"Souper-Bowl" Winning Recession-Proof Business Plan

Anyone who has ever laughed out loud while watching the "Seinfeld" well-known episode about soup might agree, that this humorous depiction of a soup-maker who knows how to create soup recipes that can make a person's knees buckle; may not be that far from the truth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOte_R7wE7k

One person in New Jersey, Pamela Major, has developed a line of "Souper-Bowl" winning recession-proof and very affordable soups; designed to keep customers healthy during these challenging economic times.

While Pamela is nothing like the soup-making character in that hilarious sitcom episode, she has been able to develop a line of soup products that can make a person stop in his or her tracks to savor the delicious tasting soups!

The Pampered Pot Soups, is the brainchild of founder and owner, Pamela Major; and LifelineExtensions.blog was able to get an interview with Pamela recently, where she shares some of her winning business ideas with our readers.

LifelineExtensions: Pamela, our readers may be wondering why we're talking about soup during this hot weather in August. But, I've tasted your soups before and know that your recipes can be enjoyed in any season. Why don't you tell the readers about your background before we start talking about The Pampered Pot Soups.

Pamela: Certainly. And, thanks for this time. I'm a child of American and West Indian descent, and have been a strong proponent of education, hospitality, and entertainment for most of my adult life. A few of things I love to do are dance, sing, and speak publicly.

There are vivid memories of a lot of family gatherings growing up, and they were always centered around good food and great conversation.

The gatherings usually happened at my paternal grandmother's house, and she was the person I asked to teach me how to cook.

I learned even as a child that food could bring people together. And, good food can keep people together.

So, by the time I was five years old I knew that I would graduate from college, learn how to cook extremely well, and have my own business.

I have a Bachelor's degree in Fashion Merchandising and a Master’s degree in Teaching, and I've worked in New York City's Fashion District. Also, I was a fashion magazine editor before working as an elementary school teacher in a Northern New Jersey school district.

As much as I grew to love teaching, by 2004 I knew it was time to leave the comfort of my classroom and explore my lifelong entrepreneurial dreams.

LifelineExtensions: So, by five you knew where you wanted to go. Incredible! Talk to us about some of the business concepts and ventures you've had over the years, and even a little about how you came up with a company name.

Pamela: Once I'd actually left teaching, my start-up company, Major Details, made and sold high-quality skin products called “Being Pampered.”

When I saw over time how much my clients were enjoying and benefiting from my pampering products, I decided to branch out even more to include spa services and healthy meals. This really began with me being invited to a number of women’s and educational conferences to promote and sell my products.

I've had a lot of business ideas, with The Pampered Pot Soups, being my primary business focus today. Pampered Parlour will be an actual physical location to provide spa services and Pampered Pot Soups to our clients.

The business component names have really just been a play on words using the letters of my name, which my clients seem to enjoy as much as I do!

People tend to think that pampering requires lots of money, but it really doesn't. That's an important reminder, especially during a Great Recession.

The very affordable notion of pampering is really all about self-care. Pampering is an excellent way for us to manage all of the intense and sometimes unexpected issues we're confronted with in life.

All of this promotes stress on the body, so by taking a little time to invest in some pampering we are able to eliminate, reduce, or manage stress.

Eating foods good for the palate and good for the body is one of the best ways to do this, and that's where The Pampered Pot Soups comes in.

LifelineExtensions: How is the business set up?

Pamela: Right now, The Pampered Pot Soups falls under Pampered Parlour, and we're working toward getting it set up as an LLC. We're also investigating grants and other small business funding resources to help jump start this component of the business.

One major goal is to blend education with entrepreneurship because we really want to have young people, especially those who are at risk of failing and falling through the cracks; to learn how to run a successful business.

We'd eventually like to see the same young people who are trained, coached, and mentored by us regarding how to operate a business, be in a position to purchase the business themselves. We're working hard to set up the business so that it will adequately support the youth who do wind up purchasing it.

