Make More Money Cooking
108 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 year ago -Ryan Francis and Anthony Nicaj started a private chef company in 2015 with the intention to sustain their lives through working for themselves. Over the past 6 years the company has grown over 500% and we have more work than we know what to do with. As we were brainstorming new ideas, we came up with the idea to help people Make More Money Cooking. We believe that the future of the culinary arts resides in a more private setting and we want to help anybody that is willing to listen to us and take their culinary careers to the next level. In this Podcast, we will cover literally everything we have learned when it comes to the private chef business. We will take you through our ups, downs, highs, lows, mistakes, pitfalls, and successes that we have had through the years. It hasn't always been pretty but it has always been lucrative and most importantly, fun. You can access our online course at: https://www.makemoremoneycooking.com/
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Episodes
#53- Software Used for Personal or Private Chef Business.
January 18, 2021 05:00 - 29 minutes - 20.1 MBRyan and Anthony talk about what kind of softwares are used inside Gather and Forge Chef Services. We dive deep into the different kinds of softwares that we use and what we use them for. There are several different options out there but we think that this episode covers quite a bit, especially if you are just getting started with automating your business. Support the show
#52- Getting Hands On Experience in the Pandemic.
January 14, 2021 17:00 - 18 minutes - 12.7 MB2021 is upon is and we are back in full swing with Make More Money Cooking! In this episode, we go over how to get hands on experience during the pandemic. As a listener of this podcast you can go to our website www.makemoremoneycooking.com and ask us any question that you might want to ask. Ryan and Anthony will go over the question in depth and talk about what we see fit having to do with your questions! Support the show
#52- Getting Hands On Experience in the Pandemic.
January 14, 2021 17:00 - 18 minutes - 12.7 MB2021 is upon is and we are back in full swing with Make More Money Cooking! In this episode, we go over how to get hands on experience during the pandemic. As a listener of this podcast you can go to our website www.makemoremoneycooking.com and ask us any question that you might want to ask. Ryan and Anthony will go over the question in depth and talk about what we see fit having to do with your questions! Support the show
# 51-Thank You to Our Listeners and Some Information on the Course!
December 21, 2020 10:00 - 23 minutes - 16.2 MBWe just wanted to thank those of you that have tuned in to listen to our podcast. Please feel free to subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from and leave us a message or question at our website: makemoremoneycooking.com and we will pick up where we left off in the new year. We are halfway through the production of our online course but anticipate the release date by March 1st, 2021. Thanks you guys and let's make this new year the best one yet!! Support the show
#50- The Truth about the Affluent and what they Expect.
December 17, 2020 10:00 - 22 minutes - 15.8 MBAffluent people or well of people expect a different kind of service. They will be paying you quite a bit of money and you need to know what they expect for that price. Often times, people that are wealthy see the world in a different light and coming from experience, you need to know exactly what that is. We want to bring you inside what we think of this subject so you can be ready when you are ready to start cooking for your first very wealthy client. Support the show
#50- The Truth about the Affluent and what they Expect.
December 17, 2020 10:00 - 22 minutes - 15.8 MBAffluent people or well of people expect a different kind of service. They will be paying you quite a bit of money and you need to know what they expect for that price. Often times, people that are wealthy see the world in a different light and coming from experience, you need to know exactly what that is. We want to bring you inside what we think of this subject so you can be ready when you are ready to start cooking for your first very wealthy client. Support the show
#49- How to Determine Your Guest Count "Sweetspot".
December 14, 2020 10:00 - 14 minutes - 10.2 MBCooking for a lot of people can be daunting and we know that first hand. This is why we have come up with a sweet spot, a place that we feel comfortable planning and cooking for our clients. When starting a personal chef business, you need to go over this step so you can make sure to not crash and burn. Trust us, we have crashed and we have burned and it is not a good feeling. Support the show
#48-The Importance of Stacking Menus.
December 10, 2020 10:00 - 17 minutes - 12.1 MBStacking your menus can save your business life from burnout. Making sure that you have menus setup for consecutive parties of meal preps can literally put you ahead of the game instead of running behind and trying to play catch up. Personal Chef and Private Chef work has its tricks and they must be used in order for you to be successful at executing them in a timely manner. Ryan Francis and Anthony Nicaj give you some insight as to how you can make stacking menus a part of your weekly routi...
