Food trucking in the future.

Seeing as I graduate college in one year, and seeing as I have have no distinct plan for what I'll do upon graduating, you can imagine that I have been thinking a lot about the future. (These reasons in addition to my dad's nightly lessons on the physical possibility of time traveling to the future.) And you can also imagine that all of this has me pretty freaked out. (Especially the part about time travel.)

But the other day I came up with a plan that might actually be worth perusing when I finish school. Food trucking. Food trucks are huge right now in cities all across America, there's even a Food Network show about them, The Great Food Truck Race. The more I think about it, the more ideal it seems.

THE PERKS

1. It's much less expensive (and less of a risk) than opening up a store front bakery.

2. It gives me the opportunity to start small, even if that means it's run solely by yours truly.

3. It's mobile, so if there's a location that's not ideal, I can move. If I find a great spot, I can return to it.

The more feasible the idea became, the more I began to seriously look into it. And that's when I found a few problems with my plan.

THE DRAWBACKS

1. Food trucks are popular right now, but who's to say they will remain so in a year.

2. It can take over a year to get the right permits and license to run a food truck.

3. I know nothing about business management!

Despite these foreseeable (and certainly unforeseeable) issues, I still ran with the idea. Because if I learned anything from my baking experiences so far, it's that you have to keep going even when you're up against problems. I sat down in a meeting (dinner) with my creative team (family) to get their feedback. They were both excited and supportive. I was surprised by how much they were encouraging me. So we discussed things like the design of the truck, what colors to use, how to make it so guys aren't embarrassed to approach a cute pastry truck, menu placement, and most importantly, the name.

Naming is hard for me. I've been known to switch the names of stuffed animals, even after a long term relationship. My pet dog didn't even have an official name for his first few days with my family. So coming up with a truck name that is both original and catchy was a challenge. There are names with puns, but they run the risk of being missed. There are things that hold personal meaning, but they won't mean anything to a customer. And there are words that just sound cool, but may be hard to remember. I drew up a list of contenders after brainstorming with my family, and I still haven't decided which is my favorite.

While these problems aren't even a reality yet because I'm not certain I'll go into the food trucking industry, it's reassuring to know I have options. And beyond that, it's good to know my family will support me in whatever I choose to do.