big Shakes Hot Chicken and Fish, look at opening new restaurants. But they do believe people nationwide should experience the joy of their Shrimp Burgers, Hot Mess Sandwich Kit and other tasty items as soon as possible. They offered customers nationwide shipping early on.?

Shawn told me: “We didn’t do fish for years because we thought without testing that it wouldn’t come out crispy and crunchy and maintain the taste, once the customer got it home. But our first trial turned out great. We use the flash freeze process to support the experience at below zero. We’ve been able to keep the integrity of the product to make sure it passed my test. And we have a pretty decent circle of individuals that tell me the truth all the time, including our staff!” Shawn and Robin told me more about one of those staff, Wendy, second from right below:

Wendy started as a dishwasher, became a cook, and for the last five years has successfully managed their Martin Road store in Huntsville, Alabama.? Robin told me: “She understands the culture and what we are trying to build. I said I wouldn’t open this restaurant unless she ran it.” This is the kind of investment in people which businesses can only make that have planned strategically, for the long term. To that end, for those who are interested in taking advantage of nationwide shipping, please email us at [email protected].?

I’m continuing my journey to learn, and share with you other ways that entrepreneurs are extending the power of their business beyond their walls. In a future edition I’ll share the story of one who not only kept her restaurant going through the pandemic, but also launched two nonprofits that help food insecure communities.