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Sakura Spotlight Series: Kyle Swift

Spotlight Series Q&A for Entrepreneurs

 

  1. Tell us a little bit about your business and what you do.

I operate a Private Chef service on 30-A in the Panhandle of Florida. We mainly focus on in-home casual fine dining, but we also do custom catering packages for events.

 

  1. What made you aspire to be an entrepreneur?

My family didn’t have much money growing up. We had everything we needed and I had a great childhood, but I have always had the push in me to go get more for myself and my family. I had the drive to move up the ladder in every job I worked at. I realized pretty quickly the ladder only goes so high if someone else is signing your check. I switched to sales after a long career in restaurants and during my time selling, I slowly grew my own catering company on the side. Once the business was established, I brought on a partner and we purchased a bakery with the plan to grow both businesses.

 

  1. What is the one thing you wish you had known before starting your own business?

I wish I had found more good people to build our team faster. I treated it more like a hobby for the first few years when I really should have gone all in from the beginning.

 

  1. What are the aspects of your business that you enjoy the most?

I love feeding people. I always have. For so many years working in the back of a busy restaurant, I was not able to interact or form relationships. People come in to enjoy a well-cooked meal, and you don’t even get to see how much they appreciate the hard work that goes into it. Now I get to cook one-on-one with our guests and create long-lasting memories with them. We have many families that book us every time they visit or multiple times in a year. Each time they do, we get to catch up and share another dining experience together. Forming these connections is what it’s all about for me.

 

  1. What do you love doing in your free time to refuel and have fun?

I love hopping on the kayak or the paddleboard and exploring all the beautiful waterways of the Panhandle. It keeps me grounded and gets me ready to go back to work.