Classes
Food Business Classes (see upcoming Events /Keynotes too)
Terry teaches a range of inspiring, action-oriented food business classes and workshops that provide culinary entrepreneurs and business owners with information they need to succeed – and often feature incredible guest speakers.
Want to find out more about a class, or request a repeat of one you missed?
Can’t wait until our next class to get started? Please contact us!
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Upcoming Classes
How to Launch / Optimize Your Food Product Biz – April 18, 2023 11am-1pm
- Importance of Industry Immersion
- Two Key Profit Drivers
- Meaningful Mission Statement
- Powerful Product Positioning
- Packaging, Production, Pricing & Sales Strategies
- How to Build a Loyal Tribe
If you’d like to get feedback to your “biggest challenge to move forward,” email that with your name and brand / product (if you have one), for possible inclusion in the PPT presentation, to Terry@Culinest.com.
New Webinar: Win-Win-Win with Strategic Partnerships – 2023 Date TBD
It’s the beginning of a new year — a great time to look back at what worked well and what can be done better. Join us for an explosion of practical ideas as we brainstorm on how to leverage your connections and opportunities across industries, towards achieving and amplifying success via mutually-beneficial partnerships.
Key Attendee Benefits (For Start-ups, Small Businesses & More Established Company Owners):
- Identify new ways to amplify and scale
- Consider non-traditional alliance opportunities
- Learn how to reach like-minded partners
- Expedite goals
- Access free consulting and brainstorming during the workshop
Takeaways:
- Inspiring case studies
- A way of thinking that leverages strengths to achieve success
- Worksheet with specific intentions and actionable next steps
Recent Topics
4 Key Steps to Define Your WHY
What really inspires you at work? What kind of positive impact do you want to make? This exciting workshop will help you to layer greater meaning into your business, while increasing customer loyalty and reducing employee turnover.
- Columbia Business School, Uris Hall with Columbia-Harlem SBDC Entrepreneurs
How to Grow Your Food Products Business, Profitably
It’s the first quarter of a new decade. What better time than now to invest in yourself and your food products business?
Be inspired to strategize on what’s working well, what could be improved, and how you might more efficiently and profitably move forward. Take advantage of this special opportunity to get advice on your greatest business challenge from industry expert Terry Frishman, and your peers.
This fast-paced, engaging and content-packed workshop will help you to do just that. Plus, become motivated to highlight key actions that can help accelerate your desired goal achievement.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
By the end of this workshop, you will be better equipped to:
- Valuably target the two key profitability drivers
- Focus on important foundation checks needed before scaling further
- Rethink your business practices and offerings, to create a more profitable and desirable win-win solution
- Meaningfully market to Millennials who have significant and increasing purchasing power
- Research and pursue new sales opportunities
- Pursue powerful partnerships to help you profitably grow your business.
Define Your Why – So You Can Profit With Purpose
Join other food entrepreneurs to discover what will help turn your passion into a business model with greater profit potential and impact. Be inspired to build a stronger, more meaningful concept that will help you attract an ideal team, investors, partnerships and greater sales. After an informative presentation on why Profits with Purpose is increasingly important to your business, a brainstorming trends session, and an example of how to create a richer mission, Terry will help you articulate the “why” behind what you are doing. At the end of the session, you will have the tools to further develop your:
- Mission with vision statement
- Worksheet for Defining Your Why
- Layering of trends, values and important partnerships into some initial key next steps
- A meaningful concept with positive, defined impact.
How to Launch & Market Your Own Food Product Brand
Do you dream of launching your own food or beverage business? Whether you have the best Argentinian empanadas or want to internationally sell a plant-based line of Ayurvedic-inspired foods — this content-packed class with lots of case studies will help you to understand what’s involved in starting a food business. We’ll discuss relevant trends, meaningful points-of-difference, costing, production, sales channels, distributors, brokers, pricing strategy, public relations, and more!
Your Master Plan: Looking Back, Moving Forward
Discover the tools to use to give your target customers a meaningful reason to love and believe in your brand. We will help you reflect on business challenges and successes, and learn to make better business choices through effective competitive analysis and product positioning approaches. A local food entrepreneur will share the steps they took at this stage of their business. This session provides:
- Worksheet to address key learnings, challenges and opportunities
- Brand positioning statement
- Competitive analysis spreadsheet and approach
- Action plan and next steps for a stronger proof of concept.
