Food, Friends, Fabulous - La Diva Cucina
Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Laura Lafata, president of La Diva Cucina, located in Miami Beach, FL, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
La Diva Cucina primarily conducts culinary team-building programs for corporate and consumers. What’s team building? I do corporate cooking classes for groups that want to strengthen the communication and teamwork between business associates, workmates, clients, and partners. We entertain regional, local and global companies with groups averaging 20-30 attendees per event. Our secondary customer is the consumer. We entertain bachelorettes, birthday parties, and group date nights. Our most popular class is the Miami Experience, where guests learn to make mojitos and tropical foods. We eat, drink, learn and laugh as we go, all too hip music and fun banter. We try to make learning to cook as approachable as possible, so there is no judgment, and every skill level is welcome. It’s casual, cool, and guaranteed to be FUN!
Tell us about yourself
Since I was a young girl, I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit and loved making my own income. It started with me making and selling macrame bracelets in grade school to pay for my first ten-speed bike at 13 years old. I have always loved to cook and entertain as part of my family DNA. Likewise, I’ve always been a funny gal and performed improv comedy on stage in Sydney, Australia, and Chicago’s Second City. I have always worked two jobs, one in hospitality (usually as a bartender) and the other in corporate, usually in sales. Years ago, I started a jewelry company making beaded eyeglass chains and had accounts all over the USA, including Hawaii and Japan. I moved away and left it behind. After working for a micromanaging boss back in 2007, I realized I wasn’t being appreciated and decided I could better utilize my skills and make more money and be happier going it alone. I decided to combine my mad cooking skills, entertaining experience, and comedic nature to conduct cooking classes. I am motivated every day by the satisfaction I get from bringing a lead to the fruition of a successful event. When my guests come into the class, they are pensive and unsure. When they leave, I get kisses, hugs, and a huge thank you. That’s a huge motivation!
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment is being first on the page for google searches. I have not only created a niche in a very competitive market, but I'm still in business eleven years later!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Knowing that if I don’t work hard, get leads and sign contracts, money doesn’t come in. I have no weekly paycheck to rely on, but the bills don’t stop coming just because you don’t have a gig.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Do your research: Who’s your competitor? What are your demographics? Who do you admire who’s in the business? How can you do it better?
- Don’t be afraid to change your goals. When I first started, I toyed with the idea of doing a weekly food delivery service and consumer cooking classes. It morphed to corporate culinary team building a few years later when I realized it was my forte, and I already had significant B2B experience.
- Be accountable and keep your word. Many times, you will do business with others who are not ethical, are unprofessional, or practice good business. I overpromise and underdeliver, so the clients know they can depend on me.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Being flexible and seeing opportunities where others don’t can be a huge attribute in an ever-changing marketplace. During the pandemic when I wasn’t able to conduct live events. So, to keep me sane and productive, I did a weekly live cocktail demonstration on social media during my husband’s deejaying sessions (called the Sundown Sessions); it brought a lot of happiness to friends from around the world over. That made us happy. I also conducted virtual events, and I even created a hobby bakery making beautiful royal icing cookies.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://ladivacucina.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/sweetfoxcookiesbyladivacucina
https://www.facebook.com/LaDivaCucina
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/sweetfoxcookies/
https://www.instagram.com/ladivacucina/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ladivacucinateambuilding/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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