Author: Personal Chef 101

You are your brand.  You are your business.  I’m sure you’ve heard this a million times but for a Personal Chef business these statements could not be more true.  When a customer hires you for a service you will be the one showing up and preparing their food. That is what they expect and what they are paying for.  

What makes you special?

Branding your personal chef business is easier than most other types of business because you already have your own unique personality and culinary point of view that will naturally be part of your business.   I enjoy eating healthy, experimenting with  international cuisine and being creative so that is reflected in my business.  However it’s still a good idea to put pen to paper and create a way to describe your brand.

Why? The simple answer is that people will be asking you constantly.   Most likely by asking what are your specialties or why should I hire you?   Your answer should be clear and concise, leaving that person with an understanding of exactly what you offer.  That way they can quickly determine how your business could fit into their life.  I think of this as planting the seed. Most people are so intrigued by the idea of a personal chef that even if they themselves don’t hire you they’ll often tell someone else who will.

Here are some examples of how these question could be answered.

-Personal Chef and culinary educator specializing in healthy eating and healing through food.  

-Personal chef and boutique catering specializing in organic vegan soul food.

 

Your Look & Your Logo

In addition to your statement there is also the part of your brand that is more tangible like your color scheme, look or logo.   Your uniform should always be sharp and clean but why not add to that by wearing a unique color or having your name and logo added to your jackets, hats and aprons.   A hot pink jacket is memorable and makes you and your business easily recognizable.  Top of mind is key for a successful client relationship. When someone is in need of a Chef they may forget the name of your business but they will certainly remember the Chef who always wears pink or has the cool red hat, etc.  

Take some time to work on your brand statement and think about how you want to represent your business. Branding your Personal Chef business is a great way to guarantee your success.

Ready to dig deeper? Check, out the Personal Chef 101 course.

” Everything starts with the customer”

No matter how you cut it, the purpose of every business is to serve its customers. Without a steady stream of customers no business would ever succeed. However, the trick is to find the ideal personal chef client. Have you ever heard of the 80/20 rule of business? It means that eighty percent of your problems will come from twenty percent of your customers. Dealing with these few clients , who are likely not worth the drama in the first place, takes up so much of your precious time and energy. In my post Expectation and Communication I talk about the importance of managing client expectations. At the root of most problems is the disconnect between what you provide and what the client is expecting. However if the clients expectations are unrealistic or just not aligned with what you do, the client will never be satisfied, ie let the problems begin!

Defining the Ideal Personal Chef Client

Defining the ideal personal chef client for your business is a very important, but often overlooked step. In the early stages of business saying no or walking away from clients is extremely difficult because you obviously need customers and the revenue they bring to grow. Think about this, the time and effort it takes to sell your services is going to be the same no matter what. If you have a well defined ideal personal chef client and you focus on selling to them the results will be exponential. This is one of the reasons why defining your ideal personal chef client is so important.

Here is an exercise to help you determine your ideal personal chef client. Grab a sheet of paper and answer the following questions. As you answer the questions really think about how it relates to your personal chef service.

1. What is their lifestyle? (busy professional, busy family, health conscious, traveler etc)
2. What is their income level? (Personal Chef is a luxury for most so income is a factor)
3. What type of activities do they enjoy? ( exercising, yoga, spa days, self care, etc)
4. Where do they live? ( maybe you don’t want to work in a certain part of your metro area)
5. What do they value? ( material things, experiences, time etc)

Remember this is not a real persona just a framework for the definition of your ideal client. Once we define the ideal client our next step is to find them. In my next post we’ll talk about finding the ideal client. Until then if you want to dig even deeper check out the Personal Chef 101 Course.

Chef Christina

Meeting client expectations is a huge part of your business so good communication is a must. Listen more than you speak and create unique solutions that work for you and your client. These mini Gouda Grits and Gulf Shrimp were served at a cocktail party at the clients request to have their favorite entree dish represented at an event where passing was the only option.

Over the years I’ve reworked so many dishes that it’s become second nature, but when you’re starting out this can create a lot of stress. As it should be a client is only concerned with the end result and seeing their vision become a reality. Unfortunately, there will come a time when your clients vision and the reality of execution will not be aligned. It is your job to manage that. Handled incorrectly, it can create a bad experience for you and your client. What can you do to avoid this?

1. Listen very closely to your client without judgement so you can come up with a solution that works for you both.
2. Be completely honest about what you can and can’t do by setting realistic expectations.
3. Explain your ideas in simple terms that your client can understand. Remember, you are a culinary expert so things that seem clear and obvious to you may not be so clear to your client.
4. Put everything in writing and by writing I mean a document. A series of texts, DM’s or even and e-mail chain is not acceptable because it is very easy to lose track of the details when the chain becomes too long. A dedicated document is key to better communication.

If you follow these tips you will find that your job becomes a lot easier. As an entrepreneur you will have plenty of uncontrolled stress filled moments so take control where you can.

So you are making the decision that a Personal Chef career is for you. But there’s just one problem, you don’t know where to start. While the popularity of culinary careers is rising sharply it’s still difficult to find resources focused on how to start a personal chef business. Lucky for you there is Personal Chef 101 and here you are going to find resources to build and grow your Personal Chef business.

Let’s get started, the transformation from great cook to personal chef entrepreneur is about the action steps you take, meaning stop thinking and start doing. Depending on your background the question that’s likely weighing on your mind right now is whether or not you’ve got the skills and qualifications to be a personal chef. Maybe you’re thinking I really love to cook but I don’t have any professional chef experience or I haven’t been to culinary school. Don’t worry neither one is required for a Personal Chef, however there are some skills that a must.

First and foremost you’ve got to really love cooking and your cooking skills have to be above and beyond. Next you need the ability to work independently. This is a job where 99% of the time you will be working alone and everything that happens is up to you. Next up, is great time management skills and to be a highly motivated self starter. In addition to your cooking skills you will also need to familiarize yourself with business operations. Things like insurance, licences, basic accounting, sales and marketing will also be your responsibility.

Grab a copy of the Break Out Checklist . These ten steps are a great way to start your Personal chef business.

Cheers!

Before I started my company I spent many years working hard for others but I always knew I wanted to have my own business but was never sure how to get there. My biggest worries were the usual suspects, can I do this on my own, am I talented enough, will I find customers and will I be able to pay my bills? These concerns are normal and you should take them in, acknowledge them, and then release them. If you never get past your doubts, concerns and second guessing you’ll always be stuck. The break out is when you push past the fear and doubt and take that first actionable step toward your goal. What is keeping you from the break out? Take some time and really think about it. Once you identify the things that are holding you back from doing what you love you can move forward. The time to take action is right now, you got this!

To help you get started I’ve created The Break Out 10 Step Checklist to get your business off the ground. Once you start working the steps and motivation kicks, you’ll blow right through the list and BOOM! You’ve just created the foundation for your business.