Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food services but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Roy Zettlemoyer, Founder of Z'Chef Personal Chef Services, located in Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I execute personal chef services at three levels. One, I provide weekly in-home meal service for busy clients who have little room for meal planning. I also help clients with specific nutritional needs to improve their lives. Two, I cater dinner parties of all kinds, from themed wine pairings to formal sit-downs. Three, I love teaching cooking classes, from bread making to desserts. These classes are designed to teach methods and techniques rather than recipes. My clientele includes all sorts of individuals and families, from stay-at-home mothers to single fathers and busy professionals throughout southeast Michigan.

Tell us about yourself

I have worked in various places in the culinary industry, from dishwashing in restaurants to executive chef positions. I also owned my own cafe for a period of time, and after all of that was completed, I discovered what I really enjoyed the most was the relationships with my customers and bringing them pleasure from my food. So, after over 40 years of various endeavors, I started Z'Chef Personal Chef Service in 2017. My daily motivation is driven by my pure love affair with food and delivering that relationship to satisfied clients.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I think my biggest accomplishment as a business owner is that after 45 years of cooking, it just never gets old. In reality, I continue to learn about this inexhaustible universe of food and am inspired by it. I think this daily drive that ever grows without burnout is the biggest success story that I know.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The hardest issue with what I do as a business owner is to manage my time wisely and keep all things under control so that I continue to be inspired to do what I do as well as inspired through what I do.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

I think that any person going into business has to have a clear picture of what service or product drives your thinking in planning. Without clarity, you will be going in many directions based on whims rather than working on your goal.

I also know from personal experience that there has to be room for failure because it will happen. The margin for failure is what keeps you motivated through difficulties instead of throwing in the towel on your career as well as your person. It's very likely that your perception of what your business will look like will be very different from the finished product.

In order for your business to thrive, you personally have to be thriving. Owning a business is hard work because initially, everything depends on you, and your mental, emotional and physical well-being are key elements in your success.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

After all these years of working in the business of serving people, I realize that I can only do for others what I do for myself. Love yourself, and you will love others as well as love what you do!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://zchef.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/www.zchef.net
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roy-zettlemoyer-836a37a5/

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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