#47- Our Competitors Online Personal Chef Course False Promises
December 07, 2020 10:00 - 17 minutes - 12.1 MBThere are quite a few of online personal chef courses out there and some of which might work for you and some of which might work for others. Either way, we have taken them and we want to be sure that people don't end up wasting their hard earned money trying to figure out which one is best for them. Support the show
#46- Kitchen Spaces
December 03, 2020 10:00 - 19 minutes - 13.5 MBYou have to cook somewhere. Ryan and Anthony talk about the evolution of where they have cooked from and where they are now. There is always going to be struggles but this is one that can make or break your business, especially as you grow and scale. Kitchen spaces are essential to cooking, obviously, but there are tips and tricks to figuring out how to spot good ones and the ones to avoid. Support the show
#45- How to Pay People for Helping with Events.
November 30, 2020 10:00 - 11 minutes - 7.73 MBYou are going to need help when you are trying to scale your business, you are even going to need help when you are trying to get through your first week. It is always difficult to figure out how and what to pay your helping hands. Ryan and Anthony go over how they pay their people so that it is fair and people want to continue to come back to help again. Support the show
#44- Profit Margins and What you Can Expect Starting a Personal Chef Business
November 26, 2020 10:00 - 15 minutes - 10.4 MBLet's face it. We all need to make money for something to be worth while. In business this comes down to whether your business is profitable or not. You have to know your profit margins and how to calculate them in order to make sure that you are making enough money to pay yourself at the end of the day. Ryan Francis and Anthony Nicaj go over profit margins and just how important they are to your business. Support the show
#43- The Hidden Costs of a Personal or Private Chef Business
November 23, 2020 10:00 - 12 minutes - 8.93 MBSome people think that there are no hidden costs to this business but there is and we think people should know about it. There are always going to be hidden costs in every business that you try to create but nobody ever knows what they are. Ryan Francis and Anthony Nicaj go over the things that we wish they knew when they started their personal chef business. You can waste a lot of money and we would like to help you not do that! Support the show
#42- How to Start a Meal Prep Service
November 19, 2020 10:00 - 22 minutes - 15.2 MBMeal prep is a large revenue stream for people in the personal chef world and it should be because it creates a recurring payment stream for you. There are several ways to go about starting your meal prep service so we go over a couple of them and the pros and cons of each so you can have a leg up on your competition! Support the show
#41- Proper Portion Sizes
November 16, 2020 10:00 - 16 minutes - 11.1 MBFiguring out how much people can eat can be a trick all in of itself. Ryan and Anthony go over just how we figure out portion sizes especially when you are trying to feed multiple people. Support the show
#40- Tips and Tricks for Cooking Classes
November 12, 2020 10:00 - 13 minutes - 9.04 MBCooking classes will inevitably become part of your personal chef business so we go over some of the things that you might want to know before trying to do them blindly. Ryan Francis and Anthony Nicaj go over some of the things that make cooking classes appealing to them and why you should think about adding them to your services. Support the show
#39-Worst Injury You Have Seen In The Kitchen
November 03, 2020 10:00 - 8 minutes - 5.61 MBKitchens can be dangerous places and when you are working with hot appliances and sharp knives, things happen. Ryan and Anthony talk about some of the worst injuries they have seen in the kitchen and how they can potentially be prevented. Support the show
#39-Worst Injury You Have Seen In The Kitchen
November 03, 2020 10:00 - 8 minutes - 5.61 MBKitchens can be dangerous places and when you are working with hot appliances and sharp knives, things happen. Ryan and Anthony talk about some of the worst injuries they have seen in the kitchen and how they can potentially be prevented. Support the show
#38-What Software To Use In Your Private Chef Business
October 29, 2020 09:00 - 16 minutes - 11.3 MBRyan Francis and Anthony Nicaj chat about what software they use to keep track of everything business and how it helps them organize their lives. There are many softwares out there but to have the right ones and be able to use them correctly will dramatically effect the way you conduct business. Listen in and see how they use software within Gather and Forge to help keep everything from falling apart. Support the show
#37-Scaling Your Business
October 27, 2020 09:00 - 16 minutes - 11.3 MBRyan Francis and Anthony Nicaj talk about the pros and cons of scaling your business. Scaling your business is both difficult and rewarding but doing it before you are ready can sometimes lead you to complete burnout. Sit in and listen to them talk about how they have been able to scale Gather and Forge to over half a million dollars in under 48 months. Support the show
#36- The Importance of Checklists
October 22, 2020 09:00 - 14 minutes - 9.74 MBChecklists are an important part of the work we do as a private chef. This is a job where organization and preparation are essential and checklists are a way to help you navigate those things. Ryan Francis and Anthony Nicaj go over how they have failed due to their lack of using checklists and also how they have saved the day by using them. Support the show
#35-Entering An Unfamiliar Home
October 20, 2020 09:00 - 12 minutes - 8.95 MBRyan and Anthony talk about what it is like to enter a clients home. Whether it be entering a home for the first time or the tenth time, we go over some of the nuances when you are entering an unfamiliar place. Support the show
#34-Is It Worth It To Do A Supper Club?