LifelineExtensions: Who are The Pampered Pot Soup's customers? And, who are your competitors?

Pamela: We basically target a customer-base that includes anyone who works either outside or inside of the home. A lot of our focus is on the working parents who can't seem to find the time to get good meals during the course of the workday.

To be able to have a healthy and affordable meals' van pull right up to your workplace or home to sell you a healthy meal including "super soups" packed with vegetables, broths, and other healthy ingredients, is something our clients have told us they really appreciate and look forward to.

A lot of our customer focus is also on the vegan and vegetarian population because we don't use red meat or pork in any of our recipes. Our soup stocks are homemade by The Pampered Pot Soups, and every single ingredient is field-tested and carefully monitored.

We understand that we're competing against at least a few well-established soup-making franchises, but we offer something we have not seen them offer: The Pampered Pot Soups takes our soups right to the doorsteps of our clients by way of what we like to call Soup Clutches and Soup Tasting Parties. Also, we allow our clients to purchase their soup orders on-line because we know how busy and stretched they already are.

LifelineExtensions: To date, what have been your biggest hurdles to overcome?

Pamela: Listening to people. I remember the very first time I had the idea to focus on making soups, and I had only two recipes at the time. The ideas for how to frame The Pampered Pot Soups started flowing non-stop!

I was so excited that I began sharing some of my business concepts with people to field-test a response, if you will. There was one person that I mentioned my ideas to, and every single word out of the person's mouth was completely negative.

Unfortunately, I allowed that one negative response to damage and disable the process.

As time went on and my soup recipe portfolio increased significantly, I regained my confidence and strength to revisit the idea about The Pampered Pot Soups. I remember driving down a road one day and seeing a huge billboard posted by one of my competitors. So, I made a promise to myself at that moment to re-fuel the business and go for it.

LifelineExtensions: Pamela, would you talk some about how you handle advertising and promotions; and about your future plans for The Pampered Pot Soups?

Pamela: Presently, our promotions and advertising is done using the Internet and a good amount of "word of mouth" from our satisfied clients. We're in the process of forming alliances with a few health and wellness food outlets and franchises because we'd like to sell our soups both wholesale and retail.

In about a year's time we plan to have investors to help support our business efforts; we're calling them our Souper-Bowl Investors. We're also trying to partner with local agencies that work specifically with young people and unemployed adults so we can recruit some of these individuals to train and staff the business. In the meantime, we're also keeping our eyes open for a possible location for a Souper-Bowl outlet for our soups.

One other thing I'd like to mention about the people we're going to recruit either for paid positions or for community service and volunteer positions, is that it will be critical for these individuals to at the very least have a love of cooking meals with good, healthy, and fresh products.

They have to firmly believe in what they will be doing and why, and they'll also need a strong ability to identify when a meal that's been prepared is good or not.

And, we'll certainly need team players who don't mind working hard. We want driven individuals who are honest, business-minded, and have a great amount of integrity.

The Pampered Pot Soups will offer training for the technical side of the business, and we're even planning to begin a series of professional development workshops in January 2010 for both high school and college students who want to provide community service volunteer help. During the training we'll also coach the trainees so we can determine along with them what the best fit will be for them in the business.

LifelineExtensions: Pricing, paperwork, and challenging clients are factors every business has to deal with. How does The Pampered Pot Soups do it?

Pamela: We're very aware of the financial constraints placed on working people even in a good economy, and we're particularly sensitive to the current climate. Typically, we base our prices on the type of soup. For example, our seafood soups may cost slightly a bit more than our other soups; only because seafood costs more. We do, however, stay current about what our competitors charge for their soups; so we really focus on making our prices more appealing and competitive.

Regarding the endless paperwork; knowing that if I don't manage it properly it will kill me has given me the constant push to just get it done! Oh, I've tried it the other way; but the results only served to stall the business process and make us take a few steps back.

We've realized that we always have to keep track of what we're doing down to the smallest detail. The end result of where we're heading always has to be in the forefront of our minds. So, we know exactly what we're spending.

