Owning a food business is difficult. You are the boss of so many things. You probably feel pretty good about it most of the time, but occasionally that anxious little voice of doubt and exhaustion creeps in and you find yourself wondering, “Why am I doing this?”

If your answer is “Because it’s so easy and the money is amazing!”–congratulations. You are a unicorn, and we are all thrilled to discover that you really do exist.

For the rest of you, here are ten reasons why you should quit your food business, and five reasons why you won’t.

REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD QUIT YOUR FOOD BUSINESS:

  1. Social media. Amiright? It’s exhausting coming up with witty, engaging, relevant, informative, and on-brand social media posts for your business. Give up your business, and you can go back to curating a collection of political memes, casserole recipes, and kitten video posts for your personal pages.
  2. Customer complaints. Your business is your baby, and it’s never easy dealing with people who aren’t happy with it. You will not miss the customer complaints.
  3. Licenses and permits. In one day, you spoke to the lady with the department of licenses, the guy with the department of environmental health, and the food inspector, and they all gave you conflicting information regarding your license. Will you get in trouble if you follow the wrong advice? Is the envelope from the government that you just got in the mail notification that you’ve messed up and owe more money? Quit your business, and government offices and the mailbox will only occasionally make you break out into a cold sweat.
  4. Competition. Staying current with what the other guy is doing while staying focused on what you’re doing is a balancing act. Give up the business, and you can return to fun, social competitions like “crossfitter-who-does-the-most-kipping-pull-ups” or “guy-with-the-most-outrageous-yet-classy-Christmas-light-display”?
  5. Restricted diets. At this point, you’re accustomed to people asking if your product or menu is non-GMO, organic, vegan, local, sustainably-made, free-range, gluten/dairy/tree nut/soy/garlic/sodium/chemical/dye/shellfish/sugar-free. You care about your customers, and you want to keep them safe, healthy, and happy, but when food restrictions became big business, fielding questions about ingredients probably became a bigger part of your job description than you ever anticipated.
  6. Family. Your kids understand that “Mommy can’t go to your performance because she’s following her passion”, and your husband is happy that your business is doing well, but you’ll all be grateful for the opportunity to get a little tired of each other.
  7. Friends. Remember friends? They haven’t gone anywhere, and they’re really excited to grab a drink with you and talk about something other than your business.
  8. Taxes. Take your accountant off speed dial and do your taxes once a year like a normal person.
  9. Hobbies. A long time ago, you used to read books, go fishing, take hikes, sew things, and cook for the pure enjoyment of it. Quit your business, and your wildest fantasies of sitting down to read a book suddenly become your reality.
  10. Food. No, not the stuff you eat over the sink or in your car, and not the stuff you inhale just to get something in your stomach while you’re working either. We’re talking about food that you sit down with and savor. You’ll love this. Really.

REASONS WHY YOU WON’T QUIT YOUR FOOD BUSINESS:

  1. Independence.
  2. Creativity.
  3. Pride.
  4. Excitement.
  5. Choosing your own vacation time. Which you’ll take advantage of just as soon as you finish making and doing everything real quick.

 

Can you relate? What are your reasons for sticking with your food business?

 

 

Julie Ciezadlo

About Julie Ciezadlo

Julie is a copywriter and social media manager at The Condiment Marketing Co. She is a Colorado native (a rare thing around here) and studied at the University of Colorado (Anthropology and English) and Cook Street Culinary School (Pastry).