AllisonBliss, the marketing guru, has done it again! Vanessa Lindsay, COO-Owner of The WholeTortilla, was reading one of Allison’s marketing newsletters and asked her a few questions. Allison didn’t only answer, she gave her a number of wonderful suggestions on how to market a local business. One of those was Patch.
If you’re reading this blog post you probably know that Patch is a great tool for local advertisers. The Whole Tortilla has a food stand set up at Jack London Square on Sundays. Vanessa, a very savvy entrepreneur, is very clear about where she’s going with her business. Vanessa and her partner, Ricardo Garcia have developed a delicious line of food inspired by recipes from Ricardo’s mother who is from Albuquerque. We had a little chat one day over a fantastic New Mexico style enchilada. Clearly, Vanessa is working “on her business instead of in her business” as Michael Gerber says in The E-Myth Revisited. It was so refreshing to see someone who is starting out knowing that the best way to move ahead is to stand back, train and coach others to do "the work" while you do the work of planning and growing the business. 50% of small businesses fail. Getting caught in the trap of just working in the business is one of the reasons.
At Jack London Square, Vanessa has gone beyond just selling fresh food for immediate consumption to having frozen Mexican foods that you can take home. I brought home some of the Tamale Pie-Veggie Delights and they were absolutely fabulous. What a great thing to buy something fresh on Sunday for your breakfast or lunch as you’re walking around the Farmer’s Market, and then bring some home to throw in your freezer for a mid-week dinner.
When entrepreneurs think ahead, they think of where their business is going and Vanessa clearly has plans. She saw the future of her business in five years. I asked her why she didn’t have a food truck right now. She knew that having a food truck requires having other things in place in order to do that the right way. I think you should keep an eye on The Whole Tortilla because she is going to be making things happen. And thanks to Allison Bliss for giving sound advice about local marketing.