October 15, 2020 13:00 - 14 minutes - 10.2 MBRyan and Anthony talk about how difficult it is to start and run a supper club when you are trying to make something special like a supper club. There are many reasons to try this but there are also many reasons not to. Let's dive into it! Support the show
#33- How To Spot A Cool Client
October 12, 2020 09:00 - 16 minutes - 11.6 MBRyan and Anthony chat a little about the realities of different demographics in this episode. There are a lot of people out there and in this episode, we chat about the full spectrum of the kind of human that you are going to run across in this line of work. Support the show
#32- How To Up Sell Your Services
October 08, 2020 09:00 - 12 minutes - 8.35 MBRyan and Anthony give a little bonus episode on how to up sell your services and ask for more money! Support the show
#31- Mise En Place IS LIFE!
October 05, 2020 09:00 - 17 minutes - 12.1 MBWe all know that Mise En Place is essential to success in the kitchen. Not being prepared for battle is a surefire way to fail. Ryan and Anthony talk about the importance of being ready for anything when preparing food in somebody else's kitchen. Support the show
#30- Know Your Target Daily Income!
October 02, 2020 09:00 - 12 minutes - 8.63 MBSetting goals and knowing how to reach those goals is how you can set yourself up for success. You need to know how much money you need to make to ensure that this will be viable for your life's needs. Support the show
#29- How Often Do You Market Your Business?
September 30, 2020 09:00 - 13 minutes - 9.61 MBMarketing is the backbone to your personal or private chef business. People need to know how and where to find you and that is the basis behind marketing as a whole. There are always ways creative ways that we can market our services and Ryan and Anthony talk about how you can make that happen. Support the show
#28- How Much time Do You Give Yourself Before A Dinner Party?
September 28, 2020 09:00 - 14 minutes - 10.3 MBRyan and Anthony talk about their schedules and how they manage their time when they are gearing up for a dinner party. Dinner parties can be stressful but they are lucrative and knowing how to manage your time when you are prepping or planning one is essential to your success. Dive in! Support the show
#27- Creating Content That Matters!
September 25, 2020 09:00 - 18 minutes - 12.8 MBRyan and Anthony chat about how vital creating content is in the success of growing your business. There are multiple ways that you can create content but doing so is what allows the general public to see and understand what kind of food that you create as a personal chef. Support the show
#26- The Importance Of Social Media.
September 23, 2020 09:00 - 23 minutes - 16.4 MBRyan and Anthony talk about how important having social media (and knowing how to use it) are to your personal and private chef businesses. There are always new trends and new ways to promote your business but it is crucial to know exactly what each platform can do for you! Support the show
#25- How Important Is Having A Website Or Digital Footprint?
September 21, 2020 09:00 - 24 minutes - 17.2 MBA website is your version of an actual storefront and the guys talk about just how important your digital footprint is. If it is not the most important thing in this business it is because cooking is! Support the show
#24- How Do You Go About Creating Menus?
September 18, 2020 09:00 - 13 minutes - 9.6 MBMenu Development is one of the biggest tasks that you will have to master when you are working as a private chef. Ryan and Anthony give their insights on how to make menus efficiently and collectively so that you can do what you do best, create great food! Support the show
#23- Doing Business In A Pandemic.
September 16, 2020 09:00 - 14 minutes - 10.2 MBPrivate Chef work during a pandemic has never been done before and we go over our experience with it so far. It was been a crazy ride for Gather and Forge but we have been able to fix things that we didn't know were broken and add new revenue streams that align with the time. Support the show
#22- Do You Use Your Own Equipment Or Your Clients?
September 14, 2020 09:00 - 14 minutes - 10.3 MBRyan and Anthony talk about in-home equipment versus using your own equipment. This is one of those subjects that contains some great insight on what you should and should not bring to your event. Support the show
#21- Do You Supply Containers Or The Client?
