Focus
Project Management
Services Provided
Darrin Clark, founder and co-owner of Artisan Community Kitchen, approached Launch Industries to learn more about opening a community kitchen. After initial discussions and understanding more about the process, Launch played a key role in fully developing Artisan Community Kitchen into the thriving business it is today. To date, Launch has provided the followings services to Artisan Community Kitchen:
-Business Plan Development
-Profit & Loss Forecast
-Branding
-Software Identification & Implementation
Challenge
Although Darrin Clark, Artisan’s founder, previously ran a successful catering business, he was not familiar with all the details of running a community kitchen. Launch Industries took on the role of fully preparing him for the endeavor by walking alongside him every step of the way. Every project that encompassed the formation of the business – from strategic planning and finances, to branding and software implementation – was managed by the Launch team. The goal was to ensure he felt confident in moving toward his business objectives while learning how to manage the kitchen.
Our Approach
At Launch, we customize our approach to each business’ needs. For Artisan Community Kitchen, it was essential for us to help Clark do a comprehensive analysis of the business plan and finances so that he could make sound business decisions. Overall, our process included:
Step One: Brainstorming & Ideation
Initial conversations with Darrin Clark birthed the idea of Artisan Community Kitchen.
Step Two: Business Formation & Planning
Launch helped solidify Artisan Community Kitchen through business planning and financial forecasting.
Step Three: Needs Assessment
To ensure optimal profitability, Launch helped identify and assess a variety of needs to keep the business profitable. This included identifying the kitchen space, the appropriate amount of prep stations, and how many hours Artisan could feasibly rent each station for. We also identified membership levels to meet the various needs of the community and keep the business running.
Step Four: Project Management
Once core needs were assessed, Launch began identifying key pieces of infrastructure to help the kitchen operate seamlessly. We made recommendations for scheduling software, developed a member handbook, created an onboarding process, and supported with legal agreements.
Step Five: Refinement
Once Artisan was fully operational, Launch provided support to refine processes and protocols. We assessed what was working well and identified areas for continuous improvement.
Outcomes
As a result of this work, Artisan Community Kitchen has been running seamlessly since 2020 and has served countless local businesses through its offerings. Launch continues to support Artisan and its members by offering business consulting support on as-needed basis. The kitchen is now at capacity which has positioned Darrin Clark to open another kitchen to accommodate even more small businesses – a project that Launch Industries is fully supporting.
