Amy’s Kitchen in the Small Business Spotlight

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Amy’s Kitchen started in 1987 as one of the first frozen food companies for vegetarians. Naming the company after their daughter, Amy, Rachel and Andy Berliner worked as a team and started the company on a shoestring budget. Their first product, vegetable pot pie, has now led to over 88 frozen meals and in 1999, they introduced a grocery line that now includes canned soups, beans and chili as well as jarred pasta sauces and salsas.

Questions:

1. Go to Amy’s Website at (http://www.amys.com/). What is the thing that you like most about it? Is the company publicly or privately held?

2. Based on the website, who was the chief accounting executive for the company and what title did that person hold? Discuss whether this title agrees or disagrees with your textbook and why. From looking at the executives on the website, can you draw an organizational chart of the company? Why is this important?

3. What were the pieces of advice that the owners offered to small business owners in the video? Do you agree or disagree? Discuss.

Source: MSNBC video (2011), Learning from the Pros: Amy’s Kitchen, November 13 (Retrievable online at http://www.openforum.com/videos/learning-from-the-pros-amys-kitchen)