This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
Oh my gosh! Guess what today is? Well, first of all, welcome to Sada School School. My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is episode 900. 9-0-0, and they said it couldn't be done.
Actually, nobody ever said that, but it just sounds good to be like. People said it couldn't be done. Now here we are. Well, I'm not sure I would have believed it myself. That part is totally true.
So here we are. Thank you, friends. Thank you, community. I'm so excited to be able to bring you these stories. Speaking of stories, did you know that French toast doesn't come from France?
The dish now known as French toast existed in the age of the Roman Empire, according to a collection of recipes from the early 5th century. However, the emperor then began following a bizarre ketogenic diet that required him to abolish French toast and other delicious breakfast treats throughout the land. Fortunately, it then resurfaced later in Europe and, as you'll hear today, in an upscale food market in Philadelphia. At least some of that is true. And in this story, all of which is true, a longtime hospitality industry expert is inspired by her 13-year-old daughter's wild success with a lemonade stand that earns several thousand dollars in just a few days. So mom decides to get in on the action by making her own food product, French toast bites.
This product is also now doing quite well. And how did she do it? What happened? And what are the most important things you need to know about having a successful food stall at a market? All that is coming right up along with some advice on when to quit your day job and a bonus book recommendation from me. That's right, all those things are included in this action-packed number
900 episode and they're all coming up in just 30 seconds. Having worked in the hospitality industry for 16 years, Charisse McGill knows a thing or two about customer service. But it wasn't until she witnessed her 13-year-old daughter make over $6,000 in four Saturdays selling lemonade that she knew she needed to start her own business. As the manager of the Lansdale Farmers Market, Charisse knew there was money to be made in being a food vendor. That's where her daughter sold her specialty lemonade and fused with local fruits and herbs.
Working there for the past seven years, Charisse had seen how selling food products could be a major source of income for many vendors. And she knew that someday she too would have a product of her own. Up until the end of 2018, Charisse not only managed that farmers market, she also worked as the full-time director of special events for Valley Forge Military Academy in college. She also taught classes on becoming a food vendor as an adjunct instructor at a local community college. After seeing her daughter's success with the lemonade, Charisse decided the time had come to sell her own concoction. She just needed to figure out what it would be. She knew that to be
successful at an open-air food market, she had to have something unique. And it had to be something that smells good. It was while thinking through different ideas that Charisse settled on French Toast Bites, a made-to-order treat that is simple, focused, and easy to replicate. Charisse's French Toast Bites are made like traditional French toast, but in bite-sized cubes and fried. Customers can pick from various toppings such as maple syrup, fresh strawberries, chocolate, whipped cream, or powdered sugar. The mouthwatering goodies are made on site. Unfortunately, they're not available
for digital delivery, so customers can watch the food being prepared. Charisse sells the bites in a shareable package, much like a serving of fries, for seven dollars. And she knew right away where she wanted to sell them first. The Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market, an imitation of a traditional German market. She set up shop at the market just last year and knew she was on to something when people stood in line for half an hour in 32-degree weather for her French Toast Bites. Before going live there, Charisse started her business by testing her product in the summer.
She sold at pop-up events, regional markets, and food truck co-ops, testing the size, taste, flavor, and packaging. She made small adjustments to the recipe based on customer feedback, and it was in that early product testing that she worked out any kinks in her process. She even worked for a day as an Uber Eats driver to see how food is packaged and carried. Within a few short months, she had matched 60% of her yearly salary from her full-time job. It was after that that she realized she wanted to leave that job and go all in with her business.
However, Charisse still believes the best time to start your business is when you are guaranteed a paycheck. She advises using that time to cut your personal bills and then prepare for being a full-time business owner. Her startup costs were less than $10,000, and remember that $6,000 for a teenage daughter made selling lemonade? Well, Charisse borrowed her seed money to start her business from her daughter, and just to be clear, she has since paid her daughter back and is now earning a profit of around $5,000 a month. She calls the business local artisan foods, and those French toast bites are her signature product. She also makes French toast seasoning,
which is for sale both virtually and on local grocery store shelves. Now, here's some advice Charisse offers to anyone wanting to get into the food-bending arena. Never run out of product, it's better to give leftovers away to employees at the end of the night than to disappoint your customers. Make your product affordable. Open in a timely manner, never keep your customers waiting, because word will spread if you fail to take your business seriously. Also, don't forget to smile and greet each of your customers. It doesn't matter if
they're the first customer of the day or the last customer of the day when you're really tired, you have to be really friendly, you have to make them feel special. On the wish list for local artisan foods is a license agreement with a major regional grocery retailer. And in less than a year after launching her business, these French toast bites are now popping up in two permanent locations. Well, I don't know about you, but I was getting hungry while I was working on this episode. I got to get to Philadelphia soon so I can try out these French toast bites. I used to have this debate with some friends about what was best, French toast,
pancakes, or waffles. And if you could only have one of those three for the rest of your life, which would it be? For me, it really came down to French toast or pancakes. I kind of put waffles at the bottom of the list, but only because you had to rank them. So hopefully, I'll get a chance to try them at some point. Maybe you will as well if you're in the Philadelphia area. Now, here is
Charisse's advice about quitting your day job. Basically, she says don't, which is great because that's perfectly aligned with our philosophy. She says the best time to start a company, to start a business, is when you are guaranteed that paycheck. She says you may want to even use two years. Use the first year to get lean, cut your personal bills, and then your second year, buy whatever equipment you need, and get your legal stuff sorted out, and all that stuff. Now,
of course, these recommendations are going to vary depending on what kind of business you have, et cetera, et cetera. But still, don't quit your day job while you're depending on that paycheck. Instead, use the time to get ready to do something else. Also, I have a book recommendation for you. Joey Coleman, Never Lose a Customer Again. This book, I may have mentioned it a while back,
but I saw it recently, and I was reminded of it. This book is all about radical customer service. If you ever hear that phrase, and you're like, well, what does that mean? Radical customer service, you know, just providing amazing service. Read this book, and it will basically tell you systematically how to do that. So Never Lose a Customer Again by Joey Coleman. I have listened
to the entire audio book while running, and I think I want to actually go back and read it again, because I think it is so helpful. All right, my friends, this has been episode 900. How about that? Inspiration is good, but inspiration with action is better. Those show notes, of course, are at sidehustleschool.com/900 for, you know, episode 900. It is a joy, an honor, and a privilege
to be able to make this show for you every single day, and I really do believe the best is yet to come. So don't go anywhere. Make sure you're subscribed. Tell your friends it's completely free. My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School. Hope to see you again tomorrow.
From the Onward Project