Looking Back, Moving Forward: Taking Your Business to the Next Level
There’s no time like the present, to look back and make sure that you have a solid business foundation before you spring forward. What drives your profits — and are you even profitable?
During this presentation, with a useful strategic worksheet you can complete afterwards, award-winning food marketing consultant and educator, Terry Frishman of Culinest discusses the 3 biggest challenges facing food and beverage manufacturers.
Be inspired, and motivated to assess what’s working well and what could work better to profitably grow your business.
Profits with Purpose: Doing Good by Doing Well
Businesses today increasingly need to be both profitable and mission driven, to both retain employees and build customer loyalty. In other words, they must do good by doing well. What kind of impact do you want to have? To create a clearly articulated, measurable, mission-based plan, we need to first answer the why—even before the who, what, when, where, and how. Then we can create shared value with critical buy-in, and leverage meaningful partnerships. In this interactive presentation, we’ll first highlight case studies, combining them with insights, advice, and a checklist of doable steps. We’ll work on a vital worksheet to help you define these critical elements, then discuss methods to help elevate your thoughts to a meaningful vision that can add purpose to your everyday business—all while attracting loyal employees, customers, and stakeholders.
Start Your Own Business – New Skills 101 Series
New and seasoned entrepreneurs will be guided on the essentials of how to build a solid foundation and springboard to get a great business idea off the ground. Topics highlighted will include: Entrepreneurship pros and cons – working for self vs. others; Self-assessment – for strengths, areas of opportunity, team need; Industry immersion – including trends brainstorming & competitive analysis; Concept development – including defining your meaningful point-of-difference and personal “why” to create Profits with Purpose; Branding – including first writing a product positioning statement and brand voice; Business planning – merging the Lean Business Model & Lean Canvas approach; Initial financial planning – start-up and operating budgets, sales forecasting; Getting started – with some key objectives and a test market plan.
The Future of Food
Stay ahead of the curve while tapping into new, relevant business opportunities. We’ll be discussing how to leverage both the internal and external, within the the rapidly-changing, highly-competitive food business landscape, as well as Terry’s 3Ms: Meaning & Mission, Merging of Industries and MegaTrends.
Homemade: From Kitchen To Market Success?
Be inspired and learn useful advice for how to start or grow your culinary business, as I moderate a panel of three successful entrepreneurs who have developed, sold and scaled up a favorite recipe with a meaningful concept.
Profit with Purpose: Creating a Measurable Mission-Based Business Plan
What is your why? Businesses today can be both profitable and mission driven! One key is to create a clearly-articulated, measurable, mission-based plan that defines desired impacts, creates critical buy in, and leverages meaningful partnerships. Case studies with insights, advice and a check list of doable steps will be highlighted.
Click on the title for more details about past classes, any of which can be updated and customized for your group or organization.
Innovation, Disruption & Opportunity in the Food Industry:
How Culinest’s 12 MegaTrends & Consumer Attitudes Can Increase Business Opportunities, Consumer Interest & Brand Loyalty
Food Entrepreneurship
Sales & Branding – ITAC & Evergreen Exchange
Pitch Perfect: How to Pitch to the Press – Specialty Food Association
Food Products Business: Strategic Planning – The New School University, Food Studies Program
How to Write a Great Business Plan for a Food Business – Natural Gourmet Institute
Concept Development & Competitive Analyses – SBA / SCORE
Social Entrepreneurship – African Moringa Alliance / CSW 59 – United Nations Program
What I Wish I Knew Before Starting my Food Business – Columbia-Harlem SBDC / Columbia Business School, Institute of Culinary Education, Natural Gourmet Institute
Click here for more past topics.
Where Terry Has Guest Spoken…
A few of the places where Terry has taught, guest spoken, been an industry expert, led events and/or educational workshops:
- BevNET Boot Camp
- Brooklyn FoodWorks / PilotWorks
- Brooklyn Kitchen
- Columbia University Graduate School of Business
- Columbia-Harlem SBDC
- Culinary Institute of America
- Expo East – Natural Products Show
- Food Network
- Hot Bread Kitchen
- Industrial Technology Assistance Corporation (ITAC)
- Institute of Culinary Education
- International Culinary Center
- International Restaurant Show
- Natural Gourmet Institute
- The New School University Food Studies Program
- New York Expo – Jacob Javits Center
- New York University
- Oneida
- Queens Economic Development Corporation
- SCORE
- Specialty Food Association – Fancy Food Show
- United Nations
Past Classes: Descriptions
If you are interested in hosting, scheduling, or attending a future session of any of these courses, please contact us.
