Chilternscatering.com.au can assist you in the planning of your party catering Sydney and whip up mouth-watering dishes to tempt all kinds of taste buds. The catering world is a cut-throat place that requires a special combination of food knowledge, people skills and marketing savvy in order to succeed. There is no magic recipe for success. What it boils down to is hard work, humility, honesty and the ability to self-evaluate. If you aren’t able to view your business objectively, you won’t be able to see what areas need improvement and growth.

Be Humble

The very first thing that you will have to admit to yourself is that you don’t know everything. This is one of the biggest secrets of success for any business and also one of the hardest obstacles for many people to overcome. As soon as you can admit this, you can start surrounding yourself with people that have strengths in the areas where you are weak and your business will benefit exponentially.

Be Particular

Be picky when you hire staff. Remember that every person that you hire is going to represent you and your company in some capacity and if they don’t do it well, your business will suffer. It may cost you a little bit more to hire competent, qualified professionals but don’t be penny wise and pound foolish. The investment in good staff will pay huge dividends because you will have the knowledge that your end product is going to be great. Be confident enough to hire intelligent, capable people that may have strengths that you don’t and you will be able to delegate responsibilities and grow your business. The peace of mind that you will have will make them worth every penny.

Be Client-Oriented

When you are creating a proposal, remember that you are asking to be part of somebody’s special day. This isn’t about you and it doesn’t matter if you think that drinking red wine with fish is appalling or that an outside wedding in July is going to melt the cake. As the professional, it is certainly your job to point these things out tactfully, but if it’s what the client truly wants and it’s not going to damage your reputation, then go with it. Suggest fondant instead of buttercream if you’re doing the cake and make sure that the red wine that you provide is the best that the budget allows. It’s their day; help them make it what they want it to be. Certainly you have the option of retracting your proposal if the job is going to reflect badly on you but if it’s not a big deal, relax and have fun with it.

Another suggestion under this topic that will save you a huge eleventh-hour headache is to schedule a final meeting two or three days before the event. This way, you can review all of the details with the client and make sure that what you are doing is in line with what they are expecting. It’s much better to find the holes in the plan while you still have time to fix it rather than arriving at the event without the shrimp cocktail that they thought you were serving but nobody bothered to mention.

Be Professional

There are several points to be made here. The most important part of building a good reputation is to always do exactly what you say you will (or more) and do it well. Always be early because there’s nothing more stressful to a client than worrying that the caterer isn’t going to show up. Also, don’t be greedy and book so many events that things start to fall through the cracks. This will not only kill your business, it will drive you completely insane with stress. Finally, don’t take on projects that are beyond you. It’s great to expand your business but don’t use your clients as guinea pigs.

Network

Most people in the restaurant and catering business are very good people and you are more than likely going to have to work with them at some point. Build relationships with them by scheduling or attending networking sessions so that everybody can get to know one another.. They may be your competition but they are also your peers. By having your name floating reputably in the network pond, you are providing yourself with the opportunity to gain referrals. Other catering businesses may already have something scheduled for a day that a client has an event but if they know you and like you, it’s likely that they will refer that client to you. This is a two-way street; by referring clients to your peers when you can’t do a job, you appear professional and confident.

Have a Web Presence

The world is a mobile place and most people choose providers off of the internet. If your name isn’t in the hat, it isn’t going to be chosen. A website is no place to be cheap. You want your catering business to be ranked highly so choose a provider that will provide you with quality content. After your website is live, keep it fresh. You don’t need to have a ton of pages, but make sure that what you do have is professional, grammatically correct and interesting and informative to the reader. If writing isn’t your forte, hire somebody reputable to do it for you. A good content writer is a professional just like you are and won’t come cheaply, but quality content will get you ranked at the top of the search page and that’s where you want to be. Again, don’t be penny wise and pound foolish.

By following these simple tips, you will increase the chance that your catering business will be successful. Not every job will go off without a hitch but by being prepared and flexible, you will be more capable of dealing with those hiccups along the way. As stated previously, there is no magic recipe for starting a successful catering business but if you treat all people with fairness and humility and provide top-notch service to every client, you will soon be on your way to being a star in your profession.

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