~Stacey, Copyright 2021 Magic Meals LLC dba FoodBusinessPros.com. The best way to market your business is to connect with others in your community. Challenge: in one clear sentence tell me about your personal chef business in the comments. I’m sure you’re asking yourself how you are going to get invited to speak in front of local groups but it’s a lot easier than you are imagining right now. Which adds up to some weight gain for everyone. Find a personal chef near you. I didn’t dive right … After a few times, you’ll be able to effortlessly give your ‘canned’ Personal Chef expertise talks. A personal chef works with her clients to provide dinner so that the client does not have to. She left me a super long voice mail going on and on about how much they’re all loving the food. Or try to dazzle her with my extensive cookie knowledge. Facebook ads are the most effective and efficient paid advertising method to get more Personal Chef Clients. I created the Personal Chef Business Academy to help catapult your way to a successful career as a personal chef. Zip code. Keep in mind that this will likely be volunteer work. My strategy during our first meeting (the interview) was to SHUT UP AND LISTEN.. Exactly how to plan, shop, and cook efficiently to maximize your profit. Do you have a solid understanding of cooking techniques? Private chefs generally work full-time, and though they must only meet the needs of one client or household, they may be required to be on-call and work some nights and weekends. That should get the creative juices flowing. Generally, the personal chef produces 2 weeks worth of dinners in one 5 – 8 hour cook day and leaves the menu items in the freezer for the client to reheat at their leisure. Debit is slavery. You can obtain the license for personal chef here. I wanted her to go over everything again. 29 near you. 5. This method of getting new personal chef clients is really easy and it’s the most effective method that we’ve used in our own Personal Chef Business and now in Our Meal Prep Delivery Business. We are living our dream; staying home raising our own babies while supporting our family with businesses that make our community healthier and stronger. Start with your friends and family. I said it’s common to lose some weight just by not eating out all the time. Still, I can't tell you how nervous I am setting down to write about good food business ideas for women. Then it was easy to talk to her and reinforce the points that were important to her. This was an easy win for both our existing client and for us. The second place you should go to for paid advertising is Google Ads. You can limit your ad audience to your local area, to income level, to age, interests, and more. P.S. This is a good thing … This is a sign that prospects want to learn more and are almost ready to take the leap into signing on as a client, but they need a bit more affirmation first. The first time you give a talk, it won’t be perfect, but it will get better and better. Someone on my email list sent me this question, and I know others have the same question. Also she mentioned how bad she feels about not taking care of the family better. A personal chef goes to a client’s home and prepares restaurant-quality meals without the client ever setting foot in a food service establishment. I BRIEFLY talked about everything I do that takes it off her shoulders. Make sure you really like people. Personal chefs first meet with a new client to discuss special dietary needs and food preferences. As the owner of the business, you have to decide what type of services you will make available to your clients. Our profit margin for each personal chef cook-day was between 50% and 66%, so even at a 30% discount we were still making money on the existing clients’ cook-day and we’ll make even more on the new client’s cook-day. Select date. Techniques that Personal Chefs use when getting paid to cook, that amateur cooks don’t know about. A personal chef serves several clients, usually one per day, and provides multiple meals that are custom-designed for the clients’ particular requests and requirements. This site does not constitute financial, legal, nor accounting advice. Google Ads is the primary way that we advertise our Meal Prep Delivery Business (we don’t offer Personal Chef Services anymore). In some ways, I'm at the beck and call of my clients. Just like high-end urban Personal Chefs, you need to determine your income and work goals, find your niche, and market well to your ideal client. First, you need a business license and you will need it because you are a business. While the prices for personal chefs in the above table don’t include the cost of groceries — that would be an additional $60-$200 per week, depending on the kind and quality of ingredients prepared — they can offer insight into how much you … Personal Chef Business Business Cards Tips & Truths. Their menu (and cooking appliance) last week was: I always follow up a couple days later to check on how the food is and if they have any questions or problems. This is a good thing … This is a sign that prospects want to learn more and are almost ready to take the leap into signing on as a client, but they need a bit more affirmation first. Personal chefs