Okay, so to recap the previous post, the problem and opportunity I have identified as what I want to solve and profit from solving is this:
Households in Gainesville, specifically busy families, elderly individuals, and individuals with disabilities, can not make good home cooked meals because they either lack the time or the ability for all steps of the home cooking process. I define that process as purchasing groceries and tools, preparation of ingredients and recipes, cooking, eating, storage, and cleanup.
I propose to solve this problem by mainly providing the service of cooking in clients' homes, taking care of the provision of groceries and tools, the prep work, knowledge of recipes, the actual cooking, and cleanup, too. There would be different 'packages' that prospective clients could purchase. Many of these deals would incentivize clients to ask me to come into their home only once or twice a week, but prepare meals for multiple days. This would trade freshness and a bit of quality, but take away the clients' need to handle storage of leftovers and give me the freedom to fit in more clients in a week.
Here's what I think so far for the packages:
(NOTE: for all of these, I would have to charge more per person, of course, and, realistically, I imagine I would have to cap it at a family of 5)
Households in Gainesville, specifically busy families, elderly individuals, and individuals with disabilities, can not make good home cooked meals because they either lack the time or the ability for all steps of the home cooking process. I define that process as purchasing groceries and tools, preparation of ingredients and recipes, cooking, eating, storage, and cleanup.
I propose to solve this problem by mainly providing the service of cooking in clients' homes, taking care of the provision of groceries and tools, the prep work, knowledge of recipes, the actual cooking, and cleanup, too. There would be different 'packages' that prospective clients could purchase. Many of these deals would incentivize clients to ask me to come into their home only once or twice a week, but prepare meals for multiple days. This would trade freshness and a bit of quality, but take away the clients' need to handle storage of leftovers and give me the freedom to fit in more clients in a week.
Here's what I think so far for the packages:
(NOTE: for all of these, I would have to charge more per person, of course, and, realistically, I imagine I would have to cap it at a family of 5)
- The most cost-effective package would be a set menu where I cook a lunch/dinner that could be eaten fresh, then cook and store food for lunch and dinner for 2-3 days
- There would be a very limited set of possible packages that may rotate based on the affordability of ingredients, which I would ideally buy in bulk, and, yes, OF COURSE I DREAMED UP A DELICIOUS EXAMPLE (for your brain's taste buds)
- Ex.: The All-American-
- Fresh Meal: Pork Chops w/ Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans
- Lunch Day 2: Chicken Pot Pie
- Dinner Day 2: Bacon Mac'n'Cheese and Succotash
- Lunch Day 3: Chicken Salad Sandwich
- Dinner Day 3: Pot Pie leftovers
- The next most cost-effective package would be the above, but with dessert included, which has to be a bit more expensive since dessert supplies are less reusable, plus I think I could get away with asking for more\
- The most deluxe version is me making a custom meal for a client, limited only by legality of the meal (sorry, Hannibal) and the price they're willing to pay for the extra time for me to acquire the necessary ingredients and recipe knowledge
Here's what I'm not sure of:
- What are my minimum necessary requirements? I definitely need certification, which I'm pretty sure is a county by county thing. I need ingredients, utensils to cook them with, and a way to keep them fresh and transport them. But what else?
- How do I get the ball rolling with clients? I'm not really part of any church or social group where I have personal interactions with the people I envision as my clientele.
- Wait... what am I doing?
The last part was a joke, mostly, but still- I welcome all input. Still in the planning stages.
Aditya,
ReplyDeleteI liked this post a lot because the way you wrote it is almost like a ever-changing and reflective conversation with yourself. Creating packages for your clients is a very good idea because you can create a diverse amount of packages for a variety of different customer types,such as the elderly couple or the single mom of four children. While one may have a taste for more expensive, fancier meals, the other just wants a solid, healthy meal to feed themselves and their children. I understand capping the party at five if it's just yourself, but I would also maybe consider having a sous-chef. One time my family hired a private chef for my grandfather and grandmother's birthday and she had a sous-chef as well as someone to serve the clients. Overall it was a great experience and having the other people to help made a difference.