Your idea that heals.

Today I’ve got for you a case study and timeless lesson about the power of the right first step.

Meet my client (and sister) Traci Siegel, personal chef + cooking teacher in Berkeley, CA. For the past 16 months, Traci had been cooking for a local food start-up and late this spring was ready to pivot. She had developed loyal customers through the food platform, and now sought a way to "set up shop" and parlay those relationships into her own thing.

Of course, this raised key questions, like where should Traci head next? And most relevant here, what should she do first?

What initial step would spur Traci’s business forward with the least amount of second guessing or wasted effort?

The key: getting clear on her "idea that heals.”TM

Traci and I got to work identifying a singular idea around which she could anchor her endeavor and communications. This meant identifying an idea lucid and simple enough to stitch together her messaging, her offer, and her decision-making into a seamless whole. 

In coming posts, I’ll be sharing insights + tips to help you identify your own idea that heals. Today, I’ll share the idea we landed on for Traci and what happened once we did.

Traci’s idea that heals: "Nourish yourself. A personal chef is within reach."

That’s it: 8 brief words that establish (and elevate) a conversation and focal point for her business. She does not see herself or want to be lumped in with transactional meal delivery services like GrubHub or Munchery, or even catering. Leading with the word “nourish” allows her to separate from the pack. She’s also wants to bust an (oft-unstated) assumption about who uses or can afford a personal chef, by creating a product that is within reach of more people.

An effective "idea that heals” offers a clear declaration or insight.

A truly compelling one connects that claim to your audience’s personal priorities. See how we accomplished that connection for Traci.

"Nourish yourself. A personal chef is within reach. You can have delicious, healthy (produce-rich) meals regularly waiting for you and your family along with a calm, relaxed dinner hour, for less than going out to eat."

This additional sentence defines her audience’s personal priority using detail and specificity: a consistently calm, relaxed dinner hour with a partner and/or family. Eating well, and feeling good—for less $ and effort than going out to eat.

An idea that heals is more than words on a page. It shapes action.

Traci used her new “idea that heals” to guide her email invitation for her first personal chef offer, her conversations with prospects + clients, the kind of food she prepares, and the creative + business decisions she makes (i.e.—the insides as well as the outside of her business.). Right off the bat, 3 of 6 cooking slots were taken. And she’s slowly beginning to fill out her calendar.

So how does Traci feel using her idea that heals? Her own words tell it best:

This notion of an “idea that heals”  is relatively new for you. How did it feel to land on yours?
Traci: “It felt right in my gut. It helped me uncover and name the value of what I am really providing. And it elevated my offering by changing the conversation. I’m not just giving you a meal and checking off your to-do list, but am using food to nourish you physically and mentally. Love really is food on the plate."

What’s surprised you thus far?
"How much I enjoy the deeper connection with my client once I named it. I feel like an extended member of their family. I’ve always checked-in with my clients, but now that I’m cooking in their home (and have their key) it’s a little closer relationship. The rest of the house may not be ready for company, but that doesn’t matter. A clean kitchen counter and I’m ready to go. I’m now thinking of ways to deepen these relationships. Later this summer I’m planning to invite one or two of my founding clients for dinner in my home (and I may even have them invite friends of theirs). It really will be the chef’s table and we can break bread together!"

Have you seen effects of your “idea that heals” on your cooking itself, and what you offer your client?
"I’ve come to see that my competitive advantage is how flavorful my food is—and how I achieve it without the fat, sugar, and salt of restaurant cooking. It takes time and care to build flavor slowly. It’s my homemade spice blends, marinating. This is the complexity of flavor you find in fine dining (and the world of chefs), except that it’s waiting for you in your kitchen when you come home from work at a price that’s less than going out. I love when a client arrives home from work early, and says 'mmmmm, it smells so good in here.' It’s the care of someone cooking for you.

Identifying my "idea that heals" helped me see layered flavors as something distinct about what I offer, beyond my food being dairy-free and gluten-free. So now I lean into ‘nourish’ and ‘within reach’ even more—when I’m planning meals, sourcing ingredients, writing and talking to clients, and making decisions about opportunities to pursue or explore. I know what I want to achieve, and I have words to describe it. Being that clear makes everything easier, and lets me feel more creative about how I can make that happen. When I make a choice I know it is thoughtful—both what I create and how I share that with the world."

Have you found people open to the idea that a “personal chef is within reach”
"That’s so interesting that you mentioned this. I had a big aha a month or so ago. I realized for each of my clients, I’m the first time they’ve hired (or maybe even considered hiring) a personal chef. I have to educate them. That’s why I decided to offer a smaller-scale sample session ($90 for six portions + sides). They’re not swapping out their old personal chef for me, but overcoming their current behavior and the notion that somehow a personal chef is a luxury or an indulgence. Reframing the conversation around nourishing and mind/body/health gets it out of the luxury category in a powerful way." 

And now, your turn:

What would it mean for you to land on your own idea that heals?
What would it clarify? 
What kind of beacon or focal point could it be for your business.
What would it allow you to create and/or overcome? and
What new insights and opportunities might be around the corner?

As always I’d love to know what this post sparked for you. Share with me here.

*In the meantime, to learn more about how Traci can nourish you, check out cookwithcheftraci.com.  If you are in the Berkeley/Oakland area, and this post made your hungry, check out her seasonal menu for June.