More precisely, the Vidalia onion.
This variety of onion is considered sweet: due to its mild flavor and aroma, people eat it just like apples. At least, that's what most of my customers do.
During a phone order — in the 2018 season, if I remember correctly — one of them shared a story with me about how he brought a Vidalia onion aboard a cruise ship during his vacation. At every meal, my client tortured the waiter: "Take an onion, chop it up, and add it to my salad." This story made me smile.
Yes, if you love Vidalia, then you love it. You love it.…
However, let me not get ahead of myself.
How did I start? I'm not a farmer. I'm an IT guy.
I'm dependent on domain names.
It may seem strange, but my journey do not started with an idea.
In 2014, the domain name was put up for auction: for some reason, the owner abandoned it. Being born in Georgia, I was somewhat familiar with the industry and recognized it immediately. and enjoyed developing them. However, everything was different back then — although I bid, it was purely for fun, entering an offer of $2,200 and being sure it would be outbid.
Five minutes later, I became the proud owner of VidaliaOnions.com and had no idea what to do with it.
On your mark! Get set! Go!
After the domain came into my possession, I tried to focus on other projects, but its name kept floating in my mind.
It felt like it was saying:
... hey... I'm he-re...
had an interesting approach to character creation — they kind of wrote themselves, and he (Faulkner) acted as a sort of mechanical intermediary. His quote:
"I would say that you need to inhabit the character in your head. Once you are truly there, he will do all the work himself. All you have to do is keep up with him, writing down everything he does and says. You must know your hero. You must believe in him. You must feel that he's alive... Once you understand this, the work of describing him becomes purely mechanical labor." [
I treat my projects much like Faulkner treats his characters. I buy domain names with the intent to develop them and give them them initiative. They themselves serve as a source of inspiration. They lead me to what they are meant to become. I’m just the guy behind the keyboard.
Sometimes I buy them at auction, sometimes from the original owners. But generally, the domain comes first, and then the idea.
I usually don't rush into a project. The path of some domains seems obvious even before purchase, while the path of others only becomes clear in the process. The domain for Vidalia onion was one of the latter. After I acquired it, it kept nudging me in the ribs:
Work with me, work with me... You know how; you know what I should become
A month later, I began to understand what it was telling me. Each year I buy pears from Harry & David. I needed to create a similar service for Vidalia onion: instead of delivering pears from the farm, delivering onions.
The idea is not bad, but it’s not so easy to take on. I’m not a farmer, I don’t have employees, I don’t have a packing facility. I don’t have a logistics and distribution system.
But the domain kept looking at me ಠ~ಠ //////////whispering//////////
Just start..
"Set yourself the goal of Nothing and head to Nowhere until you achieve that goal"
(c) The Tao of Winnie the Pooh
That’s exactly what I did, being foolish enough to take on such a complex project. The market size justified an online venture. Google Trends showed a steady number of search queries for the name of this variety, and chefs around the world praised "sweet onion caviar."
Thus, I began a journey without a final goal or milestone. I just started walking. Without a God-sent investor. Without a patron. To finance the venture, I used the modest income from other projects. It was February 2015.
Once I got to work, I found out where the Vidalia onion committee is located, which represents all the farmers growing this variety. I made connections with them: they were kind enough to listen to me.
Eventually, I was introduced to three farmers in my region.
Having established good rapport with the third party, we decided to give it a try. Their company had been in the market for 25 years: while never focusing on direct consumer deliveries, they nonetheless understood the importance of such work. Moreover, they had a packing shop. However, the most crucial element was that they grew top-quality onions.
And we got started.
By the most modest estimates, we planned to receive fifty (50) orders in the 2015 season. The season ended with over six hundred (600).
While the farmer was growing onions, I dedicated all my efforts to working with clients, sales, developing the online segment, and logistics. Prior to this, I had no projects that worked directly with consumers. And I realized that I enjoyed it immensely.
The more we immersed ourselves in the work, the more we grew. To such an extent that our competitors stopped trying to sell onions by mail and sent their customers to us.
We began exploring alternative marketing opportunities — we placed a billboard on I-95 south of Savannah, facing the vehicle traffic entering Georgia from the north; we also sponsored a cyclist traveling across the country for charity and a local school basketball team; in addition, we supported a local elementary school.
We set up a hotline for orders, which — from time to time — brings us more sales than the website.
Of course, we made several colossal mistakes, which are entirely my 'fault.' For instance, we spent $10,000 on defective packaging boxes that we ordered from an inexperienced and incompetent manufacturer in Dalton (this happened early on and almost made me quit).
Fortunately, I decided not to let such missteps put an end to the business. To be honest, our customers would have been quite disappointed had that happened. Last season, when I returned a call to one customer, his wife answered. I started to introduce myself, but she interrupted me mid-sentence, shouting to her husband in complete excitement: 'VIDALIA-MAN! VIDALIA-MAN! PICK UP THE PHONE!'
At that moment, I realized that we were doing something right. Something that helps people and leaves a positive mark.
Sometimes I say I prefer goals to income. Now, as we enter our fifth season, I stand by my words.
And it brings me immense pleasure. I am happy to be involved in this industry.
I am Peter Askew, and I sell onions online.
Source: habr.com
