With the supplements industry booming, it’s never been a better time to start your dietary supplement company. Vitamins are an important part of many people’s daily routines, meaning there are plenty of possible customers for you and your supplements business to appeal to. Plus, with prescriptions to common supplements like Vitamin D on the rise, your potential for new customers has an equally bright outlook. If you’re interested in starting your own dietary supplement company, here are five simple steps to help you out.
Choose a niche
The supplements industry is a broad one, so it’s important to make sure that you’ve got a niche to help differentiate your business amidst the competition. Some product genres you may want to consider include supplements intended for use as vitamins, for bodybuilders, sports nutritionists, and even pets. Picking a niche that you have some knowledge or interest in is a great way to ensure that you bring some experience into your niche. For example, if you’ve gone through an accredited RN-BSN program with an interest in sports medicine, sports nutrition may be an ideal option for a side gig that you’re passionate about.
Pick your formulas
After you’ve chosen a niche, your next line of business should be choosing a formula. Selecting a stock formula is a great way to ensure you have a high-quality formula for your supplement that is proven to help others. Stock formulas allow you to quickly select safe, tested supplements that fit your needs and niche. A stock formula also offers you the chance to focus on sales without needing to know what compounds need to be combined to create the perfect formula.
Design your packaging
Once you have decided on a niche and formula, you should design your packaging. Some distributors, such as Makers Nutrition, offer these services in addition to fulfilling a variety of formulas. An eye-catching design and clever name are important components of your marketing, as they will distinguish you from your competition. Great graphics go a long way in establishing your supplements business, but it’s equally important that the instructions, warnings, and ingredients are also displayed in an easily readable and FDA compliant manner. That’s another aspect of packaging design that a distributor with in-house graphic designers can assist you with, and another reason you may want to consider consulting with them rather than creating your designs solo. You can also consider specialized food packaging companies that offer a complete turnkey solution for all your packaging needs.
Find a fulfillment channel
The next step to consider is the appropriate fulfillment channel. Fulfillment and distribution can make a major difference in your business. If business is booming but you’re low on products, having a fulfillment channel that takes several business days to get you an order can be a major detriment to your business. Thankfully, it’s possible to find experienced distributors who match your values and even offer 24/7 support and alerts. Do your research and ask questions about shipping costs, times, and whether a distributor is EDI compliant before deciding to do business with them.
Market your supplements
You’ll most likely want to start selling your products online, as this is the easiest arena to begin to create a presence for yourself. Setting up a website is relatively simple, and many website creators are easy enough that you can have your company website up and running in as little as a day. Once you have landing pages and a sales portal to point your customers to, it’s time to start marketing to them. Some Facebook ads targeting your demographic and niche can go a long way in drumming up interest in your supplements, and when you’ve had some sales, make sure to solicit testimonials from users to use in future ads. Digital advertising on social media offers great ROI, so it’s never a bad idea to spend your initial marketing dollars in that arena first to get people talking about your brand.
Starting a dietary supplement company truly is as simple as setting up a supply chain and marketing your products to potential buyers. Thanks to the internet and high-quality distributors and manufacturers of vitamins and other stock formulas, getting into the world of supplemental health products has never been easier. Use these five steps as a guide and start strategizing for the launch of your brand new company.