Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Arlena Strode, owner of Children's Culinary Institute, located in multiple locations.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I have a variety of customers because my business, while very specific, has many aspects. I am a culinary instructor. I teach children cooking skills; I teach avid home cooks to use my curriculum in their own communities; I also run an instructors network for supporting culinary instructors across the world. My most recent culinary education aspect is teaching culinary history through children's books. I have taken my culinary heroes and written their stories to inspire kids to do great things in our world. I hope by reaching out to every community and inspiring as many kids as we can, that we will be able to have a more knowledgeable food future.
Tell us about yourself
I graduated from International Culinary School in 1998; I quickly learned my chosen specialty of catering was not all I dreamed it would be. It was a lot of long weekends and high-stress events. I took a little break, and it was good timing because I married a military man and started a family. I would do some catering from time to time, but it wasn't until my kids were a little older and I started teaching them to cook that I realized how they could do and how much better off they would be. My friends requested I include their kids, and it continued to grow. As a military family, we always have to move. I tried to train a person to take over for me in each location. I eventually created an online training and a support network. The training and network ensure the continued education and capability to keep the standards and integrity of the curriculum. The books came out of a "fangirl" attitude I have towards my culinary heroes and wanting to share them with my students and other kids in the world.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Honestly, I get really giddy when I get the chance to train someone to teach classes in their area. I know how many more kids will be reached. Beyond that, it is the little things. I still teach every week; this helps keep all the education updates relevant. Having children decide they liked something they didn't think they would like or feel proud of a food creation makes me so pleased. Parents who tell me how much more involved and confident their children are since they have been in class is a wonderful feeling. It really is a needed program in every community.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The hardest thing about being a business owner is that you have to be everything for the business. The idea person, the worker bee, the marketing, and the bookkeeper. It is a lot of jobs to have at once. Without your complete involvement, it can't have your unique flavor. You just have to be everything until you have enough of you in it that it is clear what you have created.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Three tips for starting your own business. Find others that have done something similar and get as much training and mentoring as you can. Build a support group of people who know what it is going to take and are willing to cheer you on. Do not re-invent the wheel. If it is already out there and you want to improve upon it. Start with what is already there and make it your own without all the extra work. (These reasons are why I offer the support network)
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
I genuinely love what I do, and I can share that with others. I know it is good for our communities and our future. I want to share the sustainability that it has brought to my family and the joy that it has brought to me. When you can create something that is so good on so many sides, you have to be proud of it and bring it into the world with conviction and vigor.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: http://www.childrensculinaryinstitute.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/childrensculinaryinstitute
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childrensculinaryinstitute/
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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