must be organized, pay attention to detail and have a great respect for their employer’s personal property and lives. #3 cost money, and until you are making money a poorly ran paid advertising campaign could become a debt curse instead of a blessing. We also participate in several other affiliate programs related to products we personally use. You don't have to reinvent the wheel, learn from our mistakes and successes. Write a business plan: it’s one thing to have an idea in your head for how you’re going to build a … Clients will hire you because they want food that’s comforting, healthy, and accessible. I really encourage you to start with #1 and work your way to #3. Top 3 Services All Personal Chefs Offer And Which Is The Best. They also must be flexible and able to adapt to their clients changing needs. She expressed a desire to lose a little weight. I encourage you to start with Facebook advertising when advertising for new Personal Chef Clients. Stacey is the author of the Advantage Meals: By The Numbers Book. Those things will be useful. More experienced Personal Chefs have recommendations, testimonials, and generally better cooking skills. On the plus side, there is little cost except for your time and maybe some food samples to share. STEP 1: If your friends can’t explain what you do in one clear sentence, then you haven’t defined your services enough OR you aren’t talking about your services enough. Excellent 4.9 (113) Excellent 4.9 (113) Great value. Personal Qualities and Skills Needed. Some personal chefs only prepare the food so that the client can conveniently cook it, while others prepare and cook the food from start to finish. Thumbtack; Events; Personal Chefs; 1. Spend time, not money, when you are in the early stages of growing your new Personal Chef Business. I just SHUT UP AND LISTEN. Just find a few that interest you and fits your business plan and start to outline them. Once you've had some basic training, you'll want to find (and shadow) an experienced private or personal chef—someone who's been doing the exact work you want to be doing for awhile and can tell you what it's really like. She decided to do a weekly 7×4 service (7 entrees – 4 servings of each entrée) plus simple sides of my choice. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'foodbusinesspros_com-banner-1','ezslot_10',120,'0','0']));I’m sure there are many more, but these are just the ones I can come up with off the top of my head. As a personal chef, I have to create ambiance in the dining room in addition to the work I do in the kitchen. A personal chef cooks for various clients, shopping for the groceries and doing the cooking in the client’s kitchen. The hardest one to find is the first one. [19] STEP 3: I just spoke to the EXACT things she talked about. How to Become a Private Chef. Hype yourself up. The food and safety certificate it is also called a food handler's permit and you can obtain it online after taking a course online. Don’t miss the PRO TIP on page 7 for the easiest way to get free marketing for your personal chef business. Finally, she said she was concerned that her husband and kids would like the food, so I mentioned some testimonials and references of families like hers that love my food. My wife and I got our very first Personal Chef client by bribing a friend to let us cook for him. In this guide you’ll get: Discover the personal chef service you can provide for paying clients, that keeps your nights and weekends for you. We simply offered our existing clients a 30% discount on their next cook-day if someone they referred booked a cook-day with us. 3 Ways To Get New Personal Chef Clients #1 – Get New Clients By Offering Refural Bonuses To Existing Personal Chef Clients. Their catalyst for hiring a personal chef is that they’re busy, he works all the time the kids’ school is 30 minutes away, plus they have a lot of after school activities. Here is What Licenses Are Needed To Start A Catering Personal Chef business. Yes, you can Google. Be perseverant. link to Small Food Business Ideas For Women, link to Personal Chef Business Business Cards Tips & Truths, Service Clubs (e.g. Top 10 Personal Chefs near you. Step by step plan that will have people loving your cooking and keep them coming back for more. Clients who have given testimonials often get emails or calls from prospective customers, wanting to find out more about the business. If you are a Personal Chef trying to get new clients, you’re going to be targeting the search phrases similar to the ones below. She asked on the NextDoor app if anyone knew of a personal chef, and a friend referred me. Search. Once you speak to one group, there is going to be someone in that group who asks you if you’d talk to another group they are in. A personal chef must take a client's tastes and dietary constraints into consideration to create a customized menu. Heck, I’ve spoken in front of nearly every one of these groups at least once in the last fifteen years! I had a great weekend with Chef Candy and the other students/chefs who attended the Personal Chef Seminar Sept 14/15 in San Diego. Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment. It doesn’t matter how much she already told me by phone or email. Talking about your business will be a side benefit of an interesting topic that engages your audience. For some personal chefs, the perks are many. Many other personal chef services charge their clients by the hour for the chef's time and then add food costs. To become a personal chef you … These are the three main methods that we used to grow our Personal Chef business, and I know they’ll work for you too. Each focused on a food topic that would be interesting to various types of groups. And cost includes financial investment + time + difficulty. Similarly she said they want to eat healthier and I BRIEFLY explained the difference between my food and restaurant food and why mine is healthier. Download the guide to learn how to cook a personal chef service so you can get paid to do what you love. As a personal chef, your rates might determine whether or not you’re hired. By Larry Lynch (President - U. S. Personal Chef Association) 8,715 readers 195,991 page flips 2,078 articles Local clubs and groups are always looking to fill their meeting agendas, and there is usually some poor soul who has been tasked with finding speakers to be the featured portion of their monthly meeting program. You are not going to be begging for a speaking engagement, you’re going to be the hero who makes their volunteer job easier! Finally, I didn’t talk about hyper specialized diets like keto. The new client is a family with young kids and you know that’s my jam. To do so, a personal chef meets with clients and consults with them about their preferences, health concerns, and allergies. The job of a private chef isn’t just to cook—it’s also to interact with clients, both Einav and Bedoya stress. STEP 2: My strategy during our first meeting (the interview) was to SHUT UP AND LISTEN. This seminar gave us confidence and affirmed that we … She talked about how busy they are and how overwhelmed she is. Consider advertising or posting bulletins in your church or other organization, or at local stores. In conclusion, that’s a textbook perfect client on-boarding. The reason you should start with Facebook advertising is that they allow you to really target who is going to see your ads so you’re not spending money to show ads to people who have no chance of being new Personal Chef clients. The requirements to work as a private chef differ greatly, depending on whether you work for a company that hires you out or if you run your own business. You got this. But it’s the little things: knowing someone is there to answer your questions when you have a client situation you have no idea how to deal with. It’s very powerful and efficient, however the learning curve is not insignificant. I’ve picked up a client while one of my regulars is out of town. You don't need a huge budget or a marketing agency to get clients for your personal chef business. It may sound counter-intuitive, but the MORE the client talks, the MORE they will like you and the EASIER it is to get them started. From there we grew one client at a time, and below are the tools we used to get new clients.P.S. If you don’t know how to cut an onion, sear, braise, blanch, saute, broil – then you need to go back to square one and study these techniques.You need to understand how to cook solid home cooked meals. Magic Meals LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. I immediately asked her if I may use her message as a testimonial on my website. Southwestern Beef Kebabs, Garlic Herb Chicken Kebabs, BBQ Chicken (grill), Plus, roast broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes (oven), and peas (frozen). Mom doesn’t have time, or let’s face it, inclination, to plan, shop, and cook. My wife and I started a personal chef business in 2005 with rudimentary cards printed using our home computer printer. If friends and family have events coming up, offer to provide services for free or at a discount, to get a few big gigs under your belt. If you have an active Personal Chef Business Page On Facebook, you can target friends of your followers which means that you’ll have a built in advocate / testimonial for potential new customers. These commissions have no effect on the price you pay and they do help support the content on this site. Since these methods to get new personal chef clients worked for us, you should have high hopes they can work for you too. Techniques that Personal Chefs use when getting paid to cook, that amateur cooks don’t know about. Let people know you run a personal chef business. You can also target people who look like your existing clients. What you must do to get great quality ingredients and better service at the grocery store. They also can be more professional and confident which goes a long way with clients. Step by step plan that will have people loving your cooking and keep them coming back for more. Honestly, those were some ugly business cards, but they did what they needed to... My name is Stacey Davis, and my wife and I have been supporting our family with home-based food businesses for over 15 years. Once personal chefs determine what foods to cook, they then prepare the meals in their clients' homes. My fee structure is simpler and more convenient for my clients. Start recruiting clients. The career of a personal chef has different expectations and …