3 practical checklists + bonus AI tools to help you start, sell and grow
Before you produce your first batch or make your first sale, make sure you have these in place.
Your kitchen or production area must be clean, well ventilated and separate from your living area as much as possible. This protects your product and prepares you for FDA inspection later.
For yoghurt: pots, thermometer, fermentation containers, sealing machine, refrigerator.
For granola: baking trays, oven or stovetop, mixing bowls, sealing machine.
Know exactly where you are sourcing your milk, oats, nuts, seeds, honey and other ingredients. Quality ingredients = quality product.
Do not start selling until your recipe produces the same result every single time. Test at least 5–10 batches before selling.
Your product needs proper packaging — sealed containers, pouches or jars. Your label must have your product name, ingredients, weight, expiry date and contact details at minimum.
Know your cost per unit — ingredients, packaging, gas/electricity, labour. Price to make profit, not just to cover cost.
Who are you selling to? Health conscious individuals? Gyms? Schools? Supermarkets? Knowing your customer helps you package, price and market correctly.
How will people buy from you? WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, a market stall, a shop, delivery? Have at least one clear channel before you start.
Wash hands before production. Wear a hair net and apron. Keep your production space clean at all times. This protects your customers and your business reputation.
Do not deliver every day — it wastes time and money. Pick 1 or 2 days a week for delivery and communicate that to your customers from the start.
Do not use every bottle and container size available. Pick ONE or TWO sizes that work for your product and stick to them. Consistency in packaging makes your business look professional and makes production easier.
Build a rest day into your schedule every week. Food production is physical work — burning out early kills businesses. You need to rest to produce consistently.
Find one person — a friend, fellow entrepreneur or mentor — who you check in with regularly. Someone who will push you when you slow down and celebrate wins with you.
From your very first sale, set aside a percentage to save and a percentage to reinvest back into the business. Do not spend everything you make. Even saving GHS 5 from every sale adds up.
Choose a business name and start your registration process with ORC and FDA. Selling unregistered food products is illegal in Ghana and you will need to be registered to sell in shops and supermarkets.
Follow these steps in order. Tap each item to tick it off as you complete it.
Before you take your first order, tick every box below.
If you ticked all 15 — you are ready to sell.
If not — go back and complete what is missing before taking orders.
You do not need to hire a graphic designer or content writer. These free tools can do the work for you.
The easiest tool for making flyers, product labels, social media posts and ebook covers. Thousands of ready-made food business templates.
Free plan availableSimilar to Canva. Great for quick social media graphics and flyers.
Free plan availableWrite Instagram captions, WhatsApp broadcast messages, product descriptions and marketing copy.
Free plan availableGreat for writing longer content like guides, ebooks and email messages.
Free plan availableBuilt specifically for marketing copy. Use it to write product descriptions, social media posts and sales messages.
Free plan availableRemove the background from your product photos to make them look more professional.
Canva ProFree tool to remove photo backgrounds instantly. Upload your product photo and get a clean cut-out in seconds.
FreeMost people don't know this exists — it is completely free and built into Facebook and Instagram. Connect your accounts, write your posts, set the date and time and Meta posts them automatically.
100% FreeConnect Facebook, Instagram and TikTok all in one place. Write your posts once, schedule them for the whole week and Buffer posts automatically while you focus on production.
Free plan — 3 channels, 10 posts eachGo to buffer.com and sign up for free
Connect your Facebook, Instagram and TikTok accounts
Click "New Post", write your caption and upload your image or video
Set the date and time you want it to post
Click "Schedule" — Buffer posts it for you automatically