In general, I’d have to say the most challenging part of starting any business is making decisions. As a college student, I am unsure about every decision I make. I’m still young and have not had the chance to have experience yet. However, I still have to make significant and expensive decisions. An example of the most challenging part was choosing a manufacturer and testing the flavors before production. The reason is that it is the most crucial step and the most expensive event.
Since we are a start-up company, we needed a professional manufacturer that produces small lot batches. However, when it comes to manufacturers that operate small lot productions tend to have a lousy facilities or become unprofessional. We knew we had the Shonen flavors we loved, and finding and trusting people that I had no idea how they performed was hard. Production is also the most expensive part of the process, so I was worried about what could happen if I failed to find the right team. After researching for roughly four months, we finally reached out to a manufacturer on the west coast. We were glad we could work with them and create what Shonen is today.
