If you know a thing or two about cooking and are looking for a change in vocation, then it may well be that starting a catering company makes perfect sense for you.
Many people worry about the pressures that can come with catering, well aware of the stress that chefs can be put under and in turn not wishing to have something they love turn into something that causes them a great deal of grief. However, caterers do not have to be cooking three course meals for hundreds of people or running an entire kitchen on their own, and in fact it will make far more sense to start small, not only to ease you into the process and ensure such a role a role is one you will enjoy, but also to ensure that being a caterer will be financially viable.
Further down the line it may then seem appealing to develop your business and grow, but early on it will make far more sense to cater for smaller parties or set yourself up in a smaller venue.
The good news is that it will be relatively easy to start a catering company. Not only might you be able to do a lot of the hard work from home (depending on the type of catering you are doing and indeed the policies of any venue that you will be catering at), but it will also be relatively cost-effective and easy to hire in any specialist catering equipment you need to ensure that you do not have to splash out huge amounts of money early on. Instead, you will be able to start your business for very little, and in turn will not risk losing a fortune or being forced to stick with the career if things do not go strictly to plan.
There will also be a wide range of different catering food suppliers online too. Not only will finding the right supplier help you to get the best possible food at the best possible price, but they will also offer many resources to help you develop your business and will even have the likes of tableware available to ensure you can get all the supplies you need in one place, something that will save you both time and money. In fact, when starting a catering company, the right food suppliers may well be your best friends.
Marketing should also be straightforward, no matter what your budget, and so long as you take the time to fully understand social networking and online marketing, you will be able to get those initial bookings that will themselves lead to referrals and more work further down the line. Don’t be shy to offer your services to friends and family for a low price as you will then have the very best direct marketing – people trying your food at an event, with strong advocates on hand to recommend you to those in attendance.
Researching vendors and even markets ahead of time will be vital. Not only will you need to know how to get the right catering supplies, but you will also need to know which areas of the market are already saturated and in turn which other areas might give you plenty of freedom to stand out and flourish.
About the Author – Adam Howes is a freelance writer and sometime chef who contributes regularly to a wide range of food and lifestyle sites such as 3663.