Right now, I'm managing all of the paperwork. But, I can't wait for the day when it's not me! Then again, the beauty of handling this yourself for a while is that when you do farm it out; you can actually assist the people handling different parts of the business so that things are handled in a way you'd envisioned.

And, yes. We have had our share of challenging clients. But, we try to research the customer-base as well as possible before we actually transact business with them.

After we've established a business relationship with clients, if we even sense they are dissatisfied with our products or services we invite the conversation about what their actual business needs are. Once we have that additional data, if we see that the match still isn't working; we direct the customer to one of our competitors that might be a better fit.

The Pampered Pot Soups believes there's enough consistent business out there for all of us, and the important thing is making sure our customers are satisfied.

LifelineExtensions: Well, Pamela. This has been wonderful. I'm going to ask you to wrap up this interview by sharing any final thoughts you have with LifelineExtensions.blog's readers. Thanks for agreeing to do this interview.

Pamela: It's been my pleasure! The first thought I want to share is that this is a great time to start a business. The game "Monopoly" was invented during The Great Depression, and there are so many examples of inventions and business developments created out of human disparity. So, don't allow any current circumstances to govern where you're destined to go. If you have a passion or dream about some type of business concept, nurture it. Start with whatever you have, and just go for it! And, PLEASE be careful regarding who you share your business ideas and dreams with. You want honesty from the people you share with, but you don't want or need disabling negativity.

Finally, I'd love to hear from anyone interested in trying out some of The Pampered Pot Soups specialities. We even have some clients who are Mary Kay Consultants, and they order our products to be served at parties they're hosting.

You can either call us at 732-718-1570, or you can go on-line to check out our menus, place orders, or arrange to have us host a conference or party. Our website is info@pamperedpotsoups.com.

Sharon M. Biggs, M.A. -- Educational Leader

MODERN SOLUTION FOR REAL-TIME PROFIT & SUCCESS...Conversation With Charles McPherson, author/publisher: SOUTH OF CHARLESTON, THE JOURNEY

“Each step of success has never meant arrival for Charles McPherson. Growing up in the rural south of Hickory Hill, South Carolina, among the suppression of the 1960s, he set his vision on a place far beyond his environment. The author, husband, and father of two now lives and writes in Jackson, New Jersey, where his career as a computer engineer and financial advisor pauses to write about a place he has come to appreciate, a place he willingly thought he had left behind, a special place where family and community build strong character, untiring work ethic, and determination.”

http://southofcharleston.com/author.html

LifelineExtensions: Charles, LifelineExtensions.blog is absolutely honored to have you as our guest today. Would you start out by telling our readers a little bit about yourself – your background, education, and career?


Charles: Thanks for having me as today’s guest. Well, I was born in South Carolina and attended all-black schools in South Carolina through high school. Once I’d graduated from high school I moved to New Jersey, and soon after moving enlisted in the Navy.

After serving in the Navy, I returned to New Jersey and the Navy covered the cost of my attendance at William Paterson University, where I received a degree in Business & Economics. It was there that I met wife, Tauilei, whom I’ll celebrate 28 years of marriage with this August of 2009. We have two children, ages 13 and 15; and we live in Central New Jersey.


LifelineExtensions: Who is your primary target audience for South of Charleston, The Journey?

Charles: I think I wanted the book to be a book that talks about family, and how family molds your character. My hope is that families of all kinds and from all walks of life will grasp the idea of how the family unit works together to make the family a whole, secure, and stable entity.

I’d also like for readers of the book to clearly see the importance of understanding how traditions and customs are carried on in different families.

South of Charleston, The Journey hopefully shows that the best way to do this is to make sure you have valid documentation about the traditions and customs, so that the messages are fluidly translated and passed along from one generation to the next.

The other portion of my target audience are those people who feel they may go through life without clearly defined direction or purpose. If you have a strong faith like I do, you know it is okay to sometimes not have clear direction at a given time; but, you have to always be working toward something.

