Social media helped these chefs out of the kitchen

Located in a retired town, Raposo’s business was shrinking for fear of his clients hiring Covid-19. “I slept every day to try to avoid work as much as possible because I was so burnt out,” he says. “I saw a ridiculous number lying in TikTok’s bed.”

Raposo started making videos on New Year’s Day 2021, hoping to be a new beginning for his mental health. Instead, he found a way to stay open and reach new customers during the off-season.

While other local businesses were considering closing, Raposo began to see an increase in customers. Almost overnight, they were as busy as they were in the fall when there were tourists.

“The number of people who drove the literal hours to come to the bakery is staggering,” Raposo says. “I’m not a tech expert by any means, so I had to teach myself,” he explains. “There have been some real flops, but TikTok seems to be the final focus of this crazy year, and my followers have done more publicity than ever before in favor of my business.”

He currently has more than 600,000 followers on TikTok and regularly finds a new customer who can buy a cake or find it online and place orders on his website.

His suggestion? Stay positive when you put yourself and your skills on social media. “I’ve been doing this for a few months now, and I’ve already gotten people who hate guts into gas stove reviews or the way they dress,” Raposo says. “I can’t please everyone, but I’ve learned that if I put positivity in the world, I’ll get it again.”

Also, don’t forget to look at the piece. The night before Valentine’s Day, during Raposo’s busiest vacation, he was cooking in the bakery after midnight. “I made a video about kitchen utensils that I don’t support in a bakery that went viral,” he says. “The biggest thing I learned from that video was to be able to present it, because you don’t know when the 4 million people who will see you will be seen with the biggest bags under their eyes and without makeup.”

Amber Walker it is not a household name yet. He founded a private chef and cooking company, SZND (Sold), when the pandemic started after leaving the full-time as a chef in a culinary company. “I was caring for my three-year-old nephew at the time because my sister, who is a nurse, worked with Covid patients,” Walker says. “I made an effort to make sure that everything I was working on would disappear overnight.”

It was introduced when the pandemic started Favorite chef competition. He filled out a profile, uploaded photos, and specified his history, goals, and signature plates. The contest promised a $ 50,000 and two-page expansion to the winner in the next edition Enjoy your food magazine. Walker hoped to use the funds to guide more young people in his community and expand his business.

While Walker did not win the competition, he entered the top 15 chefs in the competition around the world and took advantage of this opportunity to find invaluable entrepreneurial skills. “With all the support from friends, family and the community, my business grew and the competition brought more followers to my business pages,” he explains.

“I posted about what I do for SZND TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram”Walker said.“ The biggest day was when I posted my interview ABC 27 Good Day Pennsylvania On Facebook itself. I reached out to a lot of people, and they congratulated me on my success since I started a new business. ”

For Walker, social media isn’t just about the number of followers. He connects with his community: the customers he cooks with, the members of the LGBTQ community, and the young people he leads. “Social media has helped me promote my business and show people that you can create a tougher future for yourself through hard work and decision-making, usually from 9 to 5 or working for someone else.”

So it makes sense that one of his tips for using social media to promote your work or your skills is to return it to your community. As a member of the LGBTQ + mixed race community, Walker uses social media to connect with his clients and the reasons he supports them. “I donate 20% of the profits to a local LGBTQ foundation from every window I make,” he says.