Innovation, Disruption & Opportunity in the Food Industry:
How Culinest’s 12 MegaTrends & Consumer Attitudes Can Increase Business Opportunities, Consumer Interest & Brand Loyalty
Be inspired to look at business opportunities in a new light while learning about Culinest’s 12 MegaTrends and how, when merged with a better understanding of consumer attitudes, you can increase consumer interest and brand loyalty. Examples of innovative and disruptive food businesses that successfully leverage Culinest MegaTrends will be shared throughout.
Sales Pitch-a-Thon: How to Create a Win-Win Presentation
The essence of marketing, and sales – is the match. How do you create a win-win presentation, when you’re selling your food or beverage brand, and yourself?
This interactive evening allows you to practice your sales “pitch” for feedback, plus inspiring and educational advice on the importance of:
- Due Diligence: Pre-work to understand what’s important – before you present
- Pitch Contents: What do you need to include and bring, when you make the appointment to sell your product
- Appointment Making: With Terry’s tips of how to get them
- Customization Advice: For how to make your presentation great!
Become a Food Entrepreneur
Have you or your kids dreamed of starting your own food business? Learn how to take your favorite recipes to market! Whether you have decadent desserts, high protein snacks, delicious sauces or gluten-free baked goods, we’ll discuss what’s involved, in addition to passion, to successfully develop, brand, test and launch foods your friends and family love. This inspiring, action-oriented workshop will provide invaluable information to help you get started or get to the next level. “How to” topics include: mission, brand, meaningful product positioning, legal production, selling and more!
Food Products Business – Concept Development: Strategic Planning Workshop
The New School University, Food Studies Program (School Credit)
Do you dream of being a successful food entrepreneur? Do you wonder how others do it? This inspiring, fast-paced workshop covers crucial preliminary steps, from a business and communications point-of-view, to ideate and develop a meaningful food products business concept that leverages your strengths, market opportunities, and relevant trends and to learn how to clearly present your concept highlights in a 1 minute elevator pitch.There will be one mandatory synchronous online session using easily accessible software, ZOOM, in which guest speaker will share a successful entrepreneurial story. By the end of this 1 credit course, students should have a well-developed, early stage food products business concept.
Food Entrepreneurship Certificate Program
Throughout this inspiring and educational Certificate course, students championed new business ideas, conceptualized and developed a business plan, and learned what is involved in running a food start-up. The class culminated with a virtual capital pitch to a panel of private equity investors who regularly review businesses for investment. Students learned what it takes to start a successful food business and how to profitably take a business from concept to market, with guest speakers & field trips that included:
- Baked – Owners Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito
- Blue Apron – Co-Founder Matthew Wadiak, Director of Marketing Rani Yadav
- Cleaver Co – Owner, Mary Cleaver
- Dang Food – Owner, Vincent Kitirattragarn
- Dig Inn – Founder, CEO – Adam Eskin
- Dimes – Chef Owner, Alissa Wagner
- Edible Magazine – Brian Halweil, Carrington Morris & Ariel Lauren Wilson, Jesse Hirsch
- Good Eggs – Summer Rayne
- Great Performances – CEO Liz Neumark
- Hu Kitchen – Owners Jordan Brown, Jessica Karp and Andrew Bonito
- Krumville Bake Shop – Founder, Antonella Zangheri
- Luke’s Lobster – Owner, Luke Holden
- Meatball Shop – CFO, Barry Korn
- Quinciple – Owner, David Robinov
- Roberta’s – President, Anthony Falco
- VertiCulture Farms – Miles Crettien
What attendees wrote after completing the first certificate program with Terry:
“Fantastic! Great insights. Clear and practical.”
“Amazing speakers!”
“Incredibly detailed and informative.”
“Extremely well-organized. Expertly and thoroughly presented.”
“I recommend it to anyone who is seriously considering starting their own food business.”
What I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Food Business
This inspiring class teaches what it takes to successfully run a profitable food products business in this educational, story-and-advice driven class. Students get advice on how to avoid pitfalls and how to handle the ups and downs of running a food business from award-winning food business consultant Terry Frishman of Culinest, and her guest experts, who share their war stories, recommendations and hard-learned insights, as well as give on-the-spot feedback. The class includes tips for managing cash flow, supervising employees, pricing, marketing, and lots more. Attendees leave with an increased chance to be in that successful minority before even starting.
