Craving Success: A Startup Junkie's Path from Passion to Profits
Melody Biringer
If you are an expat entrepreneur, or someone wishing they had a business idea good enough for them to be an expat entrepreneur, Melody Biringer's new book – chronicling her lessons learned from starting 20 companies – is exactly what the motivation doctor ordered.
Melody and I met in Amsterdam in October 2009. I was visiting for the Expatica 'I Am Not A Tourist Fair' and Melody was spending three months in the Netherlands' capital to meet some of the city's female movers and shakers, in order to start CRAVE's first book in the Netherlands.
Over brunch, I became so fascinated with Melody's personal stories of her entrepreneurial successes and failures that I suggested she write a book about all of the lessons she had learned. Little did I realize at the time, this determined business woman would not only go on to write that book (with Sally Reavis), but that she would make her book just as captivating as she is.
Melody Biringer's Biography
Melody Biringer is a self-professed start-up junkie. Raised on her family's strawberry farm, Melody has started twenty companies, and is sure to start more. From her first lemonade stand business, to businesses selling strawberry shortcakes, furniture, gourmet food products, health and fitness concepts, and more, Melody has never been afraid to jump in and give her ideas a go.
After years of experimentation, Melody is now enjoying huge success with her current business concept, the CRAVE Company. Melody's CRAVE company runs events all over the United States, and importantly, produces destination resource guides (profiling female-run businesses) in twenty-five cities across North America, as well as in overseas destinations like Amsterdam, the Hague, and soon in Copenhagen, London and Antwerp.
Melody was only an expat for three months, but in my humble opinion, her business wisdom and achievements deserve a feature because Melody is an inspiration to all of us!
Expat Women's Interview with Melody
Expat Women: Melody, in business, you have succeeded and you have failed. What kept you going after each of your failures, and did you ever think about giving up and working for someone else?
Melody: When you taste success a few times, you cannot help but hunger for that thrilling rush of achievement again. The size of the success does not matter, because I have learned that each success can build on the last. That is what has propelled me forward. When I created the strawberry shortcake festival business for Biringer Farms, my first attempt was both a failure (because I was not organized and got set up late) and a success (because once we got set up, the shortcakes flew out the door). I got 'my ducks in a row' and our next festival was the beginning of a 30-year run of sweet success.
Did I ever think of giving up and going to work for someone else? No way. I have to control my own destiny. |
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Expat Women:
Please share with us your most memorable disaster, and what you learned from that experience. |
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Melody: Does touring with a rock star sound sexy? Well, it's not. I was having cash flow problems and got suckered by a con man concert promoter and followed Peter Gabriel across the country with my Berry Barn Kiosk road show. The event's promotion failed to draw the crowds that I was promised. I 'lost my shirt and more' chasing that con man's dream. Never, again. I learned several important lessons, such as: do not make decisions when you are desperate; if it sounds too good to be true, it's not true; and do your homework. For example, travel expenses, equipment wear and tear, labor costs and food waste all add up – so your profit better be at least three times that cost to make it worth your while. |
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Expat Women:
What challenges have you faced with setting up chapters abroad? What things have surprised you and in what way are things done differently? |
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Melody:
My first international city was Vancouver, Canada. I knew the city personally since it is just up the road from Seattle (where I live). Working with my Canadian counterparts in Vancouver has been very similar to working with my US city partners. There has not been a language barrier, the currency exchange difference has not been significant, and they are exposed to the same media hype that drives much of what's hot in fashion, beauty and lifestyle trends in the United States. My only challenge in Canada is the extra hassle it takes to get products through customs.
I picked Amsterdam as my first European city because I loved it – and in the ten years I have been travelling there, I have watched the Dutch women entrepreneurs take charge and aggressively grow the women-owned-business market segment. I could not have launched CRAVE Amsterdam ten years ago because there seemed to be hardly any women owned businesses. Now, I have a book full of women showcased in all kinds of business categories. But the challenge of working in Amsterdam has mainly been in the collection of funds, due to differences in how much they rely on bank transfers more than credit cards. |
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Expat Women:
What top three entrepreneurial lessons have you learned from all of your hard work and business experiments? |
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Melody:
In my book, I have ten. But just to share my top three, they would be: |
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KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid You have heard this a million times, but it is really important not just to pay lip service to this concept, but to really walk the talk. |
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Fail Fast. Every entrepreneur has a healthy respect for the possibility of failure. But it is all how you deal with a loss, a disappointment or a setback. Fear is just adrenaline wasted. Use that adrenaline for the next big idea, which you will have if you are a true entrepreneur. |
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Flip it! When your business concept is not working, it might be time to flip your model upside-down, inside out, or sideways – think about doing the exact opposite of what you have been doing! |
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Expat Women: What message would you like to send to women who are looking for ideas to reinvent themselves abroad? |
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Melody: Embrace change! One of my favorite "Aha!" moments while writing the book was discovering that I am a "beginning-middle-end business formula" kind of girl. Living for a defined period of time in a foreign country lends itself really well to this model. It can be a seasonal business, or simply limited by your own desire to work. I sold gourmet product gift packaging during the holidays, from November to December, and it was a huge success. I loved the intensity of it in just a short timeframe. |
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Expat Women:
Finally, the big question to an idea-generating entrepreneur like yourself... what's next after (or hopefully, alongside) CRAVE?
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| Melody: Right now, I'm really jazzed to have a solid, successful business model. We are now in 30 cities and I hope to expand to 40 or even 50 cities. I am excited to grow these CRAVE communities and help every one of the women-owned businesses realize success. My team is having fun and growing by leaps and bounds. And best of all, I am really moved by the response to my new book CRAVING Success as it really seems to be inspiring entrepreneurs. There is something in it for everyone and hopefully they can learn from my 30 years of experience. |
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Expat Women:
Melody, we congratulate you on the success of the CRAVE Company and your expansion abroad. I love CRAVING Success and I/we wish you incredible success with it!
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