Industry News

Young Company Focus:
Taste of Home Entertaining

Taste of Home Entertaining Founders Bill and Robin Shaw

What do you get when you combine talent, experience, solid financial backing and a business idea on-target with one of the hottest trends in America today? A company built for success. Taste of Home Entertaining launched in May 2006 and is making a name for itself as a fun and profitable business opportunity.

"Most start-up companies are founded by well-meaning, well-intentioned individuals with very little experience," says CEO and President Bill Shaw, who founded Taste of Home Entertaining with his wife, Robin. "They usually start in someone's garage or basement, and over time they will make every mistake in the book. We're not a typical startup. We're starting with the most experienced management team ever assembled in the industry; we've already learned from the typical mistakes. That's why this business is functioning so smoothly very early on. We have the enthusiasm and excitement of a young company with the experience and performance of an established business."

A New Company.With History

As young as Taste of Home Entertaining is, the company has a lot of history. Bill and Robin Shaw are well-known and respected in the business world, especially among other executives in the direct selling industry. With more than 30 years of direct selling experience, Bill has a firm understanding of what it takes to operate a successful party plan company. Other executives in the company's corporate office comprise what Bill refers to as a "dream team." The experience and talent of the members of this small but strong and dedicated staff unite to create a powerful resource for the company's salesforce.

The strength of the company's executive team is matched by the power of its well-respected parent company, publishing giant, Reader's Digest Association (RDA). In addition to owning this new direct selling company, RDA publishes the well-known magazine, Taste of Home. The magazine has the largest readership of any cooking magazine, and its cookbooks by the same name have an equally strong reputation. The name recognition Taste of Home Entertaining enjoys due to its connection to Taste of Home magazine is also a powerful asset for the company's consultants.

Bill joined RDA with the intention of creating a direct selling company. The question was the focus of this new venture. With the variety of subjects filtering through the publishing giant, no doubt there were many good options from which to select. In the end, the growing home-entertaining trend captured Bill and the RDA's attention.

Following Trends-Leading the Way

As a marketing and direct selling professional, Bill keeps on top of retail trends affecting the industry. "There is a major lifestyle trend of entertaining," he says. "Kitchens are opening up and becoming the focal point of the home. I saw the retail trade reacting to consumer needs with stores that cater to the entertaining concept." Stores like Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma have experienced recent growth, increasing in name recognition and the number of locations. The popularity of cooking shows, with entire networks dedicated to cooking and entertaining, also pointed to the rising demand for information and products in the emerging market.

"There was good growth in the retail sector, but there really wasn't a company in direct selling that had stepped up and embraced entertaining as a lifestyle," Bill says. "It just seemed logical that we would launch a business that is in tune with the demands of today's consumers." The company focuses on sharing this concept of entertaining as a lifestyle with its customers and consultants.

"Cooking is what you do to food, entertaining is what you do with food," he says. "In the past, people focused on what you do to food, and now the focus has shifted to what you do with food." Rather than homing in on a single component of the entertaining experience, the company brings together three important aspects of enjoying food with family and friends: inspiration, preparation and presentation. Through its products and a growing salesforce of independent business owners, Taste of Home Entertaining makes opening one's home an enticing idea.

A Strong Product/Market Relationship

Taste of Home Entertaining's products are one of the most important elements to its success. Not every cooking gadget or decorative table piece makes the cut when it comes to selecting the products offered in the company's beautiful catalog. "We take a scientific approach," Bill says. That approach begins with working with key vendors to develop beautiful, functional products.

"We take direction from the marketplace," says Gerry Vinopal, Executive Consultant to the President for Taste of Home Entertaining. "All of our manufacturers and suppliers have their own research and development staffs." The company draws on the expertise of its suppliers, who closely follow market trends and develop new product concepts based upon their research.

Designers are asked to create prototypes that meet specific price points and extend the company's current line. Suppliers bring the product concepts to Taste of Home Entertaining before launching them at market. "We then decide which philosophically fit our family of products," Gerry says.

The next step is obtaining feedback about the prototypes through focus groups. "We present new products to test markets twice a year," Gerry says. The focus groups consist of at least 300 individuals who have participated in an in-home party-either with Taste of Home Entertaining or one of its major competitors-within the previous 12 months. Participants evaluate the products, and the feedback the company receives determines which products are brought into the line.

"There are a lot of people joining our company every day who say there's nothing like it out there," says Robin Shaw, Co-Founder and Vice President of Consultant Services. "They wanted to be involved in owning their own business in direct selling, but there weren't any companies they could relate to until we came along. They can relate to our opportunity, because entertaining is contemporary and universal."

