The previous sentence already included an important piece of valuable information – listen & learn. Quite honestly, there is rarely a day that passes without finding out something that I didn’t know before. I truly believe that this is one of the great benefits of being an entrepreneur. However, it also requires you to be open-minded and receptive to what others have to say – and yes, that isn’t always easy and can even be uncomfortable if they are not saying what you want to hear but what you need to hear.
What really prompted me to share a few of my entrepreneurial “lessons learned” are two things though. First, I am quite honestly a little fed up with people who over-promise and under-deliver. It should be the other way around, folks! At the very least in the long term it will definitely come around and bite you in the rear end because you will develop a reputation for this kind of behavior. It is perfectly acceptable to say “No” before you bite off more than you can chew!
Borrowing from American History X, I’d like to end this blog entry like every good paper with a quote because “someone else has already said it best. So if you can’t top it, steal from them and go out strong.” I picked a quote from John Ruskin that a very successful local entrepreneur keeps in his email footer and that has impressed me quite a bit. I believe is key for any entrepreneurial activity because it puts the correlation between risk and return in a startup context:
“It’s unwise to pay too much, but it’s worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money … that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot. It can’t be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that … you will have enough to pay for something better.”
-
Wohoo, it’s Friday! Not that we at Custom Choice Cereal really have a “work week”… Quite to the contrary, weekends give us some time to catch up on the “fun” administrative work that’s a part of entrepreneurship. Always work hard, and if you think you’re done – think again! Someone has to do it, and that someone is going to be Hajo
Friday has become the day that we recognize the names your gave your gluten-free cereal creations this week. It’s a good tradition, and we want to share some of the fun we have with you. Trust us if we say that it will also explain the at first glance seemingly odd picture accompanying this blog post… These cereal names can hopefully serve as an encouragement/stellar example how creative one can get!
So without further ado, Heeeere weeeeee gohoooooo:
5. Gluten Free Greatness!! (mix ID 952f20). Indeed.
4. Maegan’s Munchies (mix ID 85ae8d). I’m a sucker for alliterations…
3. Bird’s Superfruit cereal (mix ID 66e9b0). You gotta be one heck of a bird lover to feed this treat to your feathered friends!
2. Choc’ Full of Nuts! (mix ID 828c86). Including Walnuts, which, as we just learned, are the healthiest nuts!
1. And this week’s winner is Wayne’s World (mix ID 999dea). Just looooove that movie – and “interesting” last three letters of the mix ID…
As always, we hope you enjoy a wonderful weekend. If you are spending some time on facebook, please consider to become a fan of Custom Choice Cereal. It’s a great way to connect with us and others in the gluten-free community and share advice, pictures, ask questions or just tell us what you’ve been up to!
We at Custom Choice Cereal are always happy to see other gluten-free companies thrive and expand their offering. As a result, we had to share this video with Josh Skow, co-founder of Canyon Bakehouse, a gluten-free bakery that currently offers 6 products in over 44 States and is working on introducing 4-5 new goodies in 2011. Congratulations from one gluten-free entrepreneur to another!
A little warning before the video (because we know our own reaction and the sensitivity about this topic) – Josh describes celiac disease as a “disease but it’s like an allergy” and continues to say that “people who are allergic to gluten, which is mainly in wheat”, need to follow a gluten-free diet. Don’t forget that the protein gluten is also in rye and barley! In addition, most oats a cross-contaminated during harvesting and processing so you have to avoid them as well.
We are sure that Canyon Bakehouse’s products will also be carried in the new gluten-free heaven – with 6,000 square feet of floor space, the nation’s largest entirely gluten-free store is set to open in Burbank, CA. As Debora Ceizler, marketing director for the Celiac Disease Foundation, rightly points out and we at Custom Choice Cereal have tackled (2.5 billion combinations of gluten-free cereal, anyone?): “Variety is difficult to find and variety is key”.
Have you tried the Canyon Bakehouse products? Which one is your favorite?
What a weekend and start into the new week this has been! I am excited that on Sunday, the Durham Herald-Sun featured an article about Custom Choice Cereal and our custom gluten-free cereal. For me as a small local entrepreneur, it is always a great feeling to be written about!
Author Keith Upchurch actually has celiac disease, which I thought was a very interesting coincidence. He had not previously heard of us and really liked our concept. This being said, the reason why he wrote his article was because of our recent partnership with gourmet retailer Dean & DeLuca in New York City.
But I don’t want to repeat everything from the article about Custom Choice Cereal. Instead, I encourage you to check it out! I’m just thrilled to have a newspaper write about my little gluten-free company and help at least one more person on a gluten-free diet enjoy a variety of tasty breakfast again!
The expansion into the retail channel represents a logical step to give you better access to a great-tasting gluten-free cereal right when you crave it. You know that it is our goal to making living gluten-free a fun and enjoyable experience for everyone, so bringing Custom Choice Cereal even closer to you is what we regard a part of our customer service. Having been able to partner with gourmet retailer Dean & DeLuca is at the same time another great confirmation of the exceptional quality of our products.