Whether you know or not exactly what that “something” is…and it will be different for everyone simply because our experiences are different… you have to be working toward something. I talk about that in the book.

After moving from South Carolina to New Jersey, I enlisted in the service because I just wasn’t quite sure at that point exactly where I needed to be heading. I consider that decision a good one since I not only learned about service and discipline while in the Navy, but the Navy allowed me to go to college once my term of service had ended. That’s when I moved back to New Jersey, got accepted into William Paterson University, and met my wife.

Overall, the diverse target audience of readers should all know that their individual journeys are extremely important and worthy to be shared and heard. And, whether or not your journey seems important to someone else, it has to be important to you.

LifelineExtensions: How would you describe South of Charleston, The Journey to high school teachers and college instructors who might consider including the book on their annual book lists for students? What description would you give to others who might consider the book as a monthly read for a book discussion group's talk?

Charles: Focusing on my specific family in the post-slavery era provides another current learning tool for teachers and instructors to use during instruction with this current generation.

South of Charleston, The Journey is a user-friendly way to help the students understand that their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents came through a time filled with a tremendous amount of local and global controversy and obstacles.

However, despite the conflicts and hurdles our ancestors had to overcome, they managed to raise their families and stay focused on a designated purpose. Having a source of belief and faith in their lives and in their ability to excel and succeed provided them with the strength and help they needed to remain focused.

I’d also like for the teaching and learning about South of Charleston, The Journey to include helping readers of all ages find out what their individual roots are. This helps to give a good understanding about how different modern times are from the times when generations of people before us lived.

If we can point kids back to their critical foundational roots so they get a clearer picture of who they currently are; they will automatically begin to gain a firmer understanding and appreciation of why they are who they are.

This will also provide clarity about where they presently are in life; as well as where and how far they may be destined to go in the future.

LifelineExtensions: What led you to write the book?

Charles: When I looked back on my days of growing up, I quickly recalled that I was fortunate to have had my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents living either with or close by me. Something these individuals always did was to tell stories about people. But, there was never anything written down – all of the re-telling about people and events was shared orally.

The only things written down were kept in bibles about births and deaths. When I considered writing about my childhood and experiences, I knew this was something that I wanted and needed to put on paper.

This way, my own kids, nieces, and nephews would be able to read the accounts and say, “Oh, this is what Dad or Uncle Charles and his grandparents and great-parents were like. Now we get what he was saying about the time when…”

Realistically, I knew I couldn’t document everything – there is a lot of history by the time you reach mid-adulthood. But, I really wanted to provide short, easy-to-read, and easy-to- comprehend stories about the history and traditions enjoyed and embraced by my own family.

LifelineExtensions: How long did it take you to complete the book from start to finish?

Charles: I started the book in 2000 while vacationing on a beach in Manasquan, New Jersey. The thoughts just started coming back to memory, so I simply wrote down each thought as it came to me.

During the first five years of writing, I would just throw thoughts on paper. This was without having any real documentation – just memories of mine, those of my siblings, and of other members of my family.

In 2006 I began actually formatting the book in terms of coming up with the content, and framing it so that it would have a logical and sensible flow. The published book has now been released in 2009.


LifelineExtensions: Which parts of researching facts for the book were the most personally interesting to you? Tell us why the interest level was so high for those parts.

Charles: I’d mentioned earlier that I grew up around my parents, grandparents, and great-parents, but I really never thought as a child growing up about their backgrounds and how they grew up. Nor did I ever even consider the possibility that their childhoods may have been significantly different than my own.

For me, when I started gathering data and information about my grandparents and great-grandparents, I was finding out things I never knew about them. When I started asking questions about how they made their living and how they came together as couples that allowed me to get to know more things about my mother and father; let alone about the generations before them.

Very honestly, I didn’t have a clue as a child about the specific details regarding my family members. I suppose I should have known as a child or teenager, but I didn’t become aware of intimate details about my parents, grandparents or great-parents until the book writing process began; and I dove into asking a lot of specific and pointed questions.