Keeping It Interesting

Products do more than draw people to a company, they keep people coming back. "You've got to have products that people want to buy," Bill says. "You wouldn't continue to shop at a retail store that didn't change its product line frequently. You'd get bored with it and there would be no reason to go back." The concept of keeping things interesting is at the heart of Taste of Home Entertaining's business plan. "We use outside vendors to bring us the best, freshest ideas before they go to market, and we market those products in a beautiful catalog," he says.

Creating products doesn't stop when the catalog is printed. "Our theory is that we want to reinvent our company every 36 months," Bill says. To keep its product line on-trend, the company plans to turn over one-third of its offerings each year. This philosophy of maintaining a fresh assortment of products is one way the company is working to ensure the business opportunity is as strong ten years from now as it is today. "There is a direct relationship between the opportunity and the appropriateness of the products being sold," he says. By continuously updating its product line, Taste of Home Entertaining anticipates success for its consultants for years to come.

Great products mean good business for consultants. Offering exclusive items, such as Chef Mario Batali's Italian Kitchen line, and keeping the selection fresh makes booking parties-a critical aspect of a consultant's business-much easier. "What you've got to do is create enough interest by changing the product line so people continue to walk in your store, they continue to want to attend your party," Robin says. "If it's easy for a host to invite friends because people want to come and see what's new with your company, then it's easy to book parties. Parties are what this business is all about."

Inspiration

Their passion for entertaining led Bill and Robin Shaw to found the company on the principle of providing quality products and services. They begin with the ideas-the inspiration-that make entertaining seem possible. Inspiration comes from magazines, like the company's namesake, Taste of Home, or Everyday with Rachael Ray, a new magazine published by Reader's Digest. Cookbooks, packed with delicious, easy-to-prepare recipes, inspire readers to try something new.

Taste of Home Entertaining also offers inspiration through its consultants. Whether it's tips on making guests feel welcome or easy decorating suggestions for bringing new energy to a room, Taste of Home Entertaining consultants are taught to share simple ideas with their customers.

Preparation

Cooking is considered the preparation component of entertaining and, for some, it is the most challenging. That's why the company offers Cool Tools, essentials for the kitchen that make light work of tedious tasks, as well as high-quality cookware and cutlery selections for cooks of every skill level.

The products in The Italian Kitchen line designed by Mario Batali are a beautiful assortment of serving pieces and tools that indulge the inner chef. The Panini Grill and Press helps moms and dads bring restaurant favorites to the kitchen table-tasty panini sandwiches, pork chops or grilled vegetables. From the Deep Dish Lasagna Pan and its hefty, stainless steel serving companion, to the Peerless Peeler, Ultimate Pizza Wheel and Ceramic Nesting Bowls, Mario Batali's line of professionally tested products make preparation fun and easy.

Presentation

Presentation is the cherry atop a hot fudge sundae. It adds pizzazz to any party and makes friends feel like family. From beautiful table settings to warm and inviting decorative pieces, Taste of Home Entertaining captures the colors and reflects the styles of today's homes. With pieces from the company's trendy, yet unique, product line, hosts can be confident their event-whether it's a family dinner for four, a bridal shower or a birthday party-will be presented with luxurious comfort.

Bringing people comfort through food and time spent in warm surroundings with loved ones is what entertaining is about. While there are plenty of occasions for grand affairs, simple family meals are the perfect time to share the day's events. Whatever the reason, the reward is enjoying time together. "People who love to entertain often love the creation process and feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment in what they've created," Bill says. "But the bigger reward is the joy you bring to your family and friends when you entertain them. And everyone's a little different. Robin enjoys the presentation part. She loves to have people come enjoy her home and the food that's there. I enjoy the food prep. I love to see how people enjoy and react to a certain food and how much happiness it brings them. It's the reason you go out of your way and open up your house-to share that experience with others and bring happiness into their lives. That's the reason you entertain."

Opportunity of Hope

The direct selling industry, particularly companies like Taste of Home Entertaining that attract women, recognizes the need for an alternative to the corporate world. More often than not, family responsibilities rest on women's shoulders. As the cost of living continues to increase, women are torn between wanting (or needing) to be at home to care for the family and bringing in an income to help make ends meet.

"One of the things we do as an industry, and that Taste of Home Entertaining does specifically, is offer opportunity where there was none," Bill says. "We offer hope when, oftentimes, there isn't any; we change people's lives." This is done through recognition that encourages achievement and builds self-esteem. It's done by offering a solid business opportunity that allows people to participate in the free enterprise system regardless of their age, race, religion or educational background. And whether someone is looking for an option allowing them to earn a few hundred dollars a month, or several thousand dollars a month, they'll find a place they can call home with Taste of Home Entertaining.

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