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Personal Chef Industry

Hello! I hope this isn't a repeat of too many other posts. I've read through them and got A LOT of very helpful information, but would love it if anyone could offer even more detailed information on some of the questions below. I've considered becoming a PC several times and it has come up again now. While my story is somewhat different in that I've been in teaching and nonprofit work and not a corporate job, the feeling depleted, working on strict schedules plus lots of weekends and evenings, lots of long, boring meetings, working with some frustrating co-workers, getting home late and not having real quality of life with my husband, feeling stifled in many ways, etc. is the same. I've loved the kids I've worked with, but the job really never ends...I end up always feel tired and unfulfilled in many ways because there's never time to take care of myself. The salary difference won't be as drastic for me as for others given the fields I come from. I have always loved cooking, and would love the challenge of learning about and running my own business. I get so excited and it feels so liberating to even consider being a PC for me! So here are my questions/concerns:

1. I'm a very hardworker and not afraid of putting in a lot of effort, but part of what I'm seeking in making this change is a more flexible schedule with some more down time for me. What does a typical day look like? How many hours/days do you typically work? For those of you who are parents with small children, do you get time with your kids as well? (I don't have kids yet, but want to soon!)

2. I read that several people said it can take a year or two before really being able to make a living from being a PC. My husband works and his income has been the mainstay for us, but we're saddled in debt and want to pay it off and save for a home, so I'd still like to make around $25-30K a year. Realistically, will I need to really plan on it taking a year or two to be able to make that? I know that working part-time can help along the way so I can consider that, but just want to have a clear sense of what things might look like. Can some people, if you're willing, share what you did while you got things started, what the first months/year was like, etc.?

3. What is a rough estimate of "start-up" costs? Including everything: training materials, business license, insurance, anything else I'm forgetting?

That's it for now, so that this doesn't get too long. Thanks for all the information! I'm getting so inspired by reading all these posts!

Aimee

The flexibility question is easy. Yes. Do what you want. You are only constrained by how much money you need to make and how many clients you can book. If you choose to work only two days a week, you can do that. Five days a week, parties and cooking classes on the evenings and weekends, you can do that. Or anything in between.

Typically, with a traditional five entree, appropriate sides for four people (5x4) will take you about 4-6 hours to cook, plus shopping, travel, plus preparation at home -- developing the menu, making labels, packing your stuff, etc. It could be a ten hour day to start, but you will soon get better and your time will go down and you can move the menu, labels, etc. to another day. I usually do all of that for the week on Monday mornings, where I have a client where I go in later in the morning than usual. There's paperwork and some maintenance shopping for equipment and supplies -- again you can do that on evenings and weekends or during the week, whatever works best.

You could also purposefully market smaller packages -- where you just do entrees or fewer combos in a session, if you needed to be home to meet a school bus, or needed a shorter day.

I cannot promise you that you could make $25-30K in your first year, although that's a very attainable goal in the first year or two. Some people get a lot of clients very quickly, most accumulate them slowly over time, some are still struggling after a year or two. Effort, skill in marketing, demographics and plain old luck will all affect how you do.

I recommend doing three different budgets -- a bare survival budget, where you are able to pay all of your bills on time, but not set aside anything for emergencies, retirement, vacation, savings, etc. (That would be not setting aside anything from YOUR income, not your husband's) Think in terms of being very spending conscious -- not going out to eat, movies once a month, that sort of stuff. This is your beginning budget where you find out that you need to cook 8 times a month, or replace that with part-time work) in order to not get into financial trouble. (Or four times a month, or whatever) This is where you'd like to be at six months. So, think about how you're going to make it for those first six months -- add that to your start-up costs. You may need to plug away at your current job, tightening your belt so that you can set aside enough to help you through the beginning. Hey, you may get several clients in your first months! But I'm guessing that you'll find a way to deal with being more successful than you planned. It's much harder to plan on wild success and then deal with the more likely reality!

Then do one where you can lighten up and enjoy yourself a little, make some headway on your debt, set aside some money for emergencies, vacations and sick time. This is where you would like to be at the end of a year.

Then your long term goal -- the budget where you'd like to be after a year or two -- able to make serious headway on debt, setting aside money for emergencies, vacation, sick-time and retirement.

