AboutJim Pfister Expertise Food Engineering/Manufacturing, Food Packaging/Distribution, Engineering Beverage Lines, Reducing operating cost of packaging lines while increasing efficiency. Lean Manufacturing. Incorporating new package technology into existing operations. Training staff to achieve smooth transition from "start-up" to full production. Managing complex projects across multi-disciplinary lines. Equipment PreShipment Factory Acceptance testing and Commissioning programs for new equipment.
Experience Employment history: Over thirty-five years of experience. Managed as much as $40MM in concurrent, multi-disciplinary projects, both domestic and international, and have worked with such firms as Campbell Soup, Coca-Cola, Hershey`s, and Nabisco.
Organizations: An author and speaker, as well as a member of the IoPP. Past Chairman of IoPP`s Consultant`s Council and Member of the Packaging Equipment Performance Committee.
Question QUESTION: I make the best cheesecakes and keylime pies around town. My clients are co-workers family and friends. I haven't publicly advertised because I am afraid of getting overwhelmed with orders. I'm only baking from home. I don't have the funds to lease a building. Is it possible that I could have my recipes manufactured without a high start up cost and if so how do I go about getting started?
ANSWER: Toya,
Sounds to me like your situation would be perfect for licensing, i.e., you get someone else to do all the work and then you get royalties or a percentage. First thing to do is to buy a couple of hours of your attorney's time so he/she can educate you on all of the particulars.
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QUESTION: You make it sound simple. How long can this process take? Do I have to get a lawyer to represent me when it comes to talking to individual companies? What would be a little bit cheaper to do right now since, like I mentioned, have limited funds right now.
Answer Toya,
How much risk do you want to take? I tend to be conservative and have also seen people lose their life's dream because they tried to skip over important steps. So, again, how much risk are you willing to take?
There are some firms online who will set you up, but I have no experience with any of them. They could be legit...they could be scam artists. So, again, there's that "risk" issue.
There are some books you can get at Borders or Barnes and Noble ( and probably Amazon, too) that describe licensing. Inside them are case stories about those who've done it, and you could probably write or talk to some of them. Entrepreneurs are usually pretty good about helping other newbie entrepreneurs.
BTW, and as a rule of thumb, you NEVER sign your name to anything until your attorney has OK'ed it. I typically write three or four consulting contracts per year...and they're 99% the same...but I still have the attorney look at every one of them. It costs me about $200, but I make that back the first week on the job.
