GUEST BLOG: Hope & Main, Lisa Raiola

November 15, 2021 Edition

Opening a business can be very overwhelming when you have no idea where to go to get clients. I launched my business back in March of 2019 and when I put it out in the world, I asked myself “now what?”. Well, I searched on the RISBDC (RI Small Business Development Center) website to see if there were any marketing classes so I can learn how to market to my target audience, which at that time had no idea who that was. So, I went to the class and learned so much about marketing, having a business and what industry I want to market to. After the class was over, I started chatting up a conversation with a woman that began her business not too long ago either. Her name is Lauren Ruggiero with Buppy Pets – she bakes healthy & nutritious dog biscuits. She told me that she is at an organization called Hope & Main which is a non-profit organization that helps food businesses educate & help their students thrive in having their own food business. From the conversation we had about trying to figure out how to get clients, she suggested that I contact Hope & Main because she thinks that most of the students there would definitely need bookkeeping help.

A few weeks went by and I met with a marketing advisor at the RISBDC. We talked about how to market my message, the locations, etc. He asked me if I looked into Hope & Main.....(he didn't know this at that time, but I had already had someone tell me about Hope & Main but didn't do anything about it yet). I'm the kind of person that does NOT IGNORE THE SIGNS!! I heard you LOUD and CLEAR! So, that night, I decided to research Hope & Main and everything about it. I found out that Hope & Main is Rhode Island’s premier culinary incubator and they are all about empowering entrepreneurs to jump start a thriving food business. I loved that about the organization! I filled out an application to be a member & received a call the next day to tour the facility. I wasn’t sure what to expect but after my tour, I was very captivated by Lisa Raiola’s story and the “why” she created such a wonderful organization. I knew that I wanted to help these food businesses even more.

Lisa Raiola, President & Founder of Hope & Main

Recently, I had the privilege to interview the President & Founder of Hope & Main, Lisa Raiola where she feels it’s important to empower an inclusive community of entrepreneurs to jump start and cultivate thriving food businesses that are the foundation of a more just, sustainable, and resilient local food economy. Here are a few questions about herself & her business from our interview…read on to learn more about this interview:

Why did you pick this trade, in particular?

I started Hope & Main in 2009, during the Great Recession, because I was like so many millions of people who were not working at that time and I was seeking an encore performance in my career. I was actually coming off three years of disability and attributed my recovery to a radical change in my diet. I wanted to start my own food business to honor the many people who helped shop and cook while I was ill. But I quickly saw that it was almost impossible on so many levels to launch a food business. The regulations were confusing. Start up costs were astronomical. Banks did not offer financing because of high failure rates, and there was simply nowhere to turn to get answers. When I found the old Main Street School in Warren I knew right away that instead of starting my own business, I would set out to create Rhode Island's first food business incubator to help hundreds of people like me to pursue their culinary dreams. Plus, I saw that this would create jobs and build a stronger local food economy. Now my dream has been multiplied many times through the nearly four hundred food-preneurs we have assisted to launch businesses in the Ocean State.

Who inspired you – professionally?

A great inspiration for me during this time was my father. He often said, "Lisa, the only place success comes before work is in the dictionary!" He was self-employed, and I always admired not how much he worked, but how much he loved his work. I thought that, if I ever had a chance, I would like to start my own business, because this would enable me to fully embrace my personal mission each day and direct my energies into the places where I know I can make a difference. In order to achieve this, I worked for 10 years at Roger WIlliams University after I had already started Hope & Main. When I retired from RWU in 2019, I thought of my father. He passed away in 2017, and did not live to see that I had fulfilled the very plan that I committed to a decade ago. All because of his example.

Not everyone of our ideas succeed, have you had any idea that has failed? If yes, what did you do to pick yourself back up?

I have had a gazillion ideas that have failed. I am the sum total of my mistakes. And this is a good thing! It enables me to better role model for our entrepreneurs at Hope & Main that failure is not the "F" word. Getting it wrong is the first step to getting it right. In the end, you can't fail if you don't quit.

What would your future self say to your current self?

My future self would tell my current self to continue to prioritize being useful in life. Look around. You may not be able to do exactly what you envisioned. You may not be exactly with the people you imagined. You may not be solving the problems you prepared for. But if you can leave the things you touch better than you found them, you are doing ok!

What is your dream vacation?

A dream vacation for me is going anywhere with my husband, Waterman Brown. He is my best buddy and anything we do together feels like an adventure. He was the person that encouraged me to pursue Hope & Main-- even when it meant that he would give up his career to help me with this project. He will tell you that I dropped him off at Hope & Main one day 12 years ago with a sign around his neck that said: "Will work for food." That is not entirely untrue!

I hope you all had a wonderful time reading all about Lisa and her business! Personally, that first ever marketing class I went to helped me embark on a journey that is everlasting & growing. I am very blessed for all of the connections that I have made throughout my journey, thus far.....I would not be where I am today without those connections. I appreciate Hope & Main, what they do for their community & how they help solo-preneurs turn their dream into a reality!

Are you interested in learning more about what Hope & Main does or want to start a food business? You’re in luck!…..Here’s Hope & Main’s contact information: