Do you often hear this statement?

"You need to niche to bring customers to your business."

What does that really mean?

The dictionary calls a niche, "distinct segment of the market" and yes, that summarizes it, but just somewhat.

As a personal chef, you can't cook all things for all people. Which business do you think receives more new client requests?

1. JoAnne's Personal Chef Services specializes in making your Atlanta bachelorette party an evening with friends that will always be remembered as one of the best events of your life.
2. JoAnne's Personal Chef Services offers meal prep, dinner parties and cooking classes for those in Atlanta, Georgia.

Another way to look at it is by asking yourself what you would do if you were having marriage problems. Which company would you call?

1. Sam's Counseling Service: serving the Kirkland, Washington neighborhoods
2. Sam's Marriage Counseling Service: helping Kirkland residents work through relationship issues of grief,...

I'm often surprised at items that some client kitchens don’t have like a cheese grater, citrus press, or liquid measuring cup. For this reason, I bring along a small box of kitchen gear...but it wasn't always like this.

When I first started, I would pack specifically for the client’s kitchen I was visiting. If I knew the house didn’t have a good non-stick skillet, I would bring that, my favorite cooking spoon, and of course knives.

As my clientele built up and for ease of packing each morning, I now have a basic checklist of kitchen gear that fits into a small plastic bin brought to every appointment. Here's a link to pretty much everything in my everyday box >>

There is much discussion about knives out there. Everyone has a different style, but I’m a minimalist and use my basic chef’s knife for everything plus a small paring knife for cutting small items such as deveining shrimp.

I also always bring my...

You may go to your personal chef appointment thinking "yay, a new client" but what if that new client isn't what you're expecting?

Most of the time, when going on a consultation, you have no idea what you're walking into. You don't yet have an idea what expectations this client has of your services. 

I can recall one particular consultation with working parents and three teen children. The parents were too exhausted to cook dinner at the end of the workday and were looking for help.

My consultation was with the husband. Upon speaking with him, I learned that the wife was vegan (no meat or dairy). He personally "loved a good steak". The kids were early in their teenage years and were never pushed to eat vegetables, preferring chicken fingers or macaroni and cheese every night. One of the kids had a nut allergy and the husband was celiac, meaning no gluten.

After learning all this information, I shared with him that I don't think I...