As per Statista, 347,000 new businesses were registered in the United States in the first quarter of 2022. It’s a simple fact that the startup industry is very competitive, and most startups fail. Fortunately, you have some control over whether or not your company will fail.
If you are a startup founder who plans to develop a baby-formula-based business, there is a lot that you need to take care of. After all, this is one of the most important things in your life and in the lives of other parents as well.
In order to get through this journey successfully, it is crucial for you to make sure every aspect of your product is taken care of properly. Here are some things that you should keep an eye out for a while developing your baby-formula-based startup:
Don’t Pretend That Your Product Is Equal to a Mother’s Milk
Another thing to keep in mind is that baby formula is not equal to the mother’s milk. We know that you want it to be, and we understand why you’d think this. But the fact remains, there’s little way for you to do so if you’re going for a breast milk substitute or replacement. The nutritional benefits of breast milk are extremely important for development in an infant during their first few months of life. There’s no way for your startup, with all its resources and expertise, to replicate these benefits in another form.
In addition, while it may seem like a simple task on paper, there has been extensive research over many years into what makes up mother’s milk. Much of this research has gone into understanding what makes mother’s milk so good at providing essential nutrients such as protein and carbohydrates. If anything else were added to the mix along with those ingredients, then it would spoil the taste completely.
Make Sure You Don’t Harm Any Babies With Your Baby Formula
It’s important to remember that the people who are most likely to try and buy your baby milk formula are those who have newborns in their lives. Therefore, you want to make sure that whatever you are putting into the health of their babies is good for them. As such, you should take care not only about what goes into your product but also about how it is made and what it claims on its label.
When it comes to putting chemicals in your formula, you should be very careful. You don’t want your baby-formula-based startup to get a bad reputation for using bad chemicals that are harmful to other people and the environment.
The NEC baby formula lawsuit is one such instance where bovine milk-based formulas like Similac and Enfamil received a huge backlash from parents. It was alleged that these products caused gastrointestinal problems like Necrotizing Enterocolitis in premature babies.
You Can Also Be Sued by Another Company That Claims You Are Infringing on Their Technology
You can also be sued by another company that claims you are infringing on their technology. One way to do so is by patent infringement, where someone else’s invention or idea has been used without their permission. Another way is through copyright infringement. If your product uses an idea that belongs to someone else, they may sue you for appropriating their property without credit.
The same goes for trademark infringement. If someone makes a product similar enough to yours and they don’t want people confusing the two brands, they may sue because they feel their brand image is being damaged by yours.
If another company thinks that your startup has stolen its trade secrets, like recipes or formulas, they might want compensation too. According to The United States Courts, Florida had the highest number of Trademark filings, with a total of 16,526 cases filed between 1996 to 2018.
A Faithful Customer Pool Is the Key
Even if you avoid all of those disasters, you need customers who think your services are worth paying for. They don’t need to be loyal customers, just people who will pay on the first visit and come back at least sometime in the future. If you’re going to build a business around a customer base, it’s advantageous to have one that grows over time rather than shrinking or disappearing entirely after the first paycheck has been spent on diapers and formula.
A faithful customer pool is especially important when launching an enterprise in a field as precarious as this one. Not just because there are so many ways that things can go wrong but also because so much depends on your ability to communicate effectively with potential buyers of your product or service. And since communication is often difficult when dealing with young infants, building up relationships organically takes time.
Conclusion
To be a successful baby-formula-based startup, you need to be able to survive. If your customers can’t trust your formula’s ingredients and safety, or if it infringes on someone else’s patent, then they won’t buy from you.
You also need to make sure that people think it’s worth paying for what you’re selling. If these things are true for the baby formulas that you sell, then congratulations. You’ve successfully launched an innovative product into the market.
In conclusion, remember that you need to do things like make sure your product is safe for babies and ensure that it can be easily accessed by customers. If you follow all the steps outlined in this article, then there’s no reason why your baby formula-based startup won’t be successful.
