What happened to cookandkitchen?
It’s been a long while since my last post. I haven’t felt like writing anything except a tirade of blame, which would have served no purpose at all, since the middle of November. Earlier this week I got a tweet from a fellow food blogger asking what had happened to cookandkitchen, so I guess it’s time to explain.
cookandkitchen.com.au has been closed since the 28th of November. I am devastated. Our team’s efforts to reengineer and rationalise the ecommerce offering that we launched in April last year have failed. The site simply wasn’t doing enough money transactions and the underlying costs were too high.
We were let down by a number of partners; deadlines were missed, creative and copy failed to deliver returns and ultimately promises were not kept, but none of that explains why the business model didn’t work.
Some six figures worth of investment has been written off and after an incredibly traumatic month of returning goods to suppliers, selling off abandoned stock and shutting down systems I feel ready to do some personal reflection.
It’s been more stressful shutting down a business and more difficult than it was setting one up. There is a part of me that wants to involve the lawyers and start going after logistics partners, web developers and marketing agencies for breach of contract, poor workmanship and lack of integrity. On reflection the emotional energy and cash flow I would need to find to make that happen versus the $30-40k that we might eventually be able to claw back simply isn’t worth it.
Over 100,000 unique visitors, 469 different products (at our peak), 13,000+ paid for clicks and seven interns later I am looking to understand why things didn’t work in the way that we expected them to.
Maybe we tried too much at once, too much too quickly, maybe the research was misplaced, was the website badly designed, the marketing missing the mark, or the product set the wrong mix? Or maybe Australian foodies just aren’t out there and ready to share and spend money online in the volumes that we needed to make our business model work.
This week I am back in Byron. Where I came over 18 months ago to write the business plan and design briefs. Walking through the farmers’ market stalls yesterday and sampling organic coffees, stuffed figs and locally produced sweet sausages I enjoyed myself around food again for the first time in months.
We will have another crack at a foodie business at some point in the future, but for the next wee while you’re just going to get me, going back to basics, where Eatwright started; recipes, reviews and ramblings about food.
The entrepreneur in me hasn’t died, he just needs a rest.
It takes a lot of courage to start a business, even more to admit it didn’t work this time. You gave it a try, and the invisible hand is indebted to you.
I am sure you will crack a foodie business model eventually.
Best of luck
I loved cookandkitchen James and am so sorry that it did not quite work.
Most great entrepreneurs have experienced several failures before hitting on the big one. Although c&k did not deliver quite what you expected, I hope that you can reflect on all the good stuff that it has given to you to prepare you for your next venture when the time is right.
I admire your courage, enjoy your recipes and am inspired by your approach to food – keep on blogging…
Hey babe – the dream is not gone, just merely put on hold for awhile xxx
With your honesty and hard work, things will happen. I too have been hurt by business, It just makes you want to prove yourself even more. Take some time out, then revisit.
When are we doing lunch?
cheers
Ben
The entrepenuer in you will never die! It’s what you do. It’s what you are all about. Well done for being brave enough to follow your dream and expose yourself in the way you have. Get back to basics and enjoy the reasons you started C&K in the first place.
Wish you all the best – there is a God and you will survive to be stronger, wiser and yep! short of $. But you are about to refire your engines – so look forward to that! GOODLUCK
Hey James,
I have read this blog entry several times.. Working with you previously and knowing how committed and focused you are its really unsettling to here your business plan didn’t execute. Whats worse it doesn’t like the business plan was the problem.
What I would like to know and only if you feel comfortable doing so is an elaboration of what went wrong regarding the technology aspect of the plan.
Having the insight that you have of what has gone wrong would provide others with critical knowledge on how to deal with web agencies, technology and potential customers.
I completely understand thats it probably a period of time you just want to forget and move on however just this one blog entry has been extremely thought provoking.
Cheers,
Rob.
James
Sorry to hear about this. It is a salutary lesson to all of us who try to make it as entrepreneurs.
Regards
Alex
What an honest & awesome post. Am so sorry to read that it didn’t work out. Someone with more passion for their project would have been hard to find! Might have to catch up for a negroni soon, Alexx