Past guest speakers when this class has been held at Institute of Culinary Education and Natural Gourmet Institute have included Luke Holden, Owner of Luke’s Lobster; Franz Knipschildt, Owner Knipschildt Chocolate and Chopologie; Bill Levine, Partner and Co-Founder of Sarabeth’s; Amy Scherber of Amy’s Bread; Denise Mari, Founder of Organic Avenue; Rick Field, Founder and CEO of Rick’s Picks; Maury Rubin, Founder and CEO, The City Bakery; Joy Pierson & Bart Potenza, Founders of Candle Cafe; Daniel Ceballos, Chief Innovation Officer of JuicePress; Laurie Pauker, Founder of Laurie & Sons; Ravi Jolly, Founder of I Heart Keenwah – and others.
Pitch Perfect! Tips to Getting Your Food Business Covered
Getting relevant press coverage is often one of the key stepping stones to success in the specialty food business, and the right coverage comes with the right pitch. This series of three, one-hour workshops (originally created for members of the Specialty Food Association) covered how to get noticed and get covered, with topics including self-assessment, brainstorming, building an action plan, the importance of research and building a contact list, and how to write a perfect pitch.
Led by Terry Frishman, the first series featured guest speakers from the media including Nina Elder, who at the time was Deputy Food Editor of Everyday with Rachael Ray, and Michelle Buffardi, the Culinary Programming Director at Scripps Networks Interactive, whose brands include Food Network, HGTV, DIY Network, Travel Channel and Cooking Channel.
This online course was inspired by the panel Terry moderated at the 2014 Summer Fancy Food Show with guest speakers Adam Rapoport, Editor-in-Chief, Bon Appetit; Adam Sachs, Editor-in-Chief, Saveur; and Adam Glassman, Creative Director, O, The Oprah Magazine.
How to Write a Great Business Plan for a Food Business
Writing an outstanding business plan can be overwhelming. If you would like to run your own food business, this informative class will help you to better understand what is involved, how to create a road map and raise capital. When you’re ready to start, you’ll be way ahead of the game.
This class will help you write a corporate statement that includes your values, how to assess your client base, your offering, the competition, the market, the industry, the financial situation and forecasts. Terry’s comprehensive handout highlights each section within the plan with key advice on how to proceed. Useful resources, including ones that will help you write your plan at no charge, are included. This course has been featured at the Natural Gourmet Institute.
Concept Development & Competitive Analyses
No matter what business you are launching or growing, upfront planning – then starting small and adjusting – is critical to increasing your chances of success.
In this restaurant-focused class, we start by addressing the importance of a mission to help build your concept and imbue your business with meaningful values, as well as align you with relevant trends. Next we discuss competitive analyses, and share useful resources for completing one, including a template and a list of key questions. You’ll learn why competitive analysis is important and what you should focus on. The results will positively impact your brand identity, product offerings, sales, marketing and pricing strategies and more. Terry can customize this course (originally developed for SBA/SCORE to have a focus on restaurant concepts) to be relevant and extremely helpful for any food or beverage business.
Social Entrepreneurship/Creating a Social Business Plan
Terry Frishman was asked to lead this class as a parallel event to the 59th Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations, held in March 2015. Topics included what distinguishes a social impact business from a regular entrepreneurial venture; the steps involved in a social business plan, from research and funding to testing, revision and scaling up; and the components of a concrete action plan – one that answers the why, who, what, when, where and how of the social enterprise. Attendees included members of the African Moringa Alliance, a co-sponsor of the event.
Other Topics Have Included:
• Food Trends (International Restaurant & Foodservice Show – IRFS)
• Capitalizing on Consumer Trends: Implications to Farmers’ Markets (Community Markets)
• Sales Development & Branding (ITAC)
• How to Launch & Market Food Products (Institute of Culinary Education – ICE, NGI, SBA / SCORE, New School, Columbia…)
• What I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Food Business (Columbia, NGI, New School, ICE)
• How to Write a Great Food Business Plan (NGI, New School, ICE)
• Food Products Business (New School)
• Self-Marketing on a Shoestring Budget (NGI, New School)
• Greening Your Food Business (NGI)
• How to Leverage the Power of the Press (National Association of Specialty Food Trade)
• How to Effectively Do Your Own PR (ICE, IRFS)
• Doors Don’t Always Open: You Need to Unlock Them (Hot Bread Kitchen)
• Food Industry Expert Advising Small Businesses (Food Network)
Want more information? Please contact us.
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