The Italian ice idea was secondary; I mostly just needed a use for this truck. (Source)

Is there an oddly specific food or drink item that you're passionate about? Could you see yourself becoming a protein tea brand CEO, or a mangodew candy tycoon? In this industry, one thing you can say for sure is the idea comes first. Whether you're marketing an exotic juice or assuming the title Carrot Cupcake King of the South, this job means salesmanship. And as we all know, it's a lot easier and more fun to sell something you're passionate about.

So yeah, the idea comes first. But with business, you need to do lots of planning—create a business model, find a space from which to operate, figure out a distribution scheme—before you sell your first can of diet acaí soda. That means that even once your product begins to catch on, it'll be a while before you're banking the big bucks.

In fact, if you're trying to start your own business, there's a good chance you'll be operating at a loss for a while. Of course, you do get to be your own boss. What's that? You need a new batch of jalapeño-infused batter for your Hotter n' Hotcakes? Of course ma'am, we'll get right on that.

If you're looking into this field, you're likely a business shark-y type who knows cash is king. You probably also enjoy cold hard facts. So without further ado, dig this: The average small business owner with under one year of experience earns between $34,392 and $75,076, whereas those with ten years of experience earn upwards of $105,757 annually (source). Again, that's after the work and time it takes to set up the business.

 

Little known fact: Apollo was also the god of brand imaging. (Source)

There's no real "typical day" in this job. If you're pushing a product, every day is another step on the ladder. If you want your muffin shop to be number one in the county, you polish the secret recipes and schmooze the bloggers (and anyone else who could recommend you to the public). 

If you want your pomegranate energy bar available at every coffee shop west of the Smokies, you scrimp and save for a booth at the big marketing convention and pray to Apollo that the CMO of Starbucks walks by.

Once your product is proven and your connections are made, you have to figure out where your product fits in the marketplace. The benefit of niche foods is that once you find your market, it tends to catch on really quickly, often so much so that producing enough product becomes the biggest challenge (source). 

On the flip side, if you've been pushing and pushing and your business isn't blowing up like you expected, it may be time to try again with something different. It's okay, you'll be wiser this time around.

Successful niche food entrepreneurs end up with hoity-toity titles like "CEO," or "President." Not the President like the White House President, but yeah, like, president of a small- to on-the-smaller-side-of-medium-sized company. Hey, it'll still sound impressive on a date.

Almost anyone can decide to start their own business, but a degree in a business-related field, along with skills relating to people and money, are good prerequisites. Whether you're pushing your own dream product or you hop on board someone else's niche gravy train, keep in mind that you're pretty much gonna be abra-cadabra-ing your job into existence; you're not filling a void that was already there. That means it's up to you to make yourself relevant—or, even better, profitable.

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