10 useful tips for starting a food or tourism business

It is about protecting nature, culture and the environment, strengthening social values and ensuring economic viability.

Most people seek authentic and distinctive nature and cultural experiences. Both Norwegians travelling in their own country and international visitors on a trip or holiday welcome exciting, high-quality products and experiences.

This creates opportunities for you if you are developing a business in food production or catering, accommodation, or nature- and culture-based activities. With the right mindset, thorough preparation and effective delivery, you can build a successful business – or perhaps even an entirely new livelihood.

Your customers may come to you because they are hungry or tired, but offering them food and a bed is not enough. To succeed, you also need to meet their emotional and social needs and create an experience.

See yourself through your customers' eyes and ask yourself: who are my customers? What do they expect? How can I meet – and ideally exceed – their expectations?

Draw on available expertise, and seek advice and guidance from others who understand your target customers. It is also important to test your product in the market, gather customer feedback and make adjustments where necessary.

Ambition is a key driver of success.

Creating a strong product and running a financially sound business requires high motivation, considerable effort and, above all, perseverance. You need to refine and develop your product over time.

You need creativity and drive. Let your ambitions propel you forward as you build solid foundations. By taking one step at a time, you create a path to long-term profitability.

Your future customers are looking for something special. That means you need a unique product.

A unique product is easy to like, easy to market and easy to sell – but not always so easy to create. That is why you should invest time, effort and perhaps some money in finding out how you can make your offering truly stand out.

Consider this: What unique qualities does your region offer? What do you have that no one else does? How can you turn what you have into something special? What else can you develop to make your offering stand out?

See what others are doing – perhaps there is something similar you can learn from. Seek advice and guidance from professionals in areas such as storytelling, experience development, design and marketing.

A distinctive identity helps you stand out. Get this right, and customers are more likely to choose you and your product.

Customers expect the quality of a product to reflect the price they pay. In Norway, that always means high quality.

You need to meet this expectation and ensure quality in every aspect of what you deliver to your customers – from the product itself and its 'packaging' to everything around it that helps create a complete experience.

You can build quality into your offering by basing your product on the natural environment, culture and social values that characterise Norway and your local community.

Good quality creates satisfied customers who come back, while poor quality can drive them away for good.

Being a good host is worth its weight in gold. A good host helps customers relax, enjoy the moment and feel well looked after.

A good host also guides customers towards great experiences. A good guide can turn a bad day into a wonderful experience, so even if you provide food or another physical product, you can benefit greatly from thinking like a host.

Your product is a key part of the experience. Be present, pay attention and go the extra mile to meet each customer's needs. Even a simple, basic product can become a positive customer experience.

Welcome your guests with open arms, provide excellent service and make them feel welcome and well looked after. If you are not naturally outgoing and find it difficult to create a cheerful atmosphere, consider asking someone else to take on the role of host.

As a food and tourism product provider, you offer your customers an experience.

A great experience is built on quality and professionalism, but it also needs a dash of spice and a touch of surprise – something that makes it extra special.

Be creative and think outside the box. Go the extra mile to make your customers feel seen, cared for and valued.

Your customers expect you to be professional.

This means keeping your affairs in order and responding to enquiries within a reasonable time. For an existing or potential customer, 24 hours is an eternity – time they can spend looking for an alternative to your product.

Customers also expect you to provide the information they need and follow up with them before, during and after they have purchased and experienced your product.

Identify what your customers need and what you need to do – and do it properly.

Being professional also means keeping your finances in order, budgeting realistically and, in the long run, making sure more money comes in than goes out.

Customers often want more than you can offer on your own.

Consider the wider context in which your product will operate. Be open to collaboration, find partners and take part in networks. By complementing each other’s products, you can offer customers a more complete and rewarding experience while creating greater value for everyone involved.

When businesses work together and help each other succeed, customers enjoy a richer experience. This creates value locally, encourages customers to stay an extra day in the area and inspires them to recommend the food and experiences to others. Even a small business can play an important role in the bigger picture.

Your customers’ experience begins long before they buy your product or visit you, and should continue long after they have used or consumed it.

The experience often starts and ends online. That is why you should have a digital presence before, during and after your customer interacts directly with you or your product.

Create your own website, make sure you have a clear presence on national and local tourism websites, and use social media to communicate with guests before and after they make a purchase or visit.

Feedback through channels such as social media can provide valuable insights for further development and improvement. It is also an effective, credible and affordable marketing channel.

Many people in Norway know what it takes to make local initiatives succeed.

Ask people in your local area or network what they have done to succeed. Listen, learn and be inspired.

Join your local tourism association, destination management organisation or other collaborative bodies to learn from their experience. Advice, tips and feedback from your network are invaluable.

Get in touch with us for advice, help building your network and support with funding applications.