If there is such a thing as a “recipe for success”, Rob Fisher of WA Flavours may well have discovered the secret.
The one thing Rob has always been certain of, is that he didn’t want to work for anyone else but himself.
After seeking business advice, Rob was directed to the NEIS programme through his job service provider.
Once Rob completed the course, he was on his way to creating a refreshingly new catering business, specifically catering to the corporate market with team building and cooking classes.
A qualified chef by trade, Rob is no stranger to cooking up a storm in the kitchen, and with his catering business branching out into the cafe scene; this will certainly come in handy.
Although he did not set out to run a cafe, seeking a kitchen for his catering business has led WA flavours in this new direction.
“I didn’t set out to do a cafe, we do corporate cooking classes, and team building master chef challenges, we needed a kitchen for our catering, and came across this cafe so we brought it,” Rob said.
“It’s a very busy location and has a good little business hub. We are slowly winning back business confidence with the locals. It’s been three weeks in the cafe and our figures have doubled in the last two weeks,” said Rob.
What the cafe makes in a week, the corporate classes can make in a day, but despite the corporate classes being very cost effective, they are only seasonal.
“Unfortunately the corporate business is not generating regular Cashflow which is what I need, and the cafe will give me this,” said Rob.
The two businesses are separate, targeting different market segments, but are still complimentary to each other, allowing Rob to continue sharing his love of cooking.
Rob plans to get the cafe established and eventually wants to employ someone to manage it, so that he can build up the corporate functions.
He is already booked for August and October with companies such as BHP and banks wanting to utilise his corporate cooking classes.
“I think you’re nuts working for anybody else,” said Rob.
“If someone hasn’t been in business, they would be mad not to do the Business Foundations programme, they need to go down that road and develop a business plan,”
“The one thing you need to do in business is listen to your clients, and know what they want. The success of our business is in knowing what our clients want,” said Rob.
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