This reader wants to start her own home business with her famous marinade sauce. See the ideas we gave her & send us yours!

Dear Pearl Sanborn:

I am also the mother of four children. I live in San Francisco where I was born and raised, but now with the cost of living here, many things are becoming prohibitively expensive. I am seeking ways to be home with my children, but help my husband financially. My mother created a marinade for meat many years ago and during the last few years I have made and sold this marinade at our local meat market/speciality store. It always sold out. But we weren't ready at the time to go "all out" and do this. Now I would like to know if you or some of your readers could give me advice on ways to begin. 

Thanks, Tina McGovern

** Well Tina here are a few ideas that should help you get started!

* Sell to local restaurants - they can use it on their foods & sell it at the check out for an extra profit!

* Sell through classified ads in the local papers.

* Use at church dinners - folks will love your dish & want to buy the sauce for home use.

* Contact gals who do home parties - they can sell it, give it away as door prizes, etc. You could even provide snacks with your sauce & have a small pile of cards next to the trays!

* Contact local radio stations - take over some snacks made with your sauce, then give them several bottles to use as free giveaways on the air!

* Contact websites who sell food products, spices, cookbooks, ect.

* Use as online giveaways for different websites.

* Give as gifts to teachers, mailman, friends, workmates, etc., with note card attached.

* Make up a catalogue (or color order sheet that's been laminated) - give to friends & family to take to work & take orders for you. Then you can give them a % of the profits.

* Contact businesses that make gift baskets - give them a sample jar & allow them to use your product as part of their line. Then they can make a % of sales.

* Send in recipes to your local newspaper, websites, newsletters, etc. that have your sauce as 1 ingredient. Make sure to include ordering information!

* Put in local gift shops.

* Contact your chamber of commerce. Maybe you could help promote the area with your sauce?? Our town home of the XYZ sauce! (believe it or not, our town is known all over the world because of a WONDERFUL candy made only here! The candy is called "turkey joints" & they are shipped literally worldwide!)

* Contact businesses that cater parties - they could not only use your sauce, but use it to decorate the tables as display pieces!

* A hang tag would be nice! Maybe tied with a piece of raffia. Print the tag with a recipe - story about the sauce - gift giving ideas - etc.

Whatever you do - ALWAYS have an eye-catching label & ordering instructions printed on the bottle!!! If you put a coupon (maybe just a code - like mention this code & get this much off) on the bottle, you will also get higher sales!

Make your sauce famous from the start!