We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Beverly Ugoagu. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Beverly below.
Beverly, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you think folks should manage their own social media or hire a professional? What do you do?
I currently manage all of my Auntie Bev’s social media accounts on my own, with the occasional help of a social media manager. It is difficult trying to constantly come up with new ideas and create new content that will keep people engaged. The most important thing for me is to make sure that I have fun while making the content. Sometimes, its easy to get caught up in how many likes or shares a post, Reel or TikTok, that I forget the main goal, which is to have fun!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I’ve always had a passion for cooking. When my mom would cook our meals growing up, I would be the only one out of my 2 siblings to stay back in the kitchen and watch her.
Fast forward to about 19 years old, I got my first college apartment and had no choice but to start cooking for myself. The dorm days and dining hall days from freshman year had came to an end. If I didn’t want to be stuck eating out everyday, I had to get in that kitchen and start experimenting. Through a lot of trial and error, I realized that I’m very great at cooking.
January 2020 hit and I decided I wanted to make an Instagram page to showcase all of the amazing meals I make in the kitchen. Of course, this was all before we knew a pandemic was about to put all of our lives on hold. However, after receiving such great feedback from my followers on Instagram and constantly being asked when I would start selling my creations, Auntie Bev’s was born. I’ve now been running my catering and meal prep business for about 2 years now.
I specialize in catering, meal prepping and private chef services.
My favorite dishes to make are the ones that showcase my layers of skills in the kitchen. I am known for mostly my comfort food.
I am extremely proud of being awarded the Best Small Black Owned Business in the Inland Empire in February 2022. It was a truly an honor to receive this award, especially during Black History Month. I started this business not knowing exactly where it would take me, but clearly I must be doing something right and I really thank God for it all.
I believe what sets me apart from other cooks is my versatility. Because I am Nigerian American, I can switch from southern comfort food to traditional Nigerian dishes in a heartbeat. Not only do I make these genres of food, but on my page, you will find a variety of different cultural foods on my page, such as Thai food and Jamaican food.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Building an organic audience on social media was a challenge. To this day, I am still working to build up my audience. A lot of that comes from the content you make and share with your viewers. I am constantly thinking of new ways to keep my followers interested and engaged. Social media of today kind of caters to your personal goals of wanting to create a bigger audience.
The biggest advice I would give to anyone trying to build a bigger social media presence would be to just post it. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it doesn’t have to be polished. How can you grow if you’re not posting and doing trial and error? By posting, you will see what works and what doesn’t work for you. Don’t be afraid.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
The best source of new clients for me has been word of mouth. I have a lot of supportive people in my corner that love my food. They always refer people to me and I really appreciate that.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auntiebevs/