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Doug is owner of DB’s Hotdog and Sausage Emporium serving up gourmet dogs to the hard-working residents of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Doug has successfully operated his business for about a year know and was able to launch his business with zero debt thanks to a tax return and a help from a crowdsourcing website.
This week I got to speak with Doug about the process he used to fund his hotdog cart without going into debt. Long story short, Doug got approval from his wife to use their tax return to fund roughly two thirds of their cart and used FoodStart.com to cover the rest. Listen to episode number 16 to get the full story.
New Sponsor
I’m thrilled to announce the first official sponsor of the FoodTruckEmpire podcast, FoodStart.com. I’m really excited to have these guys on-board as a sponsor for a couple of reasons. First, they help mobile food entrepreneurs raise no strings attached capital, which aligns well with my mission statement. Second, you can get $1,000 in seed money to launch a food truck, hot dog stand, pop-up or any other mobile food business just because you’re a listener to the FoodTruckEmpire Podcast. How awesome is that?
You’ll need to complete the following steps if you want to participate in the FoodStart.com program and cash in your $1,000 bonus:
1.) You need to register for a free account with FoodStart.com. Email [email protected] after you’ve signed up for a FoodStart.com account to ensure you’re qualified to get the $1,000 bonus.
2.) You need to have successfully raise at least $5,000 USD for a campaign.
3.) You need to get at least 20 unique people to contribute to your campaign.
4.) Start promoting your campaign!
Successfully complete each of the above steps and FoodStart.com will kick in an extra $1,000 to your campaign. If you’re interested in raising capital through FoodStart.com or any other venue sign up for the Seven Ways Food Truck Owners are Funding their food trucks to get your playbook for raising funds.
Announcing Our Sponsored Food Truck of the Month
I feel like this episode is almost too jam packed with news. Oh well. A couple weeks back I announced the FoodTruckEmpire.com would be sponsoring a deserving food truck each month by kicking in a few bucks to their campaign and helping to promote their cause. Well, I’m happy to say that the sponsored food truck for the month of October 2013 is S’wich It Up, out of Albuquerque, NM.
I have to admit I’ve got a soft spot for the two brothers Anthony and Jason Salvagno whose goal is to give you a whole new perspective on the traditional PB&J sandwich. While these brother are both super bright dudes that’s about where the similarities end as one is a former scientist and the other a graduate from The Culinary Institute of America. I’m confident you’ll be hearing more from these guys in the very near future.
In the meantime, be sure to check out, share, and contribute before the campaign ends on October 25th: http://www.foodstart.com/project/swichitup.
What You’ll Learn
- Why you shouldn’t take on debt when going into business
- The importance of booking events for the busy summer months in January and February
- Why you should read the fine print before enrolling in an online crowd-funding campaign
- Where Doug went to get help from other mobile restauranteurs online
- Why the customers have made this hot dog cart so worthwhile
Mentioned During the Show
EmporiumDogs.com – The official website for DB’s Hotdog and Sausage Emporium. Here you’ll find the list of menu items, including The ChopHouse and Unicorns and Rainbows hotdogs that are unique to DB’s.
Facebook Page – “Like” DB’s Hotdog and Sausage Emporium on Facebook. Check out there page to see all the customers that have been featured as part of the loyalty program.
National Food Vendors Alliance – This is the Facebook group that helped Doug start his business. According to Doug, the members here are extremely helpful. Check them out if you’re in or considering this type of business.
FoodStart.com – Learn more about our sponsor and explore some of the crowdfunding campaigns currently in progress. I’ll be keeping you updated on how this partnership develops over the coming weeks and months.
How a Hotdog Stand Saved My Life – If you’re interested in starting a hot dog stand, check out my previous interview with Ben from LearnHotDogs.com. It was my first ever podcast so I apologize in advance for any below par sound quality.
Thank you so much for listening to this little podcast. Keep your recommendations of food trucks that need funding coming as November is just around the corner. See you next week!
