OpenSky is calling out to cool, small businesses. Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman.
"You should get more of this," my daughter, almost 18, said, chewing on some of SlantShack grass-fed beef Jerky. "It's really good."
Never mind her phrasing (would have been nice? "Beloved father, I would be eternally grateful to you and wash your car if you bought me another sample pack of this most excellent jerky"). But OK. She's a jerky hound, I love her, so when I found this small jerky biz on the OpenSky site I gave it a shot.
I'd never have known about the Jersey-based business had it not been for OpenSky, an Internet marketplace that I've been a part of since before they even had a website (first post, 11/9/09). I just thought their concept was cool. People who know what they are talking about in a certain field (me: food and food tools) recommending what we think is excellent.
I hung in there with them through mucho growing pains and figurings-out, and they've morphed into something great: a virtual marketplace for small to midsized businesses that helps those businesses grow and promote their products. It's not crafty like Etsy, not flash-sale-based like Gilt. I had no idea at the time that I'd start making my own kitchen tools, and become one of those very small businesses that OpenSky helps to promote via social media. Which I love. People can ask me questions, or they can comment on products, good and bad, like my Badass Perforated aka Egg Spoon, which I love (no link on purpose because at least one person is going to call me out for going too commercial; sorry, I make stuff, that's what I do, I make books, and apps, and tools, and dinner most every night, the latter I pay for, the formers are how I pay for the latter).
John Caplan, the entrepreneur who conceived OpenSky, asked me to call out to the U.S. small business community to ask each business to consider opening a storefront on OpenSky. I can say for a fact that, though I sell my tools on my own site right here, separately from OpenSky (a lot of people requested this; many early email-overload glitch issues have since been addressed; I chose shopify.com, good but costs us nearly $2K a year), I have done 10 times the sales via OpenSky than via my site and OpenSky is free. We're just a few of us here at ruhlman.com, but OpenSky has a fleet of customer service folks and now, at last, a really clean interface.
Here's a video the news agency Reuters did on OpenSky recently; it explains OpenSky very well.
Are you a small business making cool products and can ship anywhere in the U.S.? OpenSky has 2.5 million potential individuals who might be interested in your stuff. Again here's the link to the Merchants page. It's free to join. I emailed SlantShack co-founder David Koretz if his experience had been good and he emailed this:
"OpenSky has been a great platform for our business—not only in regards to volume and revenue (it is a steady, reliable source in that regard), but most importantly it provides a larger venue for us to see how the consumer responds to our product and better understand how we need to market our jerky and communicate our brand goals in the long run."
OpenSky already has some 2000 merchants (like Dalton-Ruhlman products and SlantShack) in all kinds of lifestyle categories, but I'm a food guy, 25% of OpenSky merchants are food related businesses, and here are some of my finds:
I've loved Olympic Provisions salumi since I visited the Portland restaurant and salumeria and am glad they partnered with OpenSky.
I'd never heard of Aqua Best but I'm eating lobster when I turn 50 this summer and that's who I'm going to click on to order.
I don't know what it is about soapstone, but there's something going on there; can't keep my hands off it. And this company, SPARQ, realized it.
And The Jam Stand, based in the culinary desert called Brooklyn, NY, would be relegated to that arid tundra were it not for OpenSky, which can promote their jam in every state of the country.
I'm a writer, first, and I love to cook, but in the broadest sense, I'm a maker, an entrepreneur, and want to support my fellow lunatics and society deviants who break their backs to make cool shit. Because in the end, it's really fun. I like to have fun. Fun is good.
If you didn't like this post, tell me. If you want a rant instead or some other cool links, see below:
- My recent rant: America Has a Serious Eating Disorder.
- Check out this great chef-focused Chicago retail store: The Butcher & Baker.
- As I mentioned, I also write books and build cooking apps.
- Here's a recent review of my book Ratio by strangers on the blog Recipes Or Reservations, which calls it an "overlooked classic." Well, I like the "classic" part...
- Ideas in Food is always jam-packed with new thoughts and cooking techniques (and they have a new book coming out this fall, yay!).
© 2013 Michael Ruhlman. Photo © 2013 Donna Turner Ruhlman. All rights reserved.
Thanks Michael. I may have to buy some jerky now
thanks michael. the OpenSky journey has been exhilarating (and at times brutal) and we've been lucky to be your partner for all of it. I've always wanted to build a platform that helps empower other businesses to grow and everyday our little team is doing that. We can all choose to spend our $$ with multi-national brands or we can support the innovative and emerging companies built by our neighbors. I choose to shop (and support) the small and the mighty.
Nicely said, John, hope more people shop this way than through amazon and walmart.
We have a Korean restaurant as a new client and they make a couple of products. This seems like a great way for them to market their stuff. Thanks for sharing this.
Michael, if you are into these products, you would love our site, http://www.mouth.com
We're the leader in Indie Foods online and carry a bunch of those products. I love what John is doing at OpenSky and like him, enjoy empowering small batch producers to make more money. It's what we're all about.
Well, that and great food.
Thank you Craig. I knew about new york mouth, and heard good things, but didn't know you'd expanded. Congrats and best wishes growing your and others' businesses!
Thank you for this post Michael. Companies like OpenSkye are in the edge of social era and will certainly grow to become even more successful.
I already set up my company store and hope to help this community grow.
Take a chance to follow my store and maybe even try the treats we sell.
https://www.opensky.com/brigadeiro-bakery
To learn more about what we do visit our site. We'd love your input on our products.
http://www.brigadeirobakery.com
Marcelo
The concept seems like a great idea, but the interface seems inefficient. At first look, the categories seem broad, and the search feature isn't helpful. I searched on lobster and got many things, but crustaceans that you eat wasn't one of them.
How do you make the site work for you?
Thanks
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