And remember, these relatives either lived in the same house with me or just up the road from my house!

But, in keeping with being a typical kid; the importance about this kind of rich family information about our history didn’t take shape until my mid-adulthood that day on the beach.

LifelineExtensions: If readers would like to complete their own personal memoirs or self-published books, what recommendations would you give to them to help at least start the process?

Charles: If that’s in your heart and you feel like you want to put some memoirs or family stories together…start right where you are.

Sit down and take the time to think about the things that you currently value and think are important for family and for life, in general. Thoughts, ideas, customs, and traditions you want to leave behind for future generations to build their lives upon and continue progressing with.

I didn’t go the traditional way of following the blueprint spelled out in some of the current books about writing and self-publishing. For some individuals using the advice in these resources has served them well, but I opted not to take that route.

Basically, I said, “I have these thoughts in mind so I’m just going to start noting them on paper.” I had no idea the outcome and result would include me actually holding the book South of Charleston, The Journey in my hands to speak with you about today.


LifelineExtensions: Charles, tell us about a book or a few books that most influenced your life?

Charles: Going through college there were a lot of books that came across my path that increased my curiosity about African-American culture.

Stolen Legacy was a book I read in one of my college classes. This book really got me interested in finding out about my roots.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?userid=yR4ZJut9OF&isbn=0865433623&TXT=Y&itm=2

Then, when I began to write South of Charleston, The Journey; Alex Haley’s Roots helped greatly with how to best document and chronicle the genealogy portions.

http://www.rootsthebook.com/

James McBride’s The Color of Water is another book that really touched me. And, President Barack Obama’s Dreams From My Father served to further motivate me to share the story about my own individual journey.

http://www.jamesmcbride.com/
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Dreams-from-My-Father/Barack-Obama/e/9781400082773

Everybody has a story. The authors I’ve named are very famous people. But, I said to myself: “I’m just Charles McPherson and no one knows me.” For me, reading the books mentioned and other books I've read helped me to understand that my story is just as important as everyone else’s; and that I, too, have a journey to boldly speak and write about.

LifelineExtensions: Before we wrap up, please share anything else you would like LifelineExtensions.blog readers to know either about you, or about South of Charleston, The Journey.

Charles: I did not know when this project started back in 2000 exactly where it was headed; and I certainly didn’t know I’d have a finished and published product in my hands nine years later. Even though I started and had the faith to continue writing the book, I just didn’t know what the end result was going to be.

But, I continued to have the faith to believe that the writing process would turn out to be something extremely good and useful to many others. I also knew there was a reason things would turn out good -- there would be people of all ages and from any and every walk of like who would read the book to draw upon as they began to frame out stories regarding their own lives.

There are some individual stories in South of Charleston, The Journey about things that happened to me.

But, at least one common link that is evidenced between people of every race, ethnic group, nationality, background, and position in life is that there are individual stories that we all have about our journeys.

I encourage everyone to get their hands on a copy of South of Charleston, The Journey to read for themselves about my own story and that of my family’s history, traditions, and customs. Let the reading inspire you to write your own journey's story.

LifelineExtensions.blog readers can also go to our website for a book or author overview, and for information about ordering copies on-line:

http://southofcharleston.com/

http://southofcharleston.com/book.html

Or, people can Google my name and type in South of Charleston, The Journey to find excerpts from the book. There’s one chapter posted on the website to provide a clear understanding about the theme and focus of the book.

Finally, if anyone would like to contact me directly about arranging book signings or about having me speak at conferences, meetings, or workshops; they can e-mail me directly at: charles.mcp@gmail.com.

LifelineExtensions: Charles, on behalf of all of LifelineExtensions.blog readers, thank you for not only this interview; but for sharing the story of your journey with the world. We can already sense that great things beyond your expectations will result from your writing of South of Charleston, The Journey.

Sharon M. Biggs, M.A.
Educational Leader