Today’s question is, “what’s the difference between a personal chef and a private chef?” This is actually one of my pet peeves - when people call me a private chef.

They’re wrong. I’m a personal chef!

Private Chef 

A private chef works for just one family, one individual or one couple. They have one employer. A person has hired them, paid them a salary, and most likely also pays out benefits. They have set hours or perhaps flexible hours.

Hours are different for every private chef and are negotiated via a contract that includes guidelines on how the client and employee will work together. The private chef may also travel with the client occasionally.

In summary, a private chef works for just one client, often one family.

Personal Chef

A personal chef works for numerous families. I usually have between 12 and 16 families at a time and have my company legally structured in a way that I'm paying myself a salary each month. I...

What stage of your personal chef business are you in?

Sometimes you’re in two stages at once or may choose to stay in one stage forever.

The three stages of business

• Startup
• Monetization
• Scale

You're likely currently in the start-up phase where you’re taking the time to invest in yourself and understand how to become an entrepreneur in your new personal chef business.

The monetization stage is when you’re making a profit and learning the most effective ways to market your particular business model to which your community responds. 

At stage three, you’re ready to expand into new opportunities to add to your personal chef business. You may consider franchising or certifying others to become personal chefs under your brand. 

Stage 1: Startup 

When in the startup stage, it’s easy to get stuck perfecting your logo or website when you should be concentrating on getting...

If you're having confidence issues calling yourself a chef, consider the fact that there is no mention of culinary school in these definitions.

• Oxford Dictionary, "a professional cook"
• Merriam-Webster Dictionary, "a skilled cook who manages the kitchen"

Did you know that these celebrity chefs did not attend culinary school?

• Gordon Ramsay
• Ina Garten
• Guy Fieri
• Martha Stewart
• Ree Drummond
• Rachel Ray
• Tom Colicchio
• Lidia Bastianich
• Mario Batali

I honestly get more negative feedback on this statement than any other content I share. Chefs who have attended culinary schools get offended and will send messages stating that culinary school chefs worked hard to get to where they are and it's insulting for just anyone to call themselves a chef.

I didn't say "just anyone" could call themselves a chef. Also, do you think that the people on that list above didn't work hard to get to where they're at?

Culinary school is not the only place to receive a kitchen...

Question: How long can I work under the table before making my personal chef business legal?

You're killing me here. You should never work under the table when doing something as risky as cooking food for people other than your family.

You MUST protect yourself with liability insurance.

• What if you're cooking at the client's home and burn the house down?
• What if your client has a lethal allergy and you forgot to read the label on the mustard container to see if it contained the allergen?
• What if you cut off your fingers, don't have medical insurance, and can't work for a year?

You MUST be a true professional and run your business while holding a business license or tax certificate. A business caught operating without a license could be forced to cease operations. In some instances, a business might have to wait out a mandatory probationary period or worse, a city can refuse to grant a license to the business.

When running a service...

In case you don't already know, you can’t decide to become a personal chef today, then start full-time tomorrow. 

Not only do you have to work at building a clientele, but you also need time to build up systems of efficiency in your business. 

Part of building your business could be gaining experience and education by working with other food service companies as you get your personal chef business off the ground. Of course you could work in restaurants, but have you considered applying at local catering companies or banquet halls? Caterers often have a high staff turnover, so if you can show up and become a reliable, active employee who wants to learn more, you will do well. 

I must emphasize that working in the kitchen is not the only place to learn from another food service company. 

Being a personal chef is not just about cooking well. Being a personal chef is also about offering a service....

When starting out in business, having business cards printed is often at the top of the checklist. How else would you share with someone at a networking event about your business?

COVID obviously changed how we network with others, but really, wasn't the business card already dead?

If you meet someone at a typical party, you will usually give them your phone number or have them connect with you on Facebook or Instagram. You aren't likely handing them a card with your contact info printed on it, so why would you do this in your business?

Surprising to me, going to my first Chamber of Commerce mixer, I was met with a couple hundred people all carrying stacks of business cards. Their goal was to hand out their own stack in exchange for others' business cards. I did arrive with my own stack of business cards as well, but the thought of this whole exchange seemed antiquated. I took my new stack of acquaintance business cards home, entered them into my...

I heard this line on a podcast today, "concentrate on the business, not the business cards."

The statement felt perfectly applicable for many starting a new business. Instead of networking to find clients, a chef new in their personal chef business will spend hours perfecting their logo or colors on their website. Yes, branding is an important detail, but it doesn't make direct money for your business.

Branding is used to create a memorable impression of your company. It's a way of distinguishing your business from the competitors and clarifying what it is you offer that makes your company the better choice. 

The question is, "at what point in your business should you concentrate on branding?" I'm of the opinion that branding should come later in the business, as much as twelve months after you receive your first client. 

Everything I read about building a business starts with branding as one of the first...

Potential clients may ask, "can you send over a sample menu for my event of 12 guests celebrating a 40th birthday," or "do you have a sample menu for your weeknight dinner meal prep?"

In my personal chef business, the problem in providing a sample menu is that I create a custom menu for each client.

It just wouldn't be possible to have one menu for ten different families desiring meal prep.

• One family will be gluten-free and doesn't want to see tomatoes on the menu while another eats vegan and has an allergy to nuts.
• How would one menu satisfy everyone?
• As well, produce changes with the seasons and that sample menu would have to be continually evolving.

Clients hire personal chefs for their meal customizing abilities. They want to feel that their menu options are unique to their personal lifestyle. 

The same holds true with a sample menu for an event. There are often allergies or dietary restrictions with one or more guests, so the...

Does this sound familiar?

You're starting to see success in your personal chef business then suddenly your mind starts rationalizing why you should get out of the business. Your mind doesn't feel safe and wants to shake off the discomfort, escaping back into safe zone. 

Self-sabotage involves behaviors or thoughts that keep you away from what you desire most in life. It’s that little voice saying “you can’t do this."

Your conscious mind is saying, "This is what I want. I want to make more money. I want to bring in new clients. I want to quit my job and do my personal chef business full-time."

Meanwhile, your subconscious mind is saying, "What are you crazy? This is horrible and we're going to end up broke."

The conscious mind wants you to fulfill your potential and the subconscious tries to sabotages you every step of the way. The subconscious mind exists to keep you safe, not to self-actualize. 

When...

When I first started as a personal chef, I had no mentor. I didn't know anyone else who was a personal chef and I couldn't find any firm answers online. I had to figure it all out on my own. Obviously, I made a ton of cringe worthy mistakes. I'd love to share them with you so you don't repeat them.

#1 Charging by the hour

For my very first client, I charged $25 an hour.  I soon became more efficient and...wait, I'm still getting paid $25 an hour. I was thinking like an employee and not a business owner. Employees are paid by the hour and now I was a business owner.

After much study, I learned that personal chefs are not paid by the hour. They do not price their services like restaurant chefs either, since food costs are not calculated as part of the meal. More about pricing, click here.

#2 Accepting anyone and everyone as a client

Not everyone is a good fit for your business. You have to take into account whether you can accommodate...