Hey all, im brand spankin new here, have only lurked for a few hrs and am looking to start an in-home catering business...a small one. I know its not the "exact" same thing as a personal chef, but im wondering if the same basic rules apply. Im scared to death to do this and want to research as much as possible. Im having a hard time finding discussions about, what kind of insurance, if i can advertise anywhere i want legaly or w/o attracting the wrong attention, how do taxes work, is it personal income? Can we just make up a company name and start printing business cards? OMG, i just have too many questions, if any of you can help my head to stop spinning, i would be very greatfull! If you need more details please feel free to ask me! Any and all comments/suggestions/advice are welcome with open arms.
Donny...the questions that you asked are all very good ones, and each one is very important. These are all covered in the APPCA training materials, and in the seminars. I know we have several members who are not personal chefs but have in-home catering businesses instead. Like myself, many personal chefs offer in-home catering. It would really behoove you to consider joining an organization (such as APPCA) b/c not only will you learn the basics but you will learn way so much more. There are also other benefits, such as insurance contact that offers our members the lowest price available, would be listed on the APPCA find-a-chef page (which I would say about 85% of my business comes from it), membership includes personal chef office which is a total client management system, and the members forum is invaluable. You might want to call Chef Candy at 800-644-8389, she can give you all the info.
