We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Trish O’Neill. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Trish below.

Trish, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I have found that happiness as a business owner is directly proportional to its success. When things are going great I feel like starting my own business was the smartest, most wonderful decision I’ve ever made. When the business is struggling, I feel like it was a terrible decision! What I wasn’t prepared for is the intensity of the emotional ups and downs of business ownership.

For instance, right before opening The Cooking Studio, I was completely overwhelmed with so many things happening all at once, so I called my business mentor and we had coffee. I told him that I felt as if I was 8 months pregnant and decided I didn’t want to have a baby. That I realized I was too far in to back out now, but I’d decided I didn’t want to own a business – it was too hard! I thought that I was going to fail before I even got started. I was miserable and so very unhappy.

But as I powered through solving each problem, one at a time I felt better and better. The grand opening happened and I was on top of the world. I’d given birth to my business ‘baby’ and it was beautiful!! And I went from the lowest of low to the highest of high.

That scenario is still playing out today. There are days that I wish I’d never started a business. Then there are days that I’m so proud of what I’ve created that I smile all the time.

The Cooking Studio was just named one of “The Seven Best Places in Colorado to take a Cooking Class” by American Small Towns Media. When that came out my first response was: Mic Drop. I’d done it!

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 decided to start a cooking school for home cooks after attending many cooking classes around the country. I loved taking them and eventually thought that this was a business I could start in Fort Collins. The mission was simple: to connect home cooks with their ‘inner chef’ and take the mystery our of making a meal.

But it’s not just that, our cooking classes connect people. We have a LOT of fun cooking in our Date Night, Fancy Friday, Parent/Child, and Private cooking classes. We have classes on Thai Cooking, Cast Iron Cooking, Baking, French Cooking and so many more topics! Our professional Chefs not only teach people to cook delicious meals, but we also play music, sip wine, and show everyone how to enjoy the process of cooking as much as the outcome.

And it works. Our classes are consistently sold out and the google reviews are 5-stars all the way! Being named as One of the 7 Best Places in Colorado to Take a Cooking Class is evidence that the formula works. People want to experience cooking a meal rather than just going ‘out to eat’ and we’re one of the best places for that experience.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

There are 3 parts to building a reputation is 3-fold: 1) excellent customer service 2) quality products and 3) making it personal.

The first two are critical, but number 3 is where our reputation is really built. People want to do business with people, not businesses. I didn’t want to believe that when I started, but as time went along I realized the truth of it. No matter how many great classes we offered, or how user friendly the registration processes were, the thing that made the difference was the Chef Instructors being personable and kind, and me being front and center to the message and work of The Cooking Studio. Emails come from me, not ‘manager’ or ‘info’. I respond to customer complaints as myself, not as some anonymous manager. Its hard to put myself out there so much, but it works.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Giving up my initial vision of what The Cooking Studio’s mission should be was the hardest lesson for me. I had a vision of elite menus and gourmet, difficult to create meals using only organic, locally raised food, and top of the line wine pairing.

The reality was that the majority of people wanted to come experience cooking and not be subjected to culinary snobbery and elitism. They wanted to have fun with their friends and families. They wanted Chef Instructors who were kind and approachable people. They wanted great food that was affordable and possible to make at home.

Now when people leave classes with the idea that cooking is fun, not a chore, we’ve succeeded! We want people to understand that you don’t have to be perfect to create delicious meals. That you don’t need only pristine ingredients to make good food and you don’t need lots of fancy equipment. That food and cooking is interesting and fun.

Giving up my commitment to culinary rigor and elite food and wine was hard. It was also the best business decision I’ve made.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://the-cooking-studio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_cooking_studio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCookingStudioFC/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trish-o-neill-9543634/

Image Credits
The photo of Trish at the doors was taken by Richard Mauro Ricchiuti. [email protected].