There are many advantages to choosing to go into catering as your main business. It’s fun, something you can use your own personal skills in, turn a hobby into a career, and it’s fulfilling. Plus, it will always be needed – no matter what happens, people will need to eat.
Yet a catering business will not be the right choice for everyone. In fact, for some, it would be a bad idea, and they would not enjoy it or be successful. With that in mind, here are the reasons you should start a catering business; if they match your dreams and personality, this could be the best thing you could do.
This might seem obvious, but it’s important to bear it in mind and make sure it is true for you. Although it is certainly possible to make a good business out of doing something you’re not that passionate about, it does mean a lot more hard work and effort. If you love food already – not just eating it (although that will be part of it), but creating it and understanding what goes into it (literally, as well as figuratively) – then it will be much easier to find the motivation and passion you need to have a success business.
There are lots of catering companies around, so having a passion for food and going the extra mile with your presentation, your packaging, which could include recycled or compostable items and an easy to use double wall coffee cup as an example, and your high quality, maybe even organic, ingredients, will help you stand out.
You can have a deep love of food and create unique dishes. Still, if you don’t like meeting people and interacting with them regularly, catering may not be the best line of work for you – you might be better off as a chef behind the scenes in a restaurant, for example.
The fact is that when you run a catering business, you need to speak to lots of different people, from business owners to party organisers. You must be able to listen to their ideas and – crucially – give your opinion on what would work and what wouldn’t. Plus, you need to be able to socialise at events; you might be serving the food, but even if you’re not, people may wish to compliment your creations. If you’re a people person, this aspect of the work will become a lot easier.
Running your own business gives you a lot of freedom in many cases. You can work the hours you want to (bearing in mind that not working means not making money unless you have a truly passive income, of course), and you can have a good work-life balance.
Catering is a little different. Although you can make your own timetable and work to a schedule of your own creation, you will also have important deadlines to stick to. Parties will be taking place at a time and date, and the food will have to be there. A wedding cake must be completely finished to be presented to the happy couple. An event where you are providing a food van will need you to set up before customers arrive.
If you want to run a catering company, you must be an organised person who can stick to deadlines. Otherwise, customers will stop using you, and you’ll get a bad reputation.