If you live in The City, you now have another option to surprise your Valentine with a unique gluten-free gift! As of today, our cereal is now available for you on the shelf at the following Dean & DeLuca stores:
Founded in 1977 by Joel Dean, Giorgio DeLuca and Jack Ceglic with the opening of its flagship store in SoHo New York, Dean & DeLuca quickly grew into a multi-channel retailer of gourmet and specialty foods, premium wines and high-end kitchenware with operations throughout the United States and abroad. Dean & Deluca specialty products are sold through its 14 retail stores and cafes in select U.S. markets (New York, Washington, D.C., Napa Valley, Charlotte, and Kansas City metropolitan area). Today, Dean & DeLuca stores serve as “purveyors of fine food, wine & kitchenware”.
In the middle of the busy holiday season, we at Custom Choice Cereal are excited to receive an early present. Our small Durham, NC, based custom gluten-free cereal company was recognized among the nation’s 50 most promising startups in the Kauffman Foundation’s Startup Open Competition.
“Global Entrepreneurship Week engaged millions of aspiring and inspiring entrepreneurs, helping them embrace imagination and ingenuity,” said Carl Schramm, president and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation. Participants in the competition were judged by experts from the Kauffman Foundation and Dymo Labeling on their concept, growth projections and knowledge of the markets.
With so many entrepreneurs around the nation working to realize their great ideas, we are truly grateful and honored to be selected as one of the nation’s most promising startups.
It’s been a crazy day with meetings (fortunately inspiring and fun kind), calls, and getting a lot of administrative things – the less-fun aspect of entrepreneurship – done here at Custom Choice Cereal. The blog suffered a bit, and that’s why I’m only posting now at 6:50PM…
I felt it was important to share truly outstanding interview about celiac disease that chef Michael Ruhlman conducted with celiac sufferer Carol Blymire (who writes about her avant-garde home cooking at Aliena at Home). Because Carol – the lovely lady to the left – has a highly entertaining way to call the things a celiac goes through by their name I recommend that everyone reads this interview. At the same time, it gives an actually very comprehensive overview of celiac disease and the daily challenges of a gluten-free diet.
Some ‘highlights’ of Carol’s description of life as a celiac include
a maybe a little bit too detailed description of what happens to Carol within 30 mins after being ‘glutened’ – you know, explosive stuff…
explanation of what a celiac goes through over the next very unpleasant 48-72 hours (stomach cramps, migraines, skin rashes, …)
why a celiac can’t “just tell them to cook gluten-free for you” and the issue of cross-contamination when dining out
the pledge to chefs (& restaurant staff) to take people asking for gluten-free food seriously and NOT assuming their guests are trying the latest fad diet
and finally, asking chefs to be patient with celiacs. They are not trying to be a pain in the butt – quite to the contrary, that’s exactly what they want to avoid!
Thanks to Michael Ruhlman and Carol Blymire for talking about celiac disease and helping more people understand it! You should also check out the many comments to their interview – there is no better indicator how many people care about this topic than the number of comments!
It is absolutely crazy how time has flown by since launching our custom gluten-free cereal business on October 5, 2009. Obviously none of this could have been possible without you! I’d like to thank you as the most amazing customers, readers of our blog & ambassadors of all things gluten-free for a great year.
As a sign of Custom Choice Cereal’s (and my personal) appreciation and to celebrate this special day, you can enjoy free shipping on all orders of 2 or more bags today with the code “1stbday”!
As always, if you have suggestions how we can improve what we are doing, want to ask a question, or even just wish us Happy Birthday, please feel free to leave us a comments below!
I am thrilled about the new week finally starting because it is filled with plenty of exciting events for Custom Choice Cereal.
Unlike some meetings I’ve attended during my life in the corporate world, the meeting rooms are filled with enthusiasm, passion, and an uplifting spirit that is truly energizing whenever entrepreneurs come together! I am therefore excited to meet several other local entrepreneurs at the Launch Day in Durham tomorrow.
In early June I reflected upon life as an entrepreneur and the active entrepreneurial spirit in the Triangle. This event, organized by the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED), is just another proof that North Carolina has every reason to be proud of its vibrant start-up scene.
But what’s a great event without healthy food that tastes good and provides further energy?? That’s where we come in, feeding the attending crew with our custom gluten-free cereal mixes! Check out the Launch Day website if you would like to know more about the event!
“Though Custom Choice Cereal owner Hajo Engelke said anyone would enjoy a custom cereal, people with gluten sensitivity or celiac disease make up his primary customer base. It’s what gave him the idea in the first place.”
I am pretty thrilled that Carole accurately described who needs a gluten-free diet though many others can benefit from it. Even a CNN health expert described celiac disease as a gluten allergy yesterday and provoked an outcry in the comment section. Being German I am particular when it comes to getting the facts right
Here is a shout-out to some other great make-your-own food websites that Carole mentions in her article besides our custom gluten-free cereal: Chocri (custom chocolate bars), Slant Shank Jerky (custom beef jerky), eCreamery (custom ice cream), and RedMoonPetFood (no explanation needed). Check them out!
Cerealize your Gluten Freedom! Our blog serves to share all things gluten-free and give you the occasional update on what's happening at Custom Choice Cereal.
Loading ...
Yesterday was a very interesting day for Custom Choice Cereal. I had the great opportunity to return to UNC – always a pleasure but especially after Harrison Barnes announced his return to the Tar Heels for another year – to listen to and learn from two student teams who analyzed Custom Choice Cereal over the past months.
