We were lucky to catch up with Wunmi Omomo recently and have shared our conversation below.
Wunmi, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?
I have been around food and baking for as far back as I can remember. My mom grew up hawking the streets of Lagos after moving from Liberia to sell small chops & pastries: puff puff, meatpie, sausage roll, the whole nine yard. This business grew into them selling to nearby schools and more. When we moved as a family to America, things were tough. My mom continued selling puff puff, chinchin and other snacks as a form of side income. However, I like to say my mom was too nice and not quite business savvy, so she got taken advantage of a lot. She did not price her items right and very often made items for free a lot, in return there wasn’t a lot of profit. One huge blessing that came from this was during her time doing this, we (me & my sisters) helped a lot!!! Sometimes we would have to mix the dough before she came home in the morning from working so all she had to do was fry it and meet the deadline.
Fast forward to covid, I was now working from home full time and had lots of free time on my hands. I began to bake a lot more, cook a lot more and one day, I told my sisters what if I start selling this. My sister (thank you Seun) was like yes, why not, and that was the inception. I made a small taster and gave it to about two of my friends to try it out for me and give me back their honest feedback. They did and I took those constructive feedback and worked on it. My sisters then decided to have a very random pop up for me for one of my best sellers (Gizdodo). Till today, I have no idea why people were intrigued by it, but it worked. It was sold in small bowls for I believe $4-$5 and people bought it. I dusted my IG page, my secret page that I had in college to show off food creations, it probably had about 10 followers or so, changed my name to a name that I believe the Holy Spirit gave me years ago but I never used because I thought it sounded silly and didn’t see myself actually running a business.
I left a lot out of this story like how I would make meat pie (one of our most sold out items) during school and I had friends that would tell me how I need to start selling this. I would cook sometimes for some of my friends and they would be like you need to take this seriously or how my roommate from college asked how I was never tired of cooking so often and that why don’t consider being a caterer. I always spoke about how I wanted to be a caterer, to cook for others, but never in a million years did I actually think I would put it into an action form. It took community, believing in myself/getting out of my comfort zone, and always being ready to improve.
I went from selling what I was very familiar with, which was small chops and pastries [my business niche] including gizdodo to incorporating authentic Nigerian food that I grew up on and now blending in some of my favorite American dishes. I am still growing as a caterer and a business owner but that is a short synopsis of how I started.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Wunmi Omomo. I have a lot of nicknames: Mimi, Wumeme, Ms smallchops, Wowchops and more. I got into the catering world in 2020 during the pandemic when the world essentially shut down starting from my kitchen. I am a Nigerian caterer that sells a variety of Nigerian related food items including small chops, snacks, pastries, Nigerian food and some American items. What sets me apart from other Nigerian caterers is my niche. Most caterers primarily focus on the food as the main part and if they offer small chops or pastries, those are subordinates. Mine is the other way around. Small chops is the center of our food business and all the other food items are the extras.
What am I most proud of? I am most proud of me putting in the work. It is not at all easy, but every single day I am willing to put in the work to make the best.
The main things I want potential clients/customers to know about me and my brand is that quality is always at our forefront Additionally, I want customers to know that it is always my honor that I am considered when looking for a caterer especially for the most special events. I absolutely do not take it for granted. It is one thing for you to do the back end work but it is an additional blessing for you to have people that see the work and are willing to support.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
Word of mouth is the greatest source of referral for me. Instagram, facebook, tiktoks are great for exposure but truly nothing beats when I get a customer that is willing to spend thousands on buying from my business simply because someone they know and/or trust referred them to me. It is an absolute honor.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson that I had to unlearn very early on in my business is the idea that I can do it all. I can’t! It is simply impossible. As a perfectionist, I tend to think that unless I do it, no one will get it correctly. That is very untrue. Having people that are willing help you carry the load allows you to go on the journey longer. Burnout was a real thing for me when I started my business because again I thought I could handle it all, but now having the right people around, people willing to help when I need it and listen has been a huge blessing. Also, asking for help. After understanding that I can’t do it all, seeking out who can help and asking was a lesson I had to learn.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wowchops/