MOCK TASK: The Side Hustle Kitchen, episode 48 transcript (made-up podcast)

[00:00] Jordan: Welcome back to The Side Hustle Kitchen. Today I've got Ana, who went from cooking for her family to running a meal prep business out of her home kitchen. Ana, welcome.

[00:14] Ana: Thanks for having me. I've listened since episode one, so this is a bit surreal.

[01:02] Jordan: So take me back. What made you think, okay, people would pay for this?

[01:09] Ana: Honestly, my coworkers. I'd bring leftovers and three of them asked if they could pay me to cook for them every week. That was the first test.

[04:35] Jordan: How did you figure out pricing? That's where most people get stuck.

[04:41] Ana: I made every mistake. I charged eight dollars a meal and lost money. Then I worked out my real cost per meal, including containers and my time, and doubled it. I lost two customers and kept ten.

[09:50] Jordan: Where did your first ten customers come from?

[09:55] Ana: Coworkers, then their partners, then a post in my neighborhood Facebook group. No ads at all for the first year.

[15:20] Jordan: What's the biggest mistake you'd tell people to avoid?

[15:26] Ana: Saying yes to every custom request. Gluten free, no onions, extra sauce. I spent my whole Sunday on special orders. Now I have a set menu that changes weekly. And check your local rules on selling food from home before you start.

[21:40] Jordan: Where can people find you?

[21:43] Ana: My menu is on anasweeklytable.example.com and I'm on Instagram at the same name.