We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Megan Gregory a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Megan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
Starting The Culinary Nest, LLC. over 6 years ago was truly the most unexpected, yet organic, journey that has occurred in my life. In all candidness, it began from a place of loss and feeling lost. My background is in retail management with a Bachelor’s Degree in Textile & Apparel studies. I served the retail community for 8 years, but found myself wanting more balance and freedom in my life. During that same time, my husband and I were undergoing infertility treatments with the hope and desire of starting a family. After years and multiple failed attempts, I was left at a crossroads and the question circling my mind was “If I’m not going to be a mom, who am I going to be?”.
During those days, weeks, months and years of injections, failed pregnancy tests, hope and disappointment, I found myself finding solace in the kitchen. Now, to explain more on how my path into the culinary world was most unexpected, I have to share something further into my past. I was the PICKIEST eater for the majority of my life up to about 10 years ago. I had no idea how to cook from scratch let alone cook for large groups confidently… or at all. However, my husband was determined from the day we met to open my eyes to the delicious bites and cuisines I had so close-mindedly denied myself, and once I tried these mouthwatering morsels in the spirit of impressing him, my life was literally changed.
Now, back to 7 years ago when this all began, I was defeated in my journey to motherhood and realized that I found solace in the kitchen. I challenged myself daily to learn and perfect cooking techniques, knife work, sauces from scratch, ingredients I had never used before. I felt complete. I felt fulfillment. And soon thereafter, I felt whole again. I started @theculinarynest Instagram page first as a hobby and outlet to share my love of cooking and discoveries in the kitchen, however, I did not realize then what it was soon to become. My followers quickly began commenting things like “that looks SO good, will you come make it for me?!” and “when are you having me over for dinner?!” and the lightbulb went on. I thought, “What if I actually offered this. What if I cooked for people?”. In the end, although it was not in a small human form, my passion, purpose, business and career were born.
At this point in time, I have successfully provided numerous private dining experiences, cooked 3-course events for 30+ guests, served meals to 18+ families/week, learned photography and offer the service for small business and brands, have done multiple media appearances including The Food Network (where I surprised even myself by bringing home the win of the competition), partnered with multiple national brands, and create recipe content for my followers as well as businesses.
If I had to use one word to inspire others it would be this: persistence. Push through those feelings of loss and disappointment when they show up in your life. Try the recipe again. Be persistent to find your fulfillment and purpose. Don’t wait to start, figure it out along the way. The rest will follow, and it will be the most worthwhile journey in your life.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Megan Gregory and I am the owner and creator of The Culinary Nest, LLC. Over six years ago I made the transition into the culinary field as a self-taught chef offering private dining and cooking for intimate events. Soon thereafter, I added the role of photographer to my resume to offer Food & Product Photography for small businesses and brands. Organically my business opened up to brand sponsorships on social media creating posts, reels and stories representing products and services I stand behind. And for those who are not looking for these services or are local to me, I share my recipes, photography, life and lessons on my social media outlets and website for others to use and be inspired by.
Recently, I was given the honor and privilege to compete (and spoiler: WIN) on Supermarket Stakeout, Season 4: Episode Vacation Nation which aired on The Food Network this past summer. As a self-taught chef who has the upmost respect for the culinary trained, it took me some time to gain the confidence to use the title “chef” when referring to myself, however, now I confidently say if Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli calls me Chef Megan, so can I.
Currently, I am offering the following services: Food & Product Photography, Recipe Development, Brand Sponsorships, Media Talent Appearances with future plans of launching a culinary product line as well as a cookbook.
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
Getting in front of your ideal client and creating brand loyalty are truly the make-it or break-it foundation of your business. There are many ways to do this, and I recommend tapping into as many as possible. For me, it was connecting with the community both in person and through social media marketing that grew my business exponentially.
Getting in touch with your community is of upmost importance and this is where your word of mouth referrals stem from. Attending like-minded groups and events (ex: entrepreneurship panels, monthly networking groups, meeting others who are local in your industry) as well as being vocal about your business and what it offers with your family and friend group are key to getting the news spread about your profession. Being very clear in your message, passionate when speaking about your business and confident in what you offer and provide your clients will attract others to want to experience it with you.
Social Media Marketing has proven itself over and over again to be a massive contributor to bringing in new business and clients. When I first began my business, I was sticking solely to the culinary prospective in my posts and stories while keeping much of my personal life behind the scenes. Of course, depending on your business and needs, there are various things to consider when it comes to your marketing. Personally, I saw a large influx in both connection and growth when I decided to share who I was as an individual alongside what I offer. Your followers want to feel relatable to you and know who they are supporting. For example, my original followers wanted to see great food content and learn to cook, but the followers I gained who aren’t as food crazed as I am maybe related to me on the subject of my love for animals, my infertility journey and healing, or my experience in becoming an entrepreneur.
Other areas of marketing I highly recommend are having an engaging website for a landing page to see further into your business, email marketing, utilizing other networking platforms such as LinkedIn, and remaining consistent in these efforts.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
I wish I could say that the funding and financial component of starting any business, whether be service or product based, comes at a zero risk. But, sadly that wouldn’t be factual. There is going to be financial commitment needed to create a business that sometimes feels big, scary or unreachable. BUT, you wouldn’t be an entrepreneur if you weren’t in it for the long game and willing to face those fears because you BELIEVE in your offering! We are going to go backwards in our piggy banks before going forward, but if you are willing to put in the work, it will return to you and more.
A couple of things to consider when you are starting a business: How much do you realistically need to launch your business?Do you have savings set aside you can tap in to? Is getting a business loan the best option to move forward? Are there grants available to serve your startup?
Funding The Culinary Nest, LLC. began with me starting with one offering in my services: private dining and events. This required a relatively low up front investment as I solely needed my two hands, kitchen tools and utensils. However, after I launched that service, I knew I wanted to grow my photography services, first for me to offer quality content to brands who hired me to create for them, and second to offer to others for their own brands and businesses. So, in order to do this, I knew that I needed to continue to grow and prosper in my chef services to earn the money to put forth into investing into a DSLR camera. So, rather than focusing solely on private events, I began cooking for various families weekly which in turn provided me a consistent income. Once I was able, I made my next investment into my photography career which in return, provided me two income streams+ as brands began to hire me more frequently for their campaigns. My business has continued on this cycle, earn enough to add another income stream. This has allowed me to really tap into multiple avenues within the culinary space for my business as well as notoriety for multiple services.
Every startup has different financial requirements, but being pragmatic in what you can provide to your business now, and what aspects could you hold back on, to ensure you are supported in your life as well are very important to define.
Things to consider:
What items/equipment do I need to purchase to make this happen?
Do I need to invest in any education to get me there?
Can I do this from home or do I need to invest in a space?
Will I need to hire a team?
What marketing and accounting items will I need to fund (ex: website, quickbooks, editing programs, etc.)?
Do I need to find a manufacturer for my product? Shipping?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theculinarynest.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theculinarynest/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theculinarynest
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-gregory-50790274/
Image Credits
Kat Stevenson Photography- two photos: the colorful food network one and sitting on the table with camera and whisk