For all of you Personal Chef lurkers on this web site. You have the distinct advantage of being able to attend our annual conference (Summitt Meeting) in Minneapolis in August. If you have grand desires of becoming a successfull personal chef then this is your opportunity to; 1)Attend one of our success oriented Personal Chef Seminars; 2) Meet and talk with a lot of successfull personal chefs; 3)Meet a lot of new folks just like you to talk to and commiserate with; 4) Attend success oriented sessions that will help you with your business, not matter at what stage you are now in the development of that business.
What I'm trying to say folks, is now is the time. If you are going to start your own business...you are going to eventually invest the same amount of dollars that it will take to get to this seminar. The difference is, this way your dollar investment will significantly benenfit you business...and if you spend your money without the benefit of the training this summmit offers, then can you be assured that you are not pouring your money down into the "money pit"...that endless hole that absorbs the capital of so many new small businesses.
Don't take a chance...take a flight to Minneapolis. Start your business off right and do it right now.
And I would appreciate the comments of current members that have attended the summit or one of our seminars on the benefits you have seen from such attendance. These new folks considering our business really need your insight into their investment. We are encouraging them to spend a lot of money and they need to know if it is worth it. The best indicator of that value is you established chefs. Get in here and give these folks some guidance.
Jim Davis
<whiskwizard>
Posted
Last year on July 31, I decided to finally follow my dreams, join APCA and start my personal chef business. My target date for opening was September 5, to coordinate with a local business event. I had one month to get everything in order -- marketing materials, pricing structure, menus, packaging policies, business license, insurance, a live website etc. Having the APCA notebook is what got me through that month. Luckily, I was registered to attend the Personal Chef Seminar the second weekend I was in business. The $$$ I spent on this seminar was well worth it and has paid off in many ways. It saved me from making expensive mistakes, gave me confidence about my ability to run my own business with no progessional culinary training, and motivated me to try free marketing techniques.
My business has been successful. I have also gotten to know many of the "movers and shakers" in my area and was recently elected president of my local women in business group.
However, I often wonder what might have been if I was able to attend the Summit. At that time the airfare put it out of reach (I joined the week before), but this year airlines are in a price war. I registered for the Summit because I know that if I got so much out of the Seminar, I know the Summit will be the ultimate event.
I'd like to chime in with an invitation to those folks who aren't new to the business -- you don't have to be an APCA member or even interested in being one in order to come to this conference.
This is a great opportunity to give your business (and yourself) a huge boost of energy. Ours can be a lonely profession -- you tend to do your thing, go home, get up and do it again. It's easy to get stuck in a rut -- whether it's marketing-wise, culinary-wise, systems-wise, or just a general ol' all-encompassing rut.
Attending the summit every year pulls me out of whatever ruts I've gotten myself stuck in. (Yeah, I'm just a human gutterball...) If you haven't looked at the program agenda, check it out. But the agenda is just half the plate. The real value is being able to talk to colleagues from all over the country about what they're doing and how they're doing it.
I've gotten great marketing and business development ideas, valuable input on problems that I've struggled with. Even talking with brand new personal chefs has helped me improve the way I do things. (Nothing like explaining how you do something and realizing halfway through that there's an easier way...) I've found new products that make my job easier and made valuable contacts with vendors and industry affiliates.
I know, it can be hard to find the time and the money -- but if you can, get out of the kitchen for a few days -- this investment will pay off.
