Makin’ Friends, Sellin’ Food, Havin’ Fun with Connie & Rick Martin

The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food Businesses

Connie & Rick Martin live in Charleston, WV and sell a very unique product with their cottage food business, We B Fryin Snacks.

They sell a meat-free (wheat-based) version of pork rinds along with crunchy cinnamon twists.

Their product is so addicting that it practically sells itself, and they’ve managed to get it into 15 different stores, and counting.

For most food businesses, marketing is the biggest challenge. But in Connie & Rick’s case, their biggest challenge is keeping up with production.

In this episode, you’ll get to hear the unique way that they discovered their product, their crazy state fair story, how they’ve grown the business through the pandemic, and how they’re trying to scale it in the future.

As you listen, pay attention to how many of Connie & Rick’s opportunities came through their networking skills. You will quickly realize that their secret to success lies in making connections and always being willing to ask for help along the way.

What You’ll Learn

• How they immediately pivoted their business at the beginning of the pandemic
• A strategy for jumpstarting indirect sales at stores
• Why you need to niche down on your menu
• The danger in having a single-product business
• How to get flavors & seasonings just right in order to maximize sales
• Their crazy story about selling at WV’s state fair
• Why packaging is especially important when you have a visually-attractive product
• The importance of having a business coach

Resources

We B Fryin Snacks website (Facebook | Instagram)

Square Online Website Tutorial (free)

Small Business Administration (SBA)

Sari Kimbell Coaching (Sari on Episodes 60 & 61)

Pirate Ship (discounted shipping)

International Plastics (food bags)

West Virginia Cottage Food Law

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/68