Who are you and what do you do?
I am the founder and CEO of Foodem. Foodem is an online wholesale food marketplace that focuses on the $670 billion US food distribution industry and connects small to mid-size food distribution companies, farms and specialty food manufacturers directly with wholesale food buyers such as restaurants, hotels, schools, hospitals, etc. We enable the sustainable food movement by satisfying the growing consumer and business demand for more local, sustainably produced and healthier food choices.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I tend to come up with ideas when I am lying in bed at night just before falling asleep. I usually write the good ones down just so I remember them. I believe in team work so I tend to share almost all of my ideas with my team. We collaborate, assign importance to each idea that make the cut and work towards implementation.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
[amazon_link id=”0195334760″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]How to Change the World[/amazon_link] by David Bornstein. It is about social entrepreneurs and the power of new ideas. This book has certainly inspired me to think outside the box and try to make a difference in this world.
What is one piece of advice that you’d like to give?
My advice to young entrepreneurs is to: 1) compile a great team with complementary, yet diverse skill sets, 2) brainstorm an idea or product that can be bootstrapped, allowing time for the product/model to be proven, 3) seek users for your product and build a following and 4) only seek funds after your model has been proven and is buzzworthy.
What is one idea that you’re going to bring to life in 2012?
At the present time, I am only focusing on Foodem. My passion, or you could also call it obsession, is to disrupt the current supply chain by supporting local farmers and making their products more accessible to not only consumers but also businesses and institutions like restaurants, daycares, schools, hospitals, etc. Buying and consuming local foods is not only healthy for you or the customers you serve, but it also stimulates the local economy.
Connect:
Foodem Website: https://www.foodem.com
Foodem Blog: blog.foodem.com
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.