Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
Nothing beats being your own boss and Utah is a great place to make that happen. In fact, Forbes recently listed Utah as one of the top 10 best states to start a business in 2024. But being an entrepreneur comes with a unique set of challenges, which might explain why 96% of businesses fail within the first 10 years, according to Inc.
So, what attributes separate the 4% from the rest of the pack? To answer that question, it helps to learn from someone who's been there.
SalsaQueen Zapata is the maker of the popular Utah-made Salsa Queen salsa. She's shared her crowd-pleasing flavors with Utahns and beyond for the past 10 years — and now she's sharing her recipe for business success.
Zapata went from being a 17-year-old immigrant from Mexico with no work experience or a high school diploma to the owner of an extremely successful salsa company, inspired by her then-boyfriend (now husband) Jim Birch. She even legally changed her name to "SalsaQueen" because of it.
It's an inspiring story — and Zapata says it can happen to anyone.
If you're an aspiring business owner, if you own one already, here are some of their top tips for ensuring that you're among the 4% who make it past the first decade.
Find a good mentor
Zapata says that the "unknown unknowns" are the icebergs in the water. That's why finding someone who can help navigate — such as a mentor in your field — is key.
Writing for Indeed, Jamie Birt lists several reasons why mentorship is beneficial for businesses. Among them, Birt says that mentors support growth.
"Mentors encourage and enable another person's professional or personal development," Birt writes. "A mentor can help focus their efforts by setting goals and giving feedback. As a result, companies that want to build employees' skills often create mentoring programs."
Validate assumptions
It's nice to hear kind words about your business. But your sales will speak louder than anyone else's praise.
"Our friends and family are nice and will always say things like 'that's a great idea' or 'you'll kill it'," Zapata says. "Reality is different and you'll only know if you're on the right track when someone is willing to pay for what you're offering…..and then to come back again."
Discover your MVP
Testing out your offering is key. What you think the market wants could end up being entirely different. For Zapata, selling at the local farmers markets was a great way to test out new salsas and see which ones customers bought and wanted to re-buy.
She tried close to 20 different flavors during her first season. In the end, she realized that five products were consistent winners.
Zapata has spent the last year fine-tuning four new exciting products that launch in May, which will create a product line of 10 fresh gourmet salsas and dips so everyone can have a favorite.
Stay committed and passionate
Launching a business has to be something you really love since being self-employed will add more stress to your life. If you don't love it or have passion for it, then your venture will become more burdensome and you'll end up resenting it.
Learn to manage money
This goes without saying, but it's probably the biggest factor in a venture's success: You've got to manage the money. It's the lifeblood of your business.
Writing for Inc., Bill Carmody explains, "Why do most businesses fail? … Companies don't go out of business because they lack profits on their financial documents, they go out of business because they don't manage their cash and can't pay their bills."
If you need ideas on how to manage your money better, this article from Forbes can point you in the right direction.
Make sure you've got support
Lastly, if you're in a relationship, make sure your partner is on board with your plans. If they can't support you, things will be much harder.
Zapata credits a large portion of her business success to her relationship with her then-boyfriend (now husband), Birch.
In an article for the Deseret News, she said, "I tell him, 'Thank you for giving me the wings to fly,' and he says, 'You had them all along, you just had to realize it.' We all have the wings. It just takes somebody to believe in us and to grab us by the hand and give us a little kick and there you go."
Taste success with Salsa Queen
Now that you know what led to the business's success, it's time to give Salsa Queen a try if you haven't already. You can find their products online or at your local grocery store. Just look for that iconic sugar skull-branded container.
