Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Madeleine Vedel, Owner of Provence Cooks LLC., located in Avignon, Provence, France.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I organize tours to Provence with a strong focus on great food, regional wines, and artisan visits. I have themed tours on Truffles, Hiking, and discovering the Impressionist artists who chose to live out their lives on the Riviera.
Tell us about yourself
I am an American who moved to France in my twenties to pursue an arts management degree. I fell in love with a chef, and we started a culinary tourism activity together. Today - though divorced - we still work together and in collaboration with many wonderful artisans and farmers throughout Provence.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Finding a way to work with colleagues and share what I love so much about Provence and its way of life.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Dealing with having an income so dependent on the world economy.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Just keep on plugging away. Every person you meet, every contact, and every event offers possibilities for growing your business. And, in time, someone who sat beside your mother on a plane twenty years ago may become a paying client who brings their friends to the table.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: http://www.cuisineprovencale.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madeleine.h.vedel
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madeleineschocolatesplus/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeleine-hill-vedel-2563324/
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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