None of these budgets should be static -- re-do them often as you go. Your mileage may vary dramatically, but start-up costs (not including that "what I'm going to live on while I get going") will probably be around $1200 to $2000. A figure to budget with would be about $10K a year for each regularly booked cooking session each day during a week. (In other words, if you cook one day a week all year long, you can expect about $10K a year. Two days each week, $20K.) Remember that this is just a ball-park figure that varies wildly depending on how much you charge, where you live, how much you spend, etc. Once you've done a couple of sessions, seen what your overhead costs (training, liability insurance, dues, equipment, office supplies, etc.) will be, you can re-adjust.

You may also find that you need to make less money than you thought you did. You may have expenses associated with working now that you won't have as a personal chef -- for me, commuting, dog-walker, pantyhose, dry cleaning, wearing out high heels at an alarming rate, and paying over a dollar for a bottle of soda at 7-11. I figured out that I could save $8K simply by staying home and not going anywhere!

You will also be testing recipes and doing practice sessions which, frankly, result in food. Which you really have to eat in order to see how it came out. So, your personal grocery bills will probably go down. Cooking magazine subscriptions that were once just part of a hobby are now an integral part of your business and a legitimate business expense. Etc.

The training materials contain a lot more info on budgeting, but hopefully this gives you enough to do some preliminary work to decide whether you can make the switch. Don't be afraid to see if you can possibly work part time at your current job as you make the transition, either.

Aimee --

I am glad Meredith answered your question because she is one of the leaders in this field. Because I have only been in business for a short time, I will answer some of the quality of life issues that you raised, because I cannot give you advice on the long-term business.

After contemplating becoming a PC for several years, I decided to make my dreams come true on August 14. I have worked for non-profits and most recently for a corporation for the past 15 years. It was 65-90 hours a week, wearing panty hose, getting 3 am phone calls and being asked to return from maternity leave several weeks early. It meant dropping my infant in daycare for 12 hours a day, hiring someone to play with my dogs because we had no time, and spending my weekends with my spouse trying to run all of the errands in two short days. And it meant risking my life for corporate clients on September 11 while pregnant.

The happiest day was in June this year, when I learned that I was one of many people being "downsized" from my job. While some were crying, I practically jumped for joy. I read the Wall Street Journal, so I could anticipate this was happening. I should have left a long time ago, but I was too used to doing the impossible, existing at a very fast pace. I just figured that the next day was the beginning of the rest of my life. Looking for a new corporate job was depressing to me. I was having too much fun with my toddler, and enjoying reclaiming my time in the kitchen.

One day it hit me that I should be looking at the Personal Chef thing again. Seeing that the start up costs are minimal, that other home chefs make their business work, and nobody was serving my fairly affluent area was enough to make me take the plunge.

I have a few clients, and I continue to market my business. I have MUCH more time with my daughter, and actually have friends in the neighborhood because I am home and joined a local women's business group. People come up to me in the store and ask me about recipes, or tell me that they think the PC business is a great idea. Even my crazy relatives think this business makes sense for me, and I always considered myself to be a "non-business person".

I hope to recoup my initial investment in the next few months and earn a modest income after that doing something that I love to do. I have saved $275 a week in daycare expenses alone.

My advice to you is make sure you have enough saved to get by and make a plan to follow your dreams.

Good luck with your decisions!

Betsy

Aimee,

Best of luck to you. I'm starting out right now but am so encouraged by this idea that I can go back to into a food-related business (have run 2 restaurants with my family) without sacrificing too much family time.

Betsy,

Sort of off topic, but was wondering how you handle the daycare situation on your cookdates. I have two small children in daycare twice a week, but am thinking about adding one more day to accommodate the PC-ing schedule. Your comments are most appreciated!

Shinae

Shinae, I have only been in business since September 6th and right now I can have my daughter in two days a week, because my few clients are biweekly. I can keep everyone happy on Tuesday/Thurs. I will add an extra day when I need to. I also have a woman who will watch my daughter at a moment's notice a few blocks away, who I can use if I have clients lined up, but need to wait for an opening at the daycare. I also do some weekend parties, when my husband can watch her, to supplement my income. Eventually I hope to get off the "party circuit" but it has exposed me to a lot of potential meal service clients and I can make a little extra money.