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Someone on my email list sent me this question, and I know others have the same question. Still, I can’t tell you how nervous I am setting down to write about good food business ideas for women. You see, despite the name “Stacey”, I’m a guy.
However, I am married to an amazingly strong woman who I help in running a number of food businesses from our home. So I’m going to give this a shot and I’ll beg in advance for your patience and kindness.
To not waste your time, I want to be clear about how I’m approaching the question “Good Small Food Business Ideas For Women?”.
The question doesn’t mention a partner or a family, so I’m going to assume you’re starting this business alone either because you are alone or because your partner isn’t going to be a huge part of this startup (until you’re wildly successful).
Because you’re going to be doing this alone, I’m limiting this list to food business ideas that require limited resources in time or money.
Other than that, I’m not going to make any other assumptions. No assumptions about your experience, time, money, or specific skills that you might or might not have.
Instead, I’m going to let you know with each small food business idea what specific skills and resources are necessary to make this business successful.
Five Small Food Businesses For Women
#1 – Meal Prep Club
Starting a meal prep club is a great home-based food business for women.
Why women? Sadly because as you know, feeding the family disproportionally is the responsibility of the woman of the house.
This also gives you a huge advantage over men trying to run a business like this because you know other women who are also tired of being solely responsible for feeding the family.
With a Meal Prep Club, you’ll help other people (mostly women) with meal prep to feed their families for the coming weeks.
Not only will you be offering a service that helps families thrive, but you’ll also be creating a social outlet for yourself, your friends, and your new friends.
Meal Prep Club Business Requirements Table
| Skill / Resource | Importance |
|---|---|
| Startup Cost | Low |
| Startup Complexity | Medium |
| Cooking Skills | Medium |
| Tech Skills? | Low |
| Social Skills | High |
| Organization Skills | High |
| Employees Required | No |
To learn more about a Meal Prep Club, check out this article I wrote about Meal Prep Clubs.
#2 – Secret Supper Club
A Secret Supper Club is a cross between a home-based restaurant and a social club.
Secret Supper Clubs host friends and friends-of-friends in their homes or some other location to share a very exclusive supper. Included with the supper is often an intimate setting, entertainment, and home hospitality that you can’t find in a restaurant.
In exchange for this amazing experience, guest offer donations to cover the cost of the meal and the host’s considerable time.
At this point, you are wondering why a ‘business’ would take donations instead of charging.
While running a Secret Supper Club can be a lot of fun while making good side cash, there is a complexity.
In almost all areas you are not allowed to run a restaurant from your home. That is why this is a club and not a business.
Still, Secret Supper Clubs are often frowned upon by those who regulate restaurants. That’s where the “secret” part of these clubs comes from.
You’ll need to do your own research and decide if this kind of home food business fits into your life.
Secret Supper Club Business Requirements Table
Secret Supper Club Business Requirements Table
| Skill / Resource | Importance |
|---|---|
| Startup Cost | Low |
| Startup Complexity | Low |
| Cooking Skills | High |
| Tech Skills? | Low |
| Social Skills | High |
| Organization Skills | High |
| Employees Required | No |
You should start your research with this article I wrote about Secret Supper Clubs.
#3 – Personal Grocery Shopper
If you are raising a family, grocery shopping is probably a skill you’ve developed.
I guarantee that there are people in your community who can’t or don’t want to do their own grocery shopping.
Sure, more grocery stores offer delivery today than yesterday, but there will always be room for a small business where real relationships develop between the client and the personal grocery shopper.
Personal Grocery Shopper Business Requirements Table
| Skill / Resource | Importance |
|---|---|
| Startup Cost | Low |
| Startup Complexity | Low |
| Cooking Skills | None |
| Tech Skills? | Low |
| Social Skills | High |
| Organization Skills | High |
| Employees Required | No |
To learn more about starting and running a Personal Grocery Shopper Business, start with this article I wrote.
#4 – Food Blogger
This is more of a long-haul kind of business. It’s going to take up to 8 months to start getting traffic and you’re going to have to keep publishing through those long months of nearly no traffic.
That said, we have a food/keto wellness blog that we love and that makes us a nice income.
We create recipes and articles and share them with the world.
We really enjoy our food blog and you might too if you have the necessary skills.
Skills Required To Successfully Run A Food Blog
- Cooking
- Food Photography
- Graphic Design
- Website Building & Maintenance
- Writing
As you can see, this business takes a wide range of skills. You don’t have to have them all from day one, but you are going to need to develop them as you’re publishing.
Fortunately, the months it takes to start getting traffic give you time to learn on the job.
Food Blogger Business Requirements Table
| Skill / Resource | Importance |
|---|---|
| Startup Cost | Low |
| Startup Complexity | High |
| Cooking Skills | None |
| Tech Skills? | Low |
| Social Skills | High |
| Organization Skills | High |
| Employees Required | No |
I have two more resources for you if want to learn more about starting a Food Blog.
#5 – Home Based Baker
Many areas of the world allow baked goods to be sold from a home kitchen in some limited fashion.
Those limits usually apply to where you can sell home-baked goods or to who you can sell them.
In our area, you can sell them at the farmer’s market, but you can’t sell them to restaurants. In other areas, you can sell them to anyone.
In some areas, you are not allowed to run this business.
To find out what the rules are in your town, I’d start on Google. Search for “MY CITY, STATE, Business License”. That should lead you to the office that grants business licenses in your city.
That’s the office that you need to email or call. If they don’t have the answer you’re looking for, they will point you toward the offices that will have the answer that you need.
I’d try email first because ideally we’d like a written response to keep in our records. If that doesn’t work, make a call.
When you contact them, keep your communication clear and concise. For example, “Can I sell cookies I made in my home to my neighbors and to local businesses who want to give them as gifts to their clients? Are there any rules or regulations I have to comply with to do so?”
It might take you a week or so to get the answers you need, but be patient, kind, and respectful and you’ll get there. Remember that these people you are communicating with are used to business owners being mad at them and you’ll stand out from the crowd if you are kind.
Home Baker Business Requirements Table
| Skill / Resource | Importance |
|---|---|
| Startup Cost | Low |
| Startup Complexity | Low |
| Cooking Skills | Medium |
| Tech Skills? | Low |
| Social Skills | Medium |
| Organization Skills | Medium |
| Employees Required | No |
I hope you found a business idea that works in your life.
Starting your first business is a big step that can lead to life changes that you can’t even imagine today. I’m proud of you for having the courage to even consider taking the leap. I’m also excited for you.
Let me end this article with some unsolicited advice.
Start small and learn on the job. Too many people spend years getting ready to start a business and never actually take the leap. When you start small, the consequences of failure are small and each of those setbacks makes you a better businessperson.
Debt Is Slavery. If you take out loans, your business risks become a curse instead of a blessing. Once your business is established, loans might make sense to take it to the next level, but when you are starting avoid debt like the plague.
Good Enough Is Perfect. If you wait to start your business until everything is perfect, you’ll never start.
I hope those tips help you find the path to starting your own business.
I like to share stuff like this about starting and growing food businesses. If you’d like to hear more of my ramblings, be sure to sign up for my “Tips, Tricks, & Truths” emails.
I’m excited for you and hope you’ll drop me an email to tell me about your new business.
~Stacey
