Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Morgan Torell, Chef Mo, a freelance chef based in Toronto, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
During the summer, I work at a fishing lodge in Northern Ontario. Our guests here are fishermen and outdoorsmen. It's a very remote island on a beautiful lake inside Lady Evelyn Provincial Park. I work for St Andrews Church and their "Out of the Cold" Program during the winter. There, I lead and mentor a team of 50 volunteers to create a restaurant-quality 3-course meal that we give to 300 or so of Toronto's less fortunate.
Tell us about yourself
I didn't choose the chef life; the chef life chose me. After working at a restaurant as a dishwasher, I got the opportunity to start cooking and put myself through college to be a computer programmer. After three semesters in a row, while working full time at the restaurant, I had a nervous breakdown and decided I needed to do what was making me money. That was 15 years ago now, and being a chef has opened many doors for me. Working with most of the high-end catering companies and biggest events in Toronto, working behind the scenes for several television shows as a culinary consultant, and my work now with the homeless.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Winning a culinary cooking competition with Chef Lynn Crawford.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
I am very much an independent contractor, so I'm always looking for my next gig. The next opportunity to cook for a new group of people.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Start. Anything you can do, just start doing it. If you have to, fake it til you make it.
- Work/Life balance is key. Taking on a big project or business can be all-encompassing. But don't let it. Find time to relax, recharge, and have personal relationships.
- Set goals and work towards achieving them. The true path to happiness lies in the achievement, in my opinion.
Where can people find you and your business?
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chefmotoronto/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chefmotoronto/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/chefmotoronto
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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