We recently connected with Liya Ingraham and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Liya , we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
It really had to be practiced with myself. When I first started my food page, I was very insecure and felt a tad bit embarrassed. The only reason I was feeling this way was because I felt like my work wasn’t good enough or didn’t fit in. I thought people would talk about what I did and have stuff to say because I had only had like 2 followers which was myself and my mom. I eventually over came it once I started seeing people across the world liking my videos and post and also commenting under my post. I had people in my city asking when was I going to start selling plates. That’s kind of how I gained my confidence over time.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
The most exciting things about my business is that I get to travel and meet new people along the way. I have a very good relationship with pretty much all of my clients and customers. I stay as professional as possible when they are booking because I feel if someone is spending their hard earned money, their service should always be top tier. Another fun thing about it that I love is the connection I have with other business owners. I’ve made friends with lash techs, nail techs, make-up artists, hairstylist and even other chefs etc. in my opinion I have very good worth ethics so I’m very easy to get along with because I feel like we are all on top. I went from just selling plates in Dallas and now I currently travel to Houston and Atlanta for services. This summer I plan on traveling back and forth from Miami and Los Angeles as well.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The top skills and qualities that helped me get to where I am now is that I kept pushing myself. I took a lot of time off because I just felt discouraged and I wasn’t really feeling the whole chef thing anymore. I eventually got out of that depression stage that I was in and I got up and kept going. I didn’t give up, I kept pushing myself even the time when I had 0 customers or no clients the entire month. I kept posting content and menus back to back to back. My advice for people who are early on in their journey is that we all started from that same point, everyone has to start from somewhere. As long as you keep pushing yourself, manifest and work hard towards what you want, it will indeed happen. Do not give up on yourself and the main important thing you want to do it keep your faith in God. Pray on your good and bad days! Pray to God and work hard all while manifesting and watch how things turn around for you and your business for good! Always believe he will! God is behind every blessing that comes our way.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
The 2 people who has helped me overcome and face all my challenges is definitely my mom and God. They both have definitely been there for me throughout this entire journey. My mom is the one I talk to if I ever feel discouraged or anxious towards anything and she always takes the time out of her day and prays with me and prays for me. She has been by myself through this whole entire chef journey from day 1 when I first ever started my page. A lot of 1 on1 prayers with God has helped me a lot too. He has helped me built my strength and confidence to get this far and I know he has so much more and way bigger things in store for me as I go.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realfoodbaddie/?next=%2F
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@realfoodbaddie
- TikTok: – @liyasymone
- Email: realfoodbaddie@gmail.com
