Hey Chefs & Food Enthusiasts!

Good stuff for your year's end. If you haven't already done it, take a look at my last newsletter issue, it has some real gems you don't want to miss. It's all about staying outside of the box and using different, non-traditional [along with the traditional] methods for growth.


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Quick Recap:
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-Last issue you got two reviews, information on bartering, taking classes and surfing the net to build your biz. [Hopefully you've put some or all of those things into action.]

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A's - 4 - Q's [ Answers - 4 - Questions ]
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I received a few emails regarding contracts for your personal chef business and where to find them. So I Googled the term and found different PC 'businesses' listed, but wasn't successful on finding a specific standard contract; however, the simplest way I could tell you to go about drafting up a contract is to first look at the big picture [keep in mind that I'm not an attorney, nor am I attempting to practice law or give legal advice - this is only a pattern based on how I approach the process].

What do you want to give and what do you want to get? What do your services entail? What are your nonnegotiables? What are your expectations/demands? What are you agreeing to? What are the details of how you're going to execute your services? What will happen if either one of you doesn't fulfill on your agreed upon roles and obligations? These are, of course, very broad strokes, but it's the gist of some of the foundational items that should be represented in your documentation and agreement.

What it gets down to is this...

Can you and your client come to an agreement on what you're going to do for them and what they're going to do for you?
It doesn't have to be complicated, it just needs to be clear.

When all is said and done you can always put together a draft of what you want in your contract and run it by your trusted attorney to make sure the verbiage is correct and that you're not leaving yourself open to a loss.

Suggestion... keep things on the light side. Be clear and concise, but not overly litigious. If you go over the top, you could develop the perfect water-tight contract and scare off your client. Always approach your agreements from the 'Win-Win' perspective.

Let me know if this helps!

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PC BUSINESS TIPS:
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- Join some on and offline forums, groups, communities or organizations where you become a trusted and valued contributor. It'll establish you as an expert in your field as well as giving potential prospects a reason to hire your services as well as referring them to others.
- Make friends with several restaurateurs, food professionals and foodies. You never know when that's going to come in handy and be mutually beneficial.
- Leverage your resources. Learn to share circles of influence.

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UP THIS WEEK
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ARTICLES
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Here are the latest articles from the Personal Chef site at BellaOnline.com.

Using Google to Build your Business for Profit
by Jason Hodge - Personal Chef & Vegetarian Sites Editor
Google is a wonderful invention that needs further attention. It could be one of the biggest boons to your PC career. Here are some areas you want to consider when locating your future clients.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art325.asp

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Business Building Ideas to Use Right Now
by Jason Hodge - Personal Chef & Vegetarian Sites Editor
Your PC business can be grown rapidly and organically by doing what you do best. Here are four business building ideas to incorporate into your routine to cause your business to flourish.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art55793.asp

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FORUM DISCUSSIONS & POLLS
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VISIT US
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To participate in free, fun, really active online discussions, visit us at our
community forum and join a conversation.

It's located here:
http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=95

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CLOSING
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You know, I really enjoy writing for you. If you tell me the areas you're most interested in I'll do my best to address them. Let me know what's on your mind and let's have a lot of fun together as we explore the world of food and the folks who love it. Pass this newsletter along and let's do breakfast, lunch and dinner together.

Join me next time when I put out more foodie stuff!!!

As always... it's been a pleasure sharing with you. Until next time...


Jason Hodge
Personal Chef & Vegetarian Editor
http://personalchef.bellaonline.com
http://vegetarian.bellaonline.com
http://MySpace.com/HealthyCuisine - join my friends on MySpace and be ready for my upcoming cooking series.
http://bit.ly/CVfm - We've started an any & everything food group on FaceBook! Check it out!

One of hundreds of sites at BellaOnline.com