Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Trish ONeill, founder and owner of The Cooking Studio Fort Collins, located in Fort Collins, CO, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
The Cooking Studio Fort Collins is a place where amateur cooks, aspiring young chefs, teams, families, and friends come to learn to cook, explore new cuisines, and unleash their inner chef. Classes are 100% hands-on with our Chef Instructors by your side. We give as much, or as little, help needed. We call it the ‘Guide At Your Side vs. The Sage On The Stage’ approach.
Tell us about yourself
Years ago, I took my first cooking class. That started me on the path of taking many cooking classes in many cities around the USA and eventually deciding to open my own cooking school for home cooks.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
The high number of 5-star reviews on Google is such a huge accomplishment! A true endorsement for the model of cooking instruction we use in The Cooking Studio.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The emotional ups and downs are the hardest part of being a business owner. One day you think you're the smartest person on earth, and the next day you're sure everyone knows what they're doing except you.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Take stock and be certain you have the time and energy to commit to running a business. It's exhausting.
- Do a solid budget and then double the expenses to get close to the amount of money you'll actually spend to get started.
- Don't go it alone! Find other business people to meet with, share resources, and support each other.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
If you're okay with the downsides of being a business owner: feeling like a failure, losing money, neglecting your hobbies, and overextending your energy reserves on a regular basis, you're a good fit. Anyone can live with the successes and fun of running a business. It's the downsides that defeat small business people.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://the-cooking-studio.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCookingStudioFC/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_cooking_studio/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.
