Have you ever considered starting a catering business from home? If you’re a whizz in the kitchen ready to launch your catering career as a Mom Entrepreneur, then you won’t want to miss the excellent tips in this contributed post.
From Family Recipe To Thriving SME: Tips On Success In Catering
Mompreneurs are a multi-talented and hard working bunch. They are generally disinterested or disenfranchised about the prospect of returning to their pre-baby jobs, and the new perspective afforded them by parenting has made them rethink their priorities.
The things that once seemed so important like making a good impression on senior management, climbing the career ladder and getting a few extra scraps from the corporate table no longer appeal to her.
Empowered by the experience of motherhood she’s ready to take on the world on her own terms.
There are a plethora of ways in which she can do this, using a whole host of her monetizable skills.
She can develop her own business as a side hustle or throw herself into it on a full-time basis.
Through the miracle of e-commerce she can sell products that she makes herself whether they’re bespoke artworks, masterpieces in graphic design or culinary creations learned as a child when watching her own mother in the kitchen.
Here we’re going to look at the latter. If your ever reliable family recipes have consistently wowed guests for years and often provide a talking point at parties, this is a good sign that you have the raw talent to start a successful catering business.
Here are some tips to ensure that your business goes from recipe to SME without a hitch…
Use only the best ingredients
You wouldn’t drive a car that was made from faulty or unreliable parts, and you shouldn’t expect your customers to accept food made from inferior ingredients.
Even fantastic recipes can be cheapened by poor quality ingredients. Thus, as conscious as you may be of escalating overhead costs, it’s always worth investing in good quality ingredients.
If you need to order liquids like sauces in bulk, it may be worth investing in safe transportation like an IBC tote to ensure that they get to you unspoiled and uncontaminated.
Don’t be afraid to allow your prices to reflect the quality of the food and service you provide, thereby keeping your profit margins safe. Customers know that when it comes to all things culinary, they get what they pay for.
Take steps to prevent waste
Waste is a thief in any industry, but it’s a particularly egregious sin in the world of catering. The easiest way to impede your business’ growth early on is by making more than is needed or within a timescale that will lead to waste.
This is why communication with clients is of paramount importance. You should be able to calculate the cost of the meals, snacks or canapes you will be providing to the very last unit (with a margin of error should some not turn out right or need to be ‘tested’- you’re only human after all).
This will ensure that no finished products or ingredients are wasted and that your customers get their money’s worth. If your customers over order (which they probably will), any waste is their problem, not yours.
Know your limits
When your business starts to generate serious interest, it’s all too tempting to overextend yourself and accept more bookings than you’re realistically able to accommodate.
It’s a good idea to err on the side of caution and build your volume up incrementally. You don’t want to find yourself with no work life balance or experiencing entrepreneurial burnout.
With the above ingredients, you’ll have a great recipe for a successful and enjoyable career at the head of your own catering business.
Are you just starting out in the catering world or are you already a celebrity Chef? We’d love to hear your story in the comments below.
