The first thing I thought about when I was thinking about starting my own business, is what would I do. I listed things that I really enjoy a lot. Then I thought about the markets for these things. Many people have a few passions, and one of mine seemed to be something that I could be happy doing all day long, every day. I kept thinking of the markets for these different things, but tried to forget about what would make the most money. Though business is about money, if I chose something that would make me the most money, and it wasn't the thing I enjoyed most, I might later feel stuck with a business I wasn't really passionate about.
I love to cook and I love to make crafts, though a craft business seems like it would be easier to do, I don't enjoy it as much as cooking, and I do get plenty of compliments from my dishes. I decided that a catering business was probably easier to start than a full on restaurant, I have a huge kitchen so I could cook all the food there, and all the supplies I would need to really get are uniforms (I could have my teenage kids help me out) trays, utensils and linens. Our family already owns a cargo van that my husband mostly uses for work, so I was definitely going utilize all that I already had.
I put the word out to my friends and family that I was in business in hopes that I'd get some sort of business from them, they might tell their friends and family too. So in the meantime before I got a job I wanted to protect myself against any lawsuits, I've heard horror stories about them. So I filed for an LLC online at Incorporate Fast.com, they were really helpful and quick. On the day I received my FedEx package containing my approved documents, I got a call from my neighbor's sister, she was having a party for her son's 16th birthday, and she needed a caterer. She said the party was going to be Hawaiian themed, and asked if I knew any dishes, I knew how to make chicken teriyaki very well, and I asked if that would be sufficient as a main dish, she said it'd be great, and for the side dishes we'd provide white rice and macaroni salad. She would provide the drinks.
Before the event, I had some business cards printed up with my name, phone number and email address, to have available for any potential clients.
There were about 50 people to feed, so I was cooking all morning, luckily my children helped me out. We went dressed causally in matching Hawaiian shirts, at my clients request. My two children and I set up, and the client already had provided snacks for the guests. The night went great and 10 people took my cards, three weeks later I got a call from one of their party guests. Work started off slow, but now after a few months, I've got a busy load, I'm scheduled to work six weekends during the next two months, and I'm loving it.
