Understanding your market is critical. As early as possible, before you launch your business, I encourage you to survey moms in your area to learn about their values, buying habits, and infant feeding rituals. An easy way to do this is to use an online survey tool (there are dozens out there) to create your survey. Then send an email to all the moms you know, post a notice on a local mommy message board, or send an email to an online Yahoo! Groups community that is targeted to parents.
Not only will this help you learn about your target market but it will give you valuable data that you can use when discussing your business with the local media.
Here are some of the questions and answer options that we used for the first Sprouts Baby Food survey years ago.
How old is your baby?
Which of the following best describes you?
Stay-at-home mom
Working mom
If you are a working mom, which of the following best describes your childcare support?
n/a
in-home childcare/nanny
daycare center
family member
Are you concerned about food allergies?
Yes
No
Does your baby have any food allergies?
Yes
No
FEEDING YOUR BABY
Did you breastfeed your baby?
Yes
No
How long did/do you plan to breast feed your baby?
0-3 months
4-6 months
7-9 months
10-12 months
13-18 months
19-24 months
2+ years
How old was your baby when you began feeding him/her solid foods?
3 months
4 months
5 months
6 months
7 months
8 months
9 months
10 months
11 months
12 months
Older
Why did you begin your baby on solids?
Advice from doctor
Advice from book
Advise from website/web forum
Advice from family member
Advice from another mom
Baby seemed ready
Other
Which of the following is most often your source for feeding and childcare information?
doctor
book
website/web forum
family member
other moms
Did your doctor give you enough information to help you feel confident about making feeding decisions for your baby?
Yes
No
What is the most frustrating thing about introducing new foods to your baby?
WHAT YOU FEED YOUR BABY
Which best describes the food that you most frequently give your baby?
Home-made baby food
Traditional store-bought baby food (jarred)
Organic store-bought baby food (jarred)
Organic store-bought baby food (frozen)
Pureed table foods
Catered baby food (such as Sprouts)
Do you regularly give your baby formula?
Yes
No
Never
Which of the following baby food brands do you most frequently use (please check all that apply).
n/a ' I don't give my baby commercial baby food
Gerber Baby Food
Heinz Baby Food
Beech Nut Baby Food
Earth's Best
Gerber Organic
Organic Baby
Homemade Baby
Bohemian Baby
Happy Baby
TotPots
Mom Made
Evie's Organic Edibles
Plum Organics
Healthy Times
Bright Beginnings
If you DO NOT make your own baby food, please give us the reasons why. (check all that apply)
n/a ' I make my own baby food.
I think store-bought food is as good as what I could make at home.
I would like to make my own baby food but I don't have the time.
If you DO make your own baby food, please give us the reasons why. (check all that apply)
I think that fresh is the best.
I like to choose my own ingredients.
I think that store-bought baby food contains a lot of sugars, starches, and fillers.
I don't like that store-bought food is made to sit on store shelves for 2+ years.
Store-bought food lacks variety.
Is price a factor when feeding your baby?
No ' I want the best for my baby, no matter what the cost.
Not really ' I'll pay more for better quality foods.
Kind of ' It depends. Sometimes.
Yes ' We are on a budget and can't afford to spend a great deal of baby food.
Yes ' I just don't believe in paying a lot for baby food.
Do you read the ingredient labels on baby food in the store?
n/a ' I make my own baby food.
No
Yes, always
Yes, but only for baby food
If yes, what are you looking for on the labels?
On average, how much do you pay for baby food (per jar)?
$.10 - $.49
$.50 - $.99
$1.00 - $1.49
$1.50 - $1.99
$2.00 - $2.49
$2.50 - $2.99
$3.00 ' more
How much would you pay for quality, freshly-made, organic baby food?
$.10 - $.49
$.50 - $.99
$1.00 - $1.49
$1.50 - $1.99
$2.00 - $2.49
$2.50 - $2.99
$3.00 ' more
On average, how many jars of baby food do you purchase each week?
0-5
6-10
11-15
16-20
21-25
More
RESTURANTS
Before having a baby, how many times did you eat out per month?
3-5 times per month
1-2 times per month
Once every 2 months
Other
After having a baby, how many times do you eat out per month?
3-5 times per month
1-2 times per month
Once every 2 months
Other
Since having a baby, is "kid friendliness" (kid menu, high chars, toys, etc. ) a key factor when choosing a restaurant?