September 11, 2020 09:00 - 6 minutes - 4.45 MBRyan and Anthony discuss how they go about offering container options when it comes to meal prepping or in-home personal cheffing. Support the show
#20- Do You Make Clients Sign A Contract
September 09, 2020 09:00 - 11 minutes - 7.77 MBIn Episode 20, Ryan and Anthony talk in depth about contracts and when we used them and when we do not. There are several different variables when it comes to this kind of work and we want to help mitigate any kind of risk from bad clients and also really great clients. Support the show
#19- How To Get Bigger Tips And Avoid Being Stiffed
September 07, 2020 09:00 - 16 minutes - 11.2 MBIn Episode 19, we talk about the very real world of tipping in this business but with amazing tips sometimes we get stiffed. We chat about how we try to get more tips and how we constantly try to create an amazing experience and in turn, create bigger tips. Support the show
#18- Watch Out For Outdated Private Chef Schools
September 04, 2020 09:00 - 12 minutes - 8.28 MBIn this episode, Ryan and Anthony go over what other private or personal chef "courses" look like. When Gather and Forge started, we bought some courses to try to help get us started. Little did we know, the information was extremely outdated and we basically lost $500 when money was really tight in the beginning. Support the show
#17- Do You Need Insurance For Your Personal Chef Business
September 02, 2020 09:00 - 9 minutes - 6.69 MBIn episode 17, we talk about insurance and how it can mitigate a potential lawsuit or bankruptcy. There are a lot of nuggets in this episode as we have had some hiccups in the past and want to share them with you. Insurance is a MUST and it is detrimental to your success in your private chef business. Support the show
#16- What Kind Of Dinner Parties Do You Want To Do
August 31, 2020 09:00 - 9 minutes - 6.81 MBIn episode 16, Ryan and Anthony talk about different kinds of dinner parties. When recording this episode, we go over several different instances where things were harder than normal to execute. This is why you have to think about what kind of dinner parties you want to do, want to be known for, and most importantly how much work you WANT to do so you don't set yourself up for failure. Support the show
#15- How Should You Offer Liquor Options
August 28, 2020 09:00 - 6 minutes - 4.79 MBIn Episode 15 we talk about the different options of "providing" liquor. There are several different ways to do this and we have quite a bit of experience bypassing the usual rules of this kind of request. All states/countries have different rules for this so make sure to look at your local rules and regulations for providing these kinds of services to your clients. Support the show
#15- How Should You Offer Liquor Options
August 28, 2020 09:00 - 6 minutes - 4.79 MBIn Episode 15 we talk about the different options of "providing" liquor. There are several different ways to do this and we have quite a bit of experience bypassing the usual rules of this kind of request. All states/countries have different rules for this so make sure to look at your local rules and regulations for providing these kinds of services to your clients. Support the show
#14- Largest Money Sucker In The Kitchen
August 26, 2020 09:00 - 18 minutes - 12.6 MBIn Episode 14, Ryan and Anthony talk over the biggest money wasters in the kitchen and how to mitigate your waste. Support the show
#13- Media Opportunities
August 24, 2020 09:00 - 15 minutes - 11 MBIn Episode 13 Ryan and Anthony get an opportunity to private chef for a famous reality television series and they tell you the story behind why they decided not take the gig. We go over the contract that made us shy away and tell you why we are cautious when looking over contracts from large companies. Support the show
#12- The Importance of Reviews
August 21, 2020 09:00 - 16 minutes - 11.1 MBIn this episode of Make More Money Cooking, we talk about how important reviews are in the business of personal/private cheffing. There are many hats that you have to wear when you are first getting your business off of the ground but reviews are how you can jump ahead of your competitor when a client is shopping. Great nuggets of information in this one ladies and gentleman. Support the show
#11- One Of Our Biggest Failures
August 19, 2020 09:00 - 11 minutes - 7.66 MBIn this episode, we talk about Anthony's biggest failures as a personal chef. Anthony found himself in a very weird situation when he overlooked an allergy for a clients mother. We talk about how he overcame that and how he handled it after the fact to make sure to ensure that the client was happy overall. This is a good listen for anybody considering this kind of work. Support the show
#10- How To Price Your Services
August 17, 2020 04:00 - 23 minutes - 16 MBIn Episode 10, Ryan and Anthony talk about the age old question of pricing your services. There are many ways that you can price your personal/private chef services, but we have done the hard work and bring you inside how we price our services. We have trimmed the fat on figuring out how to price the services, and also want to help you maximize your tips. Support the show
#09- How Important is Choosing A Niche
August 14, 2020 09:00 - 29 minutes - 20.5 MBIn Episode 9, we talk about choosing your niche. This is a pretty important episode for the people that have a specific niche or place that they might fit. The company that we started, Gather and Forge started with no niche but has since moved to a very specific niche. Some things that we go over in this are different kinds of niches, and why they are so important to have when you are building your business. Support the show
#08- So You Have Your First Lead
August 12, 2020 09:00 - 25 minutes - 17.6 MBIn Episode 8, Ryan and Anthony talk about how to field your first lead and convert it into a sale. There are several ways that this might happen but what do you do when you actually get your first lead? We go through different scenarios of how that lead might come in, whether that be through social media, a phone call, or website. There is good insight in this episode that shows you how build a foundation where you are ready to take your first lead. Support the show