We recently connected with Amanda Huang and have shared our conversation below.
Amanda , so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
Thanks for having me! My optimism comes from my own purpose, my motivations and my downfalls.
I have always been a generally positive person, and I like to think that “anything is possible”. My passion and my purpose is to cook, and to share my love for food with others. Through a combination of passion, action and motivation, I started my business with an optimistic mindset. I still continued to have an optimistic mindset through moments of failure and downfalls. I learn from my mistakes, teach myself to improve within, and keep going!
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I have a wide variety of experiences in the food industry – from scooping ice-cream at Baskin Robbins in high school, to working at a recreational cooking school for 9 years, to volunteering in food non-profits, and to working in the restaurant industry – it seems like the the opportunities are endless in the world of food! Every experience motivated me to learn and to grow, and I have been able to use what I’ve learned in creating and running my food business.
I am the chef and owner of Earth Made Kitchen, a food-based business. We teach cooking classes, provide small-scale catering and private chef services.
Most of our cooking classes are currently virtual. We are gearing up for the holidays, and we are excited to teach our online private classes. (Learn more here: https://www.earthmadekitchen.com/private-classes). We also partner with youth groups and other organizations to host private classes. Anyone from around the world can attend our virtual classes!
Food and cooking always excites me. Whether I am teaching cooking or cooking for people, it always makes me happy to see others happy with the food. I have many goals for growing Earth Made Kitchen – you may check out our website for updates, recipes and inspiration: https://www.earthmadekitchen.com/.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I would say, the three qualities/skills/areas of knowledge that impacted my journey were:
– Taking action: There are many “dreamers” out there – they have aspirations and goals, but sometimes, they may not take action to achieve it. I think the first step to starting any entrepreneurial journey is to take action. This can be turning your written list of aspirations to a “to-do list”, and crossing out each “to-do” as you take the actions and steps to complete it. I took actions immediately when starting my business. I knew for a long time that I wanted to start a business, and I had to do whatever it took to get it off the ground.
– Have a positive mindset: I have experienced many failures and moments where I just wanted to “give up”. Many entrepreneurs go through this – but I think by having a positive mindset will help you believe in yourself and get through the negative moments as you go through your journey.
– Be practical: Many entrepreneurs (myself included) like to dream big. They like to think that anything is possible. And I like to believe that’s true! But there are things you have to be practical and realistic about. When going through your journey, make sure you have things in order, such as finances, and you will be on the road to success.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
When I am feeling overwhelmed, I ask for help. For example, I had an experience when an overwhelming amount of people registered for my cooking classes on Eventbrite. I thought I was able to handle it, but I couldn’t – although entrepreneurs wear a lot of hats, I wore too many hats that day and felt like they were falling off! I knew that the best thing to do for my future classes was to hire some help. This put a lot of weight off my shoulders, and I was finally able to focus.
I think it is okay to ask for help when you are feeling overwhelmed. Not only through work and business, but in other parts of life. We need support. We also need to give support to others when they are overwhelmed. Having help and support from others when needed will definitely calm you down and give you a clear mind.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.earthmadekitchen.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthmadekitchen/