Yes
No
Would you be more likely to frequent a good restaurant that had healthy, organic menu selections for your baby?
Yes
No
When dining out at a restaurant do you.....?
Bring baby food along
Feed the baby off of your plate (mashing something up)
Order something off the menu for the baby (then mash it up)
Other
Additional comments on dining out with your baby.
Article Source: http://www.contentspool.com
Mischelle (Schelly) Weedman-Davis left her 15-year high-tech career to become a stay-at-home mom but later became the founder of Sprouts Baby Food, Inc. She now uses her talents to support her husband's Seattle law firm, the Davis Law Group so she can spend more time with her family. www.InjuryTrialLawyer.com . But she remains committed to infant nutrition and helping others that want to start their own baby food business.
Please Rate this Article
Not yet Rated
Other Articles From -
Home |
Business
- Elvis Presley and His Music From The Heart By: Gen Wright - When Elvis began putting together his collection of music for his comeback, he was able to reflect on many years of a great range of popular American music, including his own and that of other people.
Tags: business, elvis presley and his music from the heart
- Rhodium Industrial Electroplating By: Irina M - There are a number of metals being used for electroplating and a number of ways you can electroplate an item or items.
Tags: business, industrial electroplating, rhodium electroplating
- Google ads as different as likely from your site! By: gurpreet gill - The goal is to make your Google adsense ads as different as possible from your website. Unless you have a decent amount of quality content your blog will appear to be a sleazy MFA site (made for AdSense) which will have a negative effect on traffic.
Tags: business, adsense, google adsense, google, internet, adsense earnings, business
- The Psychology of Leadership - When are You 'Ready'? By: Kate Mercer - In coaching clients on Leadership we've noticed an early sticking point. Though different people give different reasons, there is a common theme: at this point, the clients seem to be showing resistance to 'stepping up' to Leadership. They of course don't accept that it's resistance; from where they stand it seems impossible to assume Leadership, '...
Tags: business, psychology of leadership, management, transformation, development
- The Network Marketer versus the Internet Marketer By: Robin Rushlo - The network marketer and internet marketer; aren't they the same thing? While the two terms may seem similar there are some very significant differences between the two.
What is a network marketer? A network can be defined as any arrangement of elements that are interconnected.
Tags: business, coffee, boreha coffee, africa private estates, gourmet coffee, organic coffee, robin rushlo
- 5 Best Practices to Revamp Your Environmental Non-Profit Organization By: Andy Denis - Non-profit groups come in a variety of stripes. Take, for example, environmental advocacy. It encompasses both safeguarding the public from environmental dangers and stewarding our natural resources.
As with all advocacy groups, there is an increasing recognition that future success will be tied to improving use technology and best practices.
Tags: business, free conference calling, rondee, environmental non-profit, free conference
- Is January 1st the Best Time to Incorporate Your Small Business? By: Wayne M Davies - As a sole proprietor, have you considered incorporating your small business or self-employment activity?
If so, maybe you've been wondering, "Does it matter what time of year I form a corporation?"
From a legal standpoint, any time is the best time.
Tags: business, incorporate, incorporation, small business tax strategy, sole proprietorship
- Performance Management By: John Mehrmann - Data is worthless, but knowledge is priceless. Perhaps no single event in history underscored this more dramatically than the rise and fall of the Dot Com Era. Accumulating massive data warehouses of information and customer records proved to be worthless when data could not be converted into real world revenue.
Tags: business, performance management, advance alerts, exception based reports, customer satisfaction, long term goals, john mehrmann
- How to Get the Perfect Career By: David Brooke - A career is not a job. According to Oxford, it is "one's advancement through life, especially in a profession." This distinction is important. A job is something you do for sustenance, but a career is your life path. For most people, the 'perfect' career is the successful amalgamation of the two.
Tags: career, business, work, financial,
- How Search Engine Optimization Increases Profits By: Blake Evans - For anyone who is attempting to make money online their website is their livelihood. It is important for them to understand that without appropriate search engine optimization (aka SEO) they might just as well be standing in the unemployment line.
Tags: business, seo, search engine optimization, search engines, internet marketing
Sign Up for a free Content Spool article directory account or
learn more.
Submit Articles
Member Login
Top Authors
Most Popular Articles
Submission Guidelines
Ezine Notifications
Article RSS Feeds
New Stuff
About Us
Link to Us
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service