Earlier this month, I unveiled the first 10 allergy-friendly businesses to team up with AllergyBites. They’ll be generously providing cardholders with exclusive discounts that last year-round. I was pretty excited that we were starting with an eclectic mix of allergy-friendly products and services—since I felt this mix perfectly reflected the vision I had for the card.
In case you didn’t know, my goal is to make AllergyBites the go-to place for everything allergy-friendly. And the discount card is only one part of this much larger vision.
I shared this vision with many in the community and naively believed sales would go through the roof after making the announcement. I say “naive” because, hey, I get it. There were only 10 businesses on the card, and who’s to say I’ll have that many more by 2018?
I’m asking people who have never met me to put a lot of faith in an idea. I get it.
Pre-ordering the card at this stage is definitely taking a bit of a risk. But you’re also making an important investment—not just in AllergyBites but in the future of the food allergy community. Our community.
When I first floated the AllergyBites idea around in a couple of online forums, the response was overwhelming. I was surprised to see suggestions that I set up a Go Fund Me account with promises of donations to help me get it off the ground. I was touched by the generosity of strangers and thrilled to see the interest was there, but something about the idea didn’t sit right. I didn’t feel comfortable accepting people’s money just like that, and realized I would rather provide the community with something in exchange for their hard-earned dollars. We have several ideas in the works, but the first to come to fruition was the discount card.
If I can help build something that makes all of our lives a little bit easier (and a lot more fun), wouldn’t you like to help us (all) get there?
I’m going to be really honest here: I’ve made very few sales so far. Very, very few. Each day, my husband comes home from work, and asks: “Did you sell any cards today?” And most days, I shake my head no, feeling like I’ve let him down, wondering if I made the right decision to cut back on my paid work to focus on this new business of mine. I worry my husband silently wonders the same.
I’m not a businesswoman. Or a salesperson. I’m the mom of a toddler with 6+ allergies. I’m also a foodie, a writer and a bit of a dreamer. And while finding local eating spots that accommodate the food allergy community was the dream that initiated all of this, the AllergyBites vision has definitely evolved into something a lot bigger… and a lot more inclusive. I mean, can you imagine if you could find all the food allergy info you needed in ONE simple place?! That’s the dream. No more hours spent (wasted?) searching online.
Where can you safely eat out with your food allergic child? Which “allergen-free” products are actually free of your child’s allergen? Where can you find affordable options when allergy-safe stuff is so darned expensive? The goal is for AllergyBites to be the place where you can find all of the answers to your very important food allergy questions… and more!
This information, including allergy-friendly product & restaurant reviews, will be 100% free to members. So will the app—yup, we’re working on it! And I also plan to give back to the community by donating $1 of each sale to a national food allergy charity. (Charity TBA!) But yes, I do need to charge a small annual fee for the card.
So here’s my ask: If you believe in the AllergyBites vision… if you want to see it succeed… if you’d like access to exclusive discounts on allergy-friendly brands… I would super duper appreciate it if you’d show your support by pre-ordering an Early Bird version of the 2017-2018 card. Not only will you get it a waaaay cheaper price, your early interest will be instrumental in getting other allergy-friendly businesses on board. If I can demonstrate that sales went through the roof before the card even launched, interest from relevant businesses will skyrocket. And the more businesses on the card, the more value to you!
So there you have it. I hope you decide to take the leap and support AllergyBites in its early stages. Your support now will be a HUGE help as we work hard to make this program succeed.
Pre-order your card today for only $15. That’s less than $2 a month. And waaaay less than your morning latte.
Psst! It’s even cheaper for members of the AllergyBites community. Join us today.
Friendly. Supportive. Encouraging.
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