Dateline: 5 September 2012

 Additional Information
For Buyers of The 
"Garlic Powder Profits Report"

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This picture shows a copy of the original comb-bound version of the profits report that you have purchased a pdf version of. Also, please note the jar of "Herrick's Homegrown" garlic powder in the gift box. It is nestled in excelsior ( a down-to-earth packaging material).

 Thanks very much for purchasing a pdf download copy of my Garlic Powder Profit's Report. This web page has been put together to provide you with additional thoughts and information related to starting a successful garlic powder home business.

Ideas For Selling 
Garlic Powder 
At The Farm Market
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Herrick's Homegrown Garlic Powder at the farmer's market in Ithaca, New York.
m If you have not yet read my essay about selling my garlic powder at the farm market, click here for insights and ideas: Selling My Garlic Powder At The Farmer's Market.


Selling Your
Garlic Powder Online
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A "beauty shot" for online marketing of my 2007 garlic powder 

 When my 2007 crop of garlic powder was ready to sell I announced it at my blog, The Deliberate Agrarian. I also announced that it would be my last year selling the powder, and explained why. You can read the story here: My 2007 Crop of Stiffneck Garlic Powder is Now Ready. If you make and sell garlic powder as a business, I think you really need to have some sort of online presence. Rick Machado is just one example...



Rick's Garlic Powder
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This is how Rick Machado packages his garlic powder
Rick Machado at Machado Farms in Sun City, California, has been selling his homegrown and homemade garlic powder for many years. The 1.5 ounce bag pictured above currently sells for $17. When people contact me by e-mail asking if I have garlic powder to sell, I send them to Rick Machado. Here's The Link: Rich Machado's Garlic Powder. 

When you get your business up and running, and have a web site for it, send me the link. I'll refer people to you too.


 By the way, I mention Rich Machado's "Salad Flakes" on page 26 of the profits report. I've bought the flakes and I've made my own version. Make sure you check them out: Rick Machados' Salad Flakes
Create A Free
Blog/Web Site For
Marketing Your Garlic Powder

 If you grow garlic and make garlic powder, you must have a web site. Don't spend money on having a web site made. Just start a blog and make that your web site. Blogs are completely free. It just takes an investment of time to figure out how they work, but they aren't rocket science. I have numerous blog/web sites that I utilize to sell products. Fact is, I make a living selling products with free web sites that I've created within the Blogger format. If I were to go back into growing garlic and making garlic powder again, I would create a blog/web site specifically for the garlic powder.

Here are some examples of web sites that I've made within the blogger.com format...

 Whizbang Cider
WhizbangPlucker.com
PoultryShrinkBags.com
PluckerFingers.com

The only cost associated with having a blog-as-a-web-site is if you want a unique domain name. Like, for example, www.whizbangplucker.com. I buy domain names through GoDaddy. They cost less than ten dollars a year to own.

Once you've purchased the domain, you go into your account and set it up so that anyone who goes to your domain is automatically directed to your blog's home page. It's a whole lot easier to tell people to go to WhizbangPlucker.com than it is the blogger address of http://whizbangplucker.blogspot.com/

 Also, you can incorporate PayPal shopping cart buttons into your blog-as-a-web-site. It costs nothing to do this and PayPal takes care of the whole online transaction for you. The only cost is when someone makes a purchase. Then PayPal deducts a small amount from the sale for their service.
My Yearly 
Garlic Powder Post Cards
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The picture below shows a sample of the post card I sent out in 2005. It is the same one shown on page 19 & 20 of the profits report. If you click on the picture you can see a larger view.





Develop An 
e-mail Customer List

MailChimp

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Another thing I would do if I got back into the garlic powder business is create an e-mail customer list. Check out Mail Chimp for help with a customer list.  It costs nothing to have a MailChimp customer list up to 2,000 people and they do all the signup, and organizing work for you. It's almost too good to be true. I've just started using MailChimp to establish a customer e-mail list for a Planet Whizbang newsletter. You can join the list at this link: Subscribe to the Planet Whizbang Newsletter.
Links To Resources
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This is a sheet of labels that I used on my jars of Herrick's Homegrown stiffneck garlic powder (click to see an enlarged view).
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Here are links (in red) to the various suppliers of items mentioned in the profits report:

 MyOwnLabels is where I ordered the jar labels pictured above. Those labels are the FXE01-03 style, which can be found HERE.

 Grower's Discount Labels can make you just about any label. The two labels on page 8 of the report came from this company.

 Frontier Natural Products Co-op is where I got my glass jars, shaker tops, and green caps. These items are not hard to find from other sources. I just happened to get them from Frontier because my wife buys things from them.

 ULINE has numerous items that I used. They have the small tin-tie paper bags, excelsior, and the small gift boxes (suitable for shipping). They also have the 4-mil ziplock bags (the 3" x 5" will work fine). 

I see that ULINE now has small mylar food bags. I think that I would be inclined to use those bags instead of the 4-mil plastic bags. They are expensive but I think they would have a lot more appeal to the customer. It looks like the 3"x5" reclosable mylar bag is made so you can heat-seal the end. The customer then cuts the heat-sealed end off and uses the ziplock. I've heat-sealed mylar bags with a hot iron. An impulse sealer will certainly do the job. I bought a new impulse sealer on Ebay (for another project) for $40.

The Yahoo Groups
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My idea of creating the Yahoo discussion groups,  Making Great Garlic Powder and  Garlic Powder Profits (mentioned on page one of the profits report) kind of fizzled. But you can access the archives and maybe glean some useful information.
The Thank You Note
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I neglected to mention in the profits report that I used to send a "thank you" note with all garlic powder orders. The note was simply a small slip of paper (3" x 7") with a thank you message printed on it. A printed note isn't especially personal but I would sign it to add a personal touch. And I always signed my name with a bold blue pen (an idea mentioned in a "Geurilla Marketing" book I read years ago). Here's what the thank you note said...
Thank you!
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That big thanks is for purchasing some of my homegrown stiffneck garlic powder. I sure do appreciate your order.
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Please remember that, for the best short-term storage of this garlic powder, you should keep it in a sealed jar in the refrigerator. For longer term storage, the powder will keep very well if you put it in the freezer.
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Best wishes,
John Ikerd's Essay

Professor John Ikerd
On page 12 of the profits report I mention Professor John Ikerd. Here is a link to his excellent article: Farming For Profit & Quality of Life.

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Additional Links of Interest

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P.S. If you have not yet seen the pdf photo tutorial that shows how I make garlic powder, you should check it out. It costs only $1.50 to download and it will give you a very good perspective on the work involved. Here's the link: How To Make Your Own Garlic Powder