Meet Terrence Pasley

We recently connected with Terrence Pasley and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Terrence, 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?
My confidence and self esteem has been built and developed a lot thru my networking with Terry’s Taste. I’m usually a very quiet and shy person but it’s difficult doing so when you running a business. Sometime I still have moments of being timid but life’s all about chances and you don’t get them if your shy or scared, so building your confidence as a entrepreneur is key to connecting with clients and other businesses.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Terry’s Taste is a freelance catering & private chef service that is offered in the DMV area. I specialize in catering events & parties, pickup & Togo orders, meal prep, desserts & cakes and much more! Terry’s Taste has been in business for 7 years and has grown tremendously since the beginning. I started off just selling meals in college just as a way for extra income but this soon turned into a full blown business. Within the last year, I have traveled to 8 different states for travel caterings and also have gone viral on social media a couple of times. Earlier this year, I published my second cook book “Terry’s Taste Sweets & Treats” and have sold almost 20 copies so far since publishing. My connections with clients have boosted and I have been working towards my goal of obtaining a food truck. I can’t say exactly when but I know before my 30th birthday I will have one! Taking things slow and building my relationships with my community and new clients that may seek my service so when the time is right I have the correct materials to operate my business to my fullest advantage.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
One of the biggest things I would say is patience. “Patience is a virtue” is a true statement. It’s been time I’ve just sat down and I feel like I’m not getting anywhere with my life or my business but then I get a order or someone reaches out to ask how to do this or make that, it really touches your heart to make you do more and keep going so things may not seem to be where you want but it’s in the direction you need. Time management is another one that falls into play. Not only making time for your clients and content or any marketing that you want to do, but also yourself. There’s been plenty of times I’ve overbooked myself and taken on more then what I could do and it didn’t turn out how I intended. Now your trying to figure out how to be here when your suppose to be there and have this in there so creating a time schedule or making a plan of your daily schedule and assignments for the week is always helpful. Lastly, I would say to always trust your gut and do what you think will work for yourself. So much throughout my career doing Terry’s Taste, I felt as though some of the things I did I only did for the approval of others and sometimes people don’t have the same intentions as you, so when your connecting with people and establishing business relations it’s best to be upfront about what you may need but to communicate with everyone if things don’t work out or if it’s doesn’t suit you. I’ve seen a lot of small businesses deteriorate within the last couple years since the pandemic and a lot of people have lost their passion for what they really love. Your business is structured around your creativity so never let anyone take that from you or your gift.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
Sometimes I do get a little overwhelmed with Terry’s Taste and I have learned that a lot of times stress and anxiety can tend to allow us to think that we have a lot of things to do or a lot to finish within so little time and sometimes I really just have to sit myself down and write out things that are bothering me or take a break from what I’m doing like maybe go on a walk or do any type of artistic activity to take my mind off of things. Majority of the time when I do get stressed I spend at least 80% of my time in the kitchen trying out new recipes or new ideas to maybe add to my menu. Being overwhelmed, is normal as a business owner so sometimes you just have to see what you can do to resolve things that may overwhelm you.

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Portraits of Resilience

Sometimes just seeing resilience can change out mindset and unlock our own resilience. That’s our

Productivity
Perspectives on Staying Creative

We’re beyond fortunate to have built a community of some of the most creative artists,

Confidence
Kicking Imposter Syndrome to the Curb

This is the year to kick the pesky imposter syndrome to the curb and move