What You Don't Know Will Hurt You

With my grilled cheese survey responses in hand I knew that there was indeed a demand for some late night food besides tacos, hot dogs, & Jack in the Box.  But, how was I gonna get out there to feed this need for piping hot grilled cheese?  I needed a plan to navigate my way through the red tape of permits & health department inspections- not to mention a cart & somewhere to post up at.

One night online I found a gold mine of free information for starting up a small business.  The non-profit organization is called SCORE & they have a chapter here in San Diego County with many volunteers who are willing to share their wealth of business knowledge.  There are volunteers who are experts in all different facets of entrepreneur life & with one sent email I was able to get a hold of one.

Justin was a retired military guy who once ran a juice cart that became a cafe in PB (I can't recall the name of the place).  One morning he called me & gave me some great instructions on how to get started.

"First, you'll need to get an SS-4 Employer ID Number.  Then a Ficticious Business Name since you're gonna call your business Mad Munch & not use your name in the title," he said.  "And you have to publish that in a local newspaper to make it valid."  

I made a list of the other pertinent documents that I had to file with the city/county.  I still have that list today & have shared it with other people who are starting out on their own venture.  Here are the other requirements to start up:  

• BOE-400-SPA (Board of Equalization Seller's Permit) 
• Business Tax Application 
• Department of Health Temporary Food Facility Permit (TFF)
• Proof of Insurance
• Commissary Kitchen Letter (to store & cook food offsite)   

"That's all you really need to get going.  I would try to do it in that order to keep all your bases covered," Justin explained.  "I like your idea for grilled cheese & I think people will to.  Good luck & let me know if you need anything else."

It was a lot of information to absorb but I had all night long at the Inn to get to work on it, so my fuse was lit & I had the steps in place to climb the ladder.