I would like to know where to get information on starting business?

Question

I would like to teach people to cook.

Answer 1

If you are interested in starting a business teaching people how to cook, you may want to check the International Association of Culinary Professionals http://www.iacp.com/ as they have a Cooking School subcommittee, which provides information and networking opportunities for starting a cooking school. They have a publications area, which may have information on how to start a cooking school. Contact them at:

International Association of Culinary Professionals
304 West Liberty Street - Suite 201
Louisville, KY 40202 USA
Telephone US [phone]
Fax US [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

It is important to check with your local health department for the requirements of starting a cooking school. In many places, you will be required to teach cooking in a certified industrial kitchen.

Some recommended books include:

- Professional Cooking by Wayne Gisslen
- The Professional Chef, Seventh Edition by Culinary Institute of America
- Le Cordon Bleu's Complete Cooking Techniques by Le Cordon Bleu

If you need help in starting your business, you can find someone to help and mentor you from these organizations:

- Government Mentoring Programs such as SBDCs, which works with community colleges and local business development councils to offer mentoring programs http://www.sba.gov/sbdc/sbdcnear.html ; or the Women's Network for Entrepreneurial Training http://www.sba.gov/womeninbusiness/wnet_roundtables.html
- Volunteer programs such as SCORE http://www.score.org which is composed of mostly retired executives and entrepreneurs
- Formal mentoring programs such as Athena Foundation http://www.athenafoundation.org/programs/globallinks.html , Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program http://www.helzbergmentoring.org/HEMP/ , or The Aspen Institute MicroMentor Program http://www.micromentor.org
- Professional organizations such as the National Women’s Business Council http://www.nwbc.gov/Mentoring/programs.html
- Industry and trade associations
- Local business groups, such as the chamber of commerce
- Local chapters of business groups

Answer 2

The best routes to take are to research the process of starting a business as well as the industry you're interested in.

I recommend checking out the SBA, Entrepreneur, The Start Up Journal & Nolo. All 4 are great informational resources for the new/small business owner. I posted links for you in the source box.

Associations may be a good avenue to explore as well. These organizations will address many of the thoughts, questions and concerns you'll inevitably have as well as many you haven't anticipated yet. See the source box for some relevant links.

Research, research, research – this cannot be stressed enough. Read as much as you can about the industry. Here are some book titles that are relevant:

* How to Start a Home-Based Personal Chef Business by Denise Vivaldo
* Become A Personal Chef 2004: An Introduction To The Industry by Brian T. Koning
* How to Start a Home-Based Catering Business, 4th by Denise Vivaldo

There are plenty of free informational resources out there. Check the source box for links to articles.

Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!