We recently connected with Alicia Beckford and have shared our conversation below.

Alicia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

I knew just being a Private Chef wasn’t the end goal for me, Offszning nor Sips Tea. I’ve always thought to open a staffing placement agency for private and catering chefs in the next 5-7yrs. After manifesting that plan out loud, I began working towards it everyday by doing research, taking courses, revamping my resume, etc..

One night I was looking online for remote/hybrid jobs so I can be more active with my youngest daughter’s school schedule. I logged on to Indeed and the first posting that appeared on the screen was for a Professional Development Coach with catering experience. I immediately applied and less than 12hrs later I was called in for an interview. I was utterly excited to begin living what I imagined out loud. I was offered the position and started work the next Wednesday.

I’m very grateful to be gaining the knowledge and hands-on experience of career coaching and job placement sooner than I expected. Of course the tasks are not limited to my place of employment, I have created a Fiverr account that allows individuals to book consultation and services on their own time. I can also be booked through my website Offszning.com.

Alicia, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

For those who may not know me, I have been a chef and tea-maker since 2016 and opened my first online-based tea and wellness business in 12/2018, officially launching in April of 2020 during quarantine. After doing so well with my teas and wellness products, I went on to pursue my passion in cooking and became a private chef, landing my very first gig hosting a vegan Italian dinner for a family of 4. Since, I was presented the opportunity to be the executive chef for a vegan ultra lounge in Beverly Hills, which was short-lived due to shady ownership. After leaving that awful place, I reverted to hosting private dinner experiences and getting my catering business Offszning LLC., licensed, insured and registered with the state. Offszning has been an official brand since October 2021.

After reaching my level of mastery in any level of my culinary journey, I’m always looking for what’s next. I’m always eager to learn new things in this field so I can sharpen my skills for the next entry. Shortly after manifesting my long-term goal of owning a culinary staffing agency, I am now an entry-level Career Coach. I have made this service an addition to Offszning which is now available on my site Offszning.com as well as the Fiverr platform.

My coaching style is very versatile and caters to the needs of the client; just like my cooking. I get to know the client and assess their wants and needs before creating a menu/course guideline to help them achieve their goal for their event/career.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I was so excited to become an Executive chef at a restaurant that I kind of dived in blindly not asking as many questions as I should have. I was a little too trusting in this business at the beginning because my eagerness to succeed was stronger than my discernment at the moment. I was stolen from on a regular basis by the owner, manipulated and verbally and financially abused. I snatched my services from that place once I’ve had enough of letting the lies fly for the sake of peace and “having something to prove.”

Right when I thought I’d be sad and regretful of my decision, although it was the best decision, I actually felt free and optimistic for the next chapter. I am still so very grateful for the experience and knowing I am very capable of having such a position. I took what I’ve learned simultaneous to what I knew and continued to host private dinners; growing my own brand.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to stop thinking social media was the only way to put yourself out there. I like social media for entertainment purposes, but hate it at the same time for how people can decide if you’re good or not based on your followers or number of likes.

I only had 800+ followers before going viral after posting a voice-over video of me cooking my seafood boil subs. I gained over 16,000 followers, 2.7Million views and over 200,000+ likes after that video and immediately became freaked out. The attention wasn’t expected at all because I know what it comes with it.

Granted my profiles advertised my businesses, but I wanted customers more than an audience. Thinking the two are linear, I began to make more reels creating consistency in my content. However, I saw more likes, comments and followers than actual bookings. I had to realize these people don’t want a chef, they want an influencer and that’s what I refuse to be. Creating videos and making sure I post the right photo became more of the job than catering so I slowly stopped creating content and my entire follower count dropped, proving me right about my theory of people wanting entertainment and not good food. I’m not mad at those that get great business based on the attention they receive, by all means make your money. I personally do not like to advertise that way solely because I like to be behind the scenes more and rather private intimate gatherings than large events.

Once I found a way to advertise my business without having a million eyes on me, I took full advantage of those resources and Offszning has become a bigger success by doing so than just limiting marketing to Instagram and Facebook. This is one of the main reasons I’ve had the idea of opening a staffing agency for chefs. I want to show others there’s millions of ways to get your business off the ground aside from making a social page. I want to show others what I’ve learned simultaneous to what works for them.

Contact Info:

• Website: offszning.com