Creole Me Up Raises $90K: Crowdfunding Lessons for Food Businesses
Huge congratulations to Elsy Dinvil of Creole Me Up for raising more than $90K!
Crowdfunding, especially investment crowdfunding, is really difficult for founders. So, let’s examine how Dinvil was able to surpass her $90,000 USD fundraising goal.
Creole Me Up is an organic and allergen-free Haitian food company based in Portland, Oregon.
Dinvil, Founder & Owner, was inspired to start this seven year old company after her experiences with digestive issues.
She decided that she was going to create foods that were nourishing and joyful for people, such as spice blends, pikliz and salad dressing.
Now, Dinvil plans to expand her company’s capabilities by:
- upgrading some of her equipment
- and hiring new employees with pay above the state’s minimum wage
Her minimum goal was $45,000 USD and Dinvil was able to surpass her top goal of $90,000 USD.
Here are a few tips that can help you raise funding for your restaurant or food business.
Tips on raising funds for your food business using Creole Me Up as a case study
1. Build a dedicated community first
You can start a business before building a community but growing your business will be so much more difficult.
Many successful entrepreneurs credit the success and resilience of their businesses to their dedicated communities.
One of the main takeaways from EatOkra’s Culinary Creatives Conference is to build a community of evangelists.
You cannot crowdfund without a crowd and you have to build your crowd before you fundraise.
Dinvil has been running her business for at least 7 years and sharing her business journey consistently on Instagram and TikTok.
2. Tell your story. And keep telling your story
I spend a lot of time on crowdfunding websites.
It’s amazing how many businesses jump straight to the amount of money they are raising without telling the story of their business.
Who are you? Why did you start your business? What value does your business bring to your customers?
What is the next level for your business and how will crowdfunding get you there?
People connect with people. Not faceless companies.
And when you are raising funds, people need to know who is behind the business to help them decide whether or not to contribute to your fundraising campaign.
Make sure you sincerely explain your story through text and video for your crowdfunding page.
In the Invest in Creole Me Up! video, Dinvil shares how her health journey led to her starting her food business.
There are scenes of Dinvil at the farmer’s market interacting with and having genuine fun with her customers.
How can you incorporate these aspects into your fundraising content?
3. Talk about your progress on social media
Building a business is a journey.
Current and potential supporters want to be a part of that journey.
Your journey.
So, give them updates and progress reports on how your fundraising is going.
For the people who contributed to your crowdfunding campaign, it keeps them excited and they are likely to cheer you on publicly.
Others will see the support you’re getting which might convince them to become contributors of your campaign.
When you build some traction with enough supporters, it can create a snowball effect because other people don’t want to miss out on the opportunity.
Maintain momentum for your food business after fundraising
Regardless of the results of your campaign, figure out how to maintain momentum after resting and regrouping.
Last month, Dinvil participated in the PITCH BLACK Food event at The Redd on Salmon Street in Portland, OR.
She was 1 of 6 culinary experts creating dishes for 100 attendees for a chance to win the $10K prize money.
My guess is that many of the attendees are Portland locals, which means Dinvil likely gained several new customers who could turn into long-term supporters.
PITCH BLACK is a highly regarded organization, led by Stephen Green and Jelani Memory, dedicated to showcasing Black owned businesses.
They’ve deployed more than $280K in capital to Black entrepreneurs, through pitch competitions, since 2015.
Entrepreneurs who participate in this pitch series are now a part of a national movement and ecosystem that will help them further their careers and businesses.
