Protecting Your Brand
Posted Monday, November 3, 2008 by Hilary Lee
Food Start Ups Advice: One of the most common mistakes I see with new startups is the failure to protect their intellectual property (their "brand") through trademarks and copyrights. One of the first things a new business owner does is choose a name for the venture. Often these new owners register the business name with their Secretary of State and then think they own the exclusive rights to the business name - this is not the case! In order to fully protect the use of the name (and more importantly ensure they are not infringing on someone else's name), it is critical to secure a federal trademark for the business name.

One option for securing a federal trademark is to hire an intellectual property attorney. But this can often be very expensive. The less expensive route is to search for and apply for the trademark yourself with the United States Patent &Trademark Office. To begin the process, go to http://www.uspto.gov. Click on "Trademarks" in the left column, and then click "Search TM database (TESS)." Finally click on "New user form search (basic)." This is your starting point to search and make sure that somebody else is not already using the name. It can be very costly if you skip this step and find out down the road that someone else owns your business name (especially if it is a large business with deep pockets).

Once you determine that your business name is not already in use, you'll want to begin the application process to secure your own trademark. Start here to get an overview of the process - http://www.uspto.gov/web/trademarks/workflow/start.htm. This web page has many other links where you can learn more details about how it all works. Filing a trademark registration only costs $325, so it is well worth your time and money to take care of this early on in your new business venture. Good Luck!

~ David
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Fairytale Brownies Receives A Visit From Callebaut!
Posted Thursday, October 9, 2008 by Hilary Lee

My name is Kim Silva, and I am the Operations Team Leader at Fairytale Brownies.  I will be celebrating my 15th year of service with Fairytale Brownies this coming February, and I am so thankful to have been part of a true "Fairytale".  During my time with Fairytale Brownies I have seen many changes, but we have always stayed true to our philosophy of using only the finest and freshest ingredients, including Callebaut Belgian Chocolate, farm-fresh eggs and creamery butter.
 
Fairytale TrufflesThis week we were fortunate enough to have Patrick Peeters (Technical Advisor - Callebaut Chocolate Academy) visit with our baking team to consult on our new brownie truffles, which are brownie morsel pieces covered in decadent Callebaut chocolate.  Patrick was able to give our team great advice on how best to work with the enrobing machine that covers the brownies in chocolate, as well as how to work with the chocolate itself, which can be extremely sensitive.  The Fairytale Truffles are one of the newest additions to the Fairytale family of products and we anticipate them being a huge success, who can resist a Fairytale Brownie coated in only the finest Belgian chocolate!   

~ Kim

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The Fairytale Brownies Brand Story
Posted Thursday, October 9, 2008 by Kari Gayes
Fairytale Brownies is in the news this week, in a feature article on brandchannel.com. The story profiles owners Eileen and David, tells the Fairytale story and talks about how we have built and revamped our brand over the last 16 years. It includes great food start-up advice and brand-building tips.

Check it out here: http://brandchannel.com/careers_profile.asp?cr_id=96.

There are many other exciting and newsworthy things coming soon at Fairytale Brownies, so keep checking back for updates.

~Kari
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Advice For Food Start Ups
Posted Monday, September 15, 2008 by Hilary Lee

Welcome to the new Fairytale Brownies Blog!  We’ve dedicated this category - Food Startups Advice - to try and offer some words of wisdom to other budding entrepreneurs.  Eileen and I started Fairytale Brownies in 1992 with a $14,000 investment.  Since then we’ve bootstrapped our way to a successful business, and we’ve learned many lessons along the way.  We often hear from people with a great food product (toffee, cookies, chocolates, popcorn – you name it).  They’ve been making it out of their home for a while and giving it (or selling it) to family, friends, and colleagues.  They’re ready to take the next step, but they often don’t know where to begin.  It all seems so daunting at first to think about equipment, health permits, packaging, trademarks, marketing, and more.  In the future, we’ll be giving advice on all of those topics.  There will also be contributions from other team members that have seen the entrepreneurial spirit working first hand.  One of these team members is our Operations Team Leader, Kim Silva.  Kim started working for Fairytale Brownies right out of college and has been with us for almost 15 years!  

So welcome again and here’s the first piece of advice…

ASK FOR ADVICE!  You won’t believe how much free expert advice is out there if you’re just willing to ask.  In the early years, and even today, Eileen and I asked a lot of questions.  Before you jump into any new venture, it’s always best to gather as much information as possible.  Here are a few of the places you should seek advice:

-    Call your local health department to find out the regulations in your area.  Some places allow the public sale of food prepared in an approved home kitchen – other areas do not.

-    Visit your local economic development or community outreach office for advice about loan programs, zoning, economic incentive packages, and more.

-    Contact your nearest Small Business Administration office (sba.gov).  Ask about the SCORE program offering free mentoring for small businesses.

-    Visit your bank.  Speak in person with a banker to learn about their business services (equipment loans, credit card merchant services, lines of credit).

-    Visit a store that sells restaurant equipment.   Learn the price range for new and used equipment that you’ll eventually need.

-    Shop the competition.  Although they won’t give you advice directly, you can learn a lot from ordering their products.  Go online and order something like the product you’re going to make.

-    Check with your local college about their small business classes.

-    Tap the knowledge of family and friends.  Are any of them attorneys, accountants, or in the food business?  

There are endless examples of places to find great advice – sometimes for a cost, but often for free.  The point is – ASK!  You won’t be taking everyone’s advice, but it never hurts to listen.  Asking a lot of questions will give you the confidence to tackle the challenges facing every new business.

Good luck!

David Kravetz

Co-Founder

Fairytale Brownies

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