In this sense, one of the most important advantages offered by a small family business is the "the personal touch they can offer that bigger companies cannot" (Business Week, January 2005). This element is significant in this case. Desiree managed to develop at first a network of faithful customers by offering that love-made cheese by the road. Additionally, she offered high quality cheesed, processed manually, by herself, in her own kitchen at home, something a large industrial company could never offer.

On the other hand, a small family business has financial weaknesses, which generally manifest themselves at the beginning of the business. It is often the case that they have to guarantee their start-up credit with other assets and this provides extra pressure in the beginning. Along the way, the small family business still lacks important resources that larger companies may have and people may have a reticence to be hired and work in a small business.

3) Desiree's company is in a period of full expansion for now, which may lead her to approach new market sectors for the goat cheese. The main threat in this case may come from potential competitors on the market, competitors who may either decide to buy them out or use somewhat less orthodox methodologies of reducing their net sales. These would include selling at lower prices than Desiree's company,...

Until now, for example, the marketing strategies used were highly efficient, but they still address only a few categories of persons: those specialized in cheese making "through the American Cheese Society" and those that hear from their friends or other people who have bought it.
In this sense, advertising directly to restaurants may prove a good idea, as would direct selling to these sources (I am pretty convinced that the cheeses that appear in restaurant menus are purchased through intermediaries). Further more, Desiree's cheese can be produced on order for special occasions, parties, weddings, etc. These measures for the future will widen and consolidate the customer base.

Works Cited

1. Kim, June. New Spins on Old-Fashioned Virtues. Business Week. January 27, 2005. On the Internet at http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jan2005/sb20050127_9818.htm

2. Walker, Reagan. Handcrafted CHEESE from Georgia? Ask the Wehner Family if You're Dubious... Or Better Yet, Sample the Nationally Acclaimed Products Made from their Own Goats and Cows." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Aug. 5, 2004