We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Firoz Thanawalla a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Firoz thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

Growing up in an environment where academics was the only thing that mattered to have a “bright future”, I have definitely faced my share of turndowns and being overlooked by society while growing up. It wasn’t after years I found my passion and knew exactly what my purpose was.

I would want to leave this world a better place by motivating young individuals to follow their passion. Too often in our society young individuals are turned down because their passion does not align with what society considers a “white collar” job. I am living proof that academics alone, is not the only thing that makes you successful. I want my legacy to inspire and motivate young individuals to do what they desire and excel in it, just like I did.

Firoz , 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?

how you got into your industry

I have always had a passion for the restaurant industry, Graduating from Le Cordon Bleu, I knew I wanted to work in the kitchen. Soon enough I found myself drawing knife roll and apron designs on napkins as I found a need for suitable kitchen gear in the industry. Soon after, I created my own brand (Chef’s Satchel) that now sells to over 100 restaurants and restaurant supply stores all over the world.

While having Chef Satchel in full swing, I wanted to get back into the kitchen and grow to my full potential. I then opened up a fast-food franchisee and am now a multi-unit franchisee.

what type of products/services/creative works you provide,

Chef Satchel provides all handmade knife rolls and aprons. These are used by home chefs all the way to professional Michelin star Chefs!

what problems you solve for your clients and/or what you think sets you apart from others.

The reason I created this company was to fill a need I saw in this industry. There was no durable way of storing chef tools. For a Chef on the go like myself, I was not able to find anything that looked great, felt even better, and would last me a lifetime!
Our knife rolls can store any hand tools a Chef may have, all in one sexy-looking knife roll! Our signature cross-back aprons help take the weight off the shoulders and give a great look to any Chef!

What are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.

If I can do it, anyone can! Despite the great products that Chef Satchel has, we are also a brand that motivates small businesses to get to the next level.

Persistence is key. Thinking back to my younger self, who had no idea what he wanted to do in life, to now owning multiple businesses, following your passion, and going for it no matter what comes your way is key! There are a lot of things that academics fail to teach, but real-life experiences teach you one way or the other.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

From day 1 of my starting my own business, I quickly learned that customer service is everything, I mean EVERYTHING.

Providing my clients exactly what they want has been my number one goal throughout this journey. Whether it is a custom knife roll or a custom apron, giving my clients what they want has been my top priority.

I have applied the same concept to my restaurants. Providing the highest level of customer service has helped us build a great reputation in the community and well as in the whole fast food market. Day after day, customer after customer, gets treated like royalty. It is tough out there and if we can make our customer’s day better, we are going to do it!

Any advice for managing a team?

Managing a team has been one of the hardest things to do while running multiple businesses. It has required to allot of letting go and trusting my managers to make decisions on my behalf. The best advice that I have gotten, and that I follow every day is transparency. FULL TRANSPARENCY. As hard as it may be, my management team hears the good as well as the bad.

It is the full transparency and trust that I have with my managers, that keeps the team going during hard times. It’s the support and leadership that stems from being fully transparent with what expectations I have as well as goals for each one of them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.chefsatchel.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chefsatchel/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/firoz-thanawalla-21877018/