Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ayanna Jones. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Ayanna, thanks for joining us 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 started off by noticing that I have a hidden talent. I could cook. Very well, but I could still use some teaching to perfect it. I was having a conversation with my father about going to Culinary School. So, a week later I toured a school and was set on getting into this school. I ended up getting in and started classes July of 2017. I went through the highs and lows during school, stressed about homework, late nights trying to complete projects or assignments. Proud of myself for getting good grades. Everything. I struggled but I persevered, and I graduated in June of 2019. Soon before I graduated in 2018, I had a friend approach me about possibly Food Vending at an event they were throwing. I decided then to declare that the day I would start my food business. So, I formulated a plan that involved me getting equipment, food, or anything else I need to start food vending at that event. I dedicated almost a full month to make sure everything went fool proof. reaching out to people who could point me in the direction of attaining any information I could. I got prepared for the event and I ended up having a great night I almost completely sold out of food that night and people enjoyed it and I had a great set up that I spent time making and creating. The next day I was so happy to have actually executed on a new idea and phase of my life and it jumpstarted my career. Just from that one event I have been able to take on different events in different cities and states. Now I am currently a Personal Chef that travels from Dallas Texas to Temecula California, doing catering events. I thank my friend almost every day for being able to set me up to expand in my career before even graduating culinary school.
Ayanna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Ayanna Jones. I go by Chef AJ. I am a personal chef based in Dallas Texas and Temecula California. I got into the food industry in 2018. Chef AJ is a catering and personal chef service that also sells organic and vegan spice blends. Our most popular seasoning is Organic Salt- Free Seasoning.
How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.
Yes! We are a Shopify E-commerce store. We chose Shopify because of the customizations and apps that help to run your website smoothly. We admire Shopify because it is a tool, we can utilize for selling our products to customers all over the world and any one can have access to these products with just a click of a button. This makes it easier for our business to market while we rest! That is a definite pro. The only con we have is that Shopify is not a self-hosted website.
Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.
Yes, All products and manufactured in Temecula California. We started selling organic spice blends in 2020. We wanted our customers to have healthy and organic alternatives to season their food while also still bringing the flavor. When we first started manufacturing our products, we came up with a simple yet unique design for our spice bottles. We designed labels, the recipes for the spices, how many ounces each bottle holds, and how it will be shipped. When finding our vendors, we had to do major research. Finding out which vendor has certain materials that will make the production go by smoother. It was not easy finding vendors, lots of time trying to find places and at a price that is convenient. The lessons I have learned came from repetition, learning from mistakes, reviews from customers, and most importantly how will the product work from a consumer standpoint.
Contact Info:
- Website: shopchefaj.com
- Instagram: DoseOfChefAJ
- Yelp: Chef Ayanna Jones
Image Credits
@avjohnnyb @mikemajors