➡️➡️SAVE YOUR SPOT for my free live training July 21 where I walk through exactly how to set your business up so you’re ready for the client rush that hits when school starts back up 👉 https://www.thepersonalchefbusinessacademy.com/launch-in-august

Launch Your Personal Chef Business in August – So You Can Get Clients  During the Back-to-School Rush 

This is a question I hear all the time from passionate cooks who want to become a personal chef, and in this video, I’m sharing why the answer isn’t what most people expect.

Meet Nataliya, one of my Academy students, who believed culinary school was the only way she could get paid to cook. Like many passionate home cooks, she thought she needed training before she could start a business and get paid to do what she loved.

In this video:

  • Is culinary school really a requirement for becoming a personal chef?
  • What actually helps you build a successful personal chef business
  • The mindset shifts that you have to make to be successful
  • What to have in place to turn the money faucet on and get more clients

Have you ever thought, “I’d love to become a personal chef, but I guess I need to go to culinary school first?”

If that’s ever crossed your mind, I want to tell you about one of my Academy students, Nataliya, because I think you’re going to see a little bit of yourself in her story.

I recently sat down and talked with Nataliya about her journey, and one of the first things she told me was that she had always wanted to build a business around cooking. She loved being in the kitchen, but she didn’t want to work in a restaurant. She knew there had to be something else she could do with her skills—she just didn’t know what it was. Like so many passionate cooks, she assumed culinary school was the next step. And with a  little one at home there wasn’t time or money for that so what else could she do?

What struck me is that I’ve had this same conversation hundreds of times over the years. I’ve worked with teachers, restaurant cooks, stay-at-home moms, nutritionists, IT professionals, retirees and people from all kinds of backgrounds. They all love to cook, but they believe they need a certificate before they’re qualified to get paid to cook with their own business.

But most of the time, that’s not what’s holding them back. They’re not missing a credential or certificate. They’re missing a roadmap.

Nataliya told me she stumbled across one of my YouTube videos one day, and then she just kept watching. She said she watched one video after another because, for the first time, everything clicked. She realized becoming a personal chef was exactly what she’d been looking for. I had to laugh when she told me that because now here I am making a YouTube video about her. I don’t think either of us expected that would happen.

That’s why I keep making these videos. There are so many talented cooks who don’t even know this career exists. They think their only options are working in a restaurant, running a food truck, or doing massive catering jobs. They have no idea there’s another way.

Hi, I’m Chef Shelley. I’ve had a successful personal chef business for 20 years, and when I’m not cooking for my own clients, I help passionate cooks like you create a fully booked personal chef business so you can get paid to do what you love, on your own terms.

And before I tell you what happened next, if building your own personal chef business is something you’ve been thinking about, I’m doing a free live training where I’ll show you exactly what successful personal chefs do differently to get clients. Whether your goal is one amazing weekly client or a six-figure business, I’ll walk you through the same path that’s helped me and so many of my students build businesses that let them get paid to cook on their own terms. You can save your seat using the link below.

When Nataliya joined the Academy, she didn’t talk about discovering some magic formula. Instead, she kept coming back to how relieved she felt to finally have a clear path to follow. She no longer had to guess what came next. She learned how to set up her business, how to do personal chef services, and how to get clients. Instead of wondering what to do next, she always had a next step. If she got stuck, we talked through it. When she had questions I helped her with answers.

That’s exactly why I created the Academy.

When I started my own personal chef business, there wasn’t a roadmap. I figured so much of it out through trial and error, and I wanted to create the resource I wish I’d had when I was getting started. I wanted passionate cooks to spend less time trying to piece everything together and more time actually getting paid to cook which is the fun part, right?

One part of my conversation with Nataliya really stayed with me. I asked her what had changed the most over the last couple of years, and I expected her to talk about clients or cooking. Instead, she talked about confidence.

She told me that when she first started, if she lost a client, she took it personally. She assumed she’d done something wrong. She questioned herself. I think that’s something every new business owner can relate to.

But then she said something I’ll never forget.

She smiled and said, “It’s like a bus. Somebody gets on the bus. Somebody gets off the bus. You just keep driving.”

I loved that because it’s such a simple way of describing what every successful business owner eventually learns.

Clients move. Their schedules change. Their priorities change. Sometimes their financial situation changes. Life happens. It doesn’t mean you failed. It doesn’t mean you’re not good enough. It’s simply part of running a business.

The difference is they don’t see it as a sign that they’ve failed. They understand it’s normal. And because they’ve already setup their system to get clients they know exactly how to turn the money faucet on and fill the spot..

After twenty years as a personal chef and helping hundreds of students build their own businesses, I can tell you that’s one of the biggest transformations I see. Yes, students learn how to become personal chefs. But even more importantly, they begin thinking like business owners. 

And they have the systems in place to get clients and they know exactly how to turn the money faucet on and fill the spot. 

Today, Nataliya has paying clients, she’s continuing to grow her business, and she has a confidence she didn’t have when we first met. Not because she suddenly became a better cook, but because she finally understood how the business works.

Think about where her story started. She believed culinary school was the missing piece. What she discovered was that the missing piece wasn’t another credential. It was having someone show her the path.

If you’ve been putting this dream on hold because you think you need culinary school or more experience before you can get started, I hope Nataliya’s story gives you a different perspective.

You don’t need a cooking credential. You need to learn the business side.

If you’re tired of trying to piece everything together from YouTube videos, Facebook groups, and chatgpt, join me for my free live training. I’ll show you the path I wish someone had shown me when I started and how to focus on the things that actually move you forward so you can get to the fun part, getting paid to do what you love, cook. Because the clients are out there and they’re hungry for what you’re cooking.

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