Cook Stars Franchise

Below are fairly common concerns we hear regarding starting with Cook Stars, so I want to address them for you:

• I haven't done this before and I'm so nervous…help!
• What if it doesn't work?
• What if I want to leave?
• What if I don't earn enough?

Firstly no one in our team had done this before either - not one of them! We do have some ex-school teachers who fell out of love with teaching at schools, and some were even cookery teachers (so they have experience from that side)….BUT not one person in our team to date has ever run a business before. But they are now, and they are doing a really great job of it too! We’ll teach you how to do this too.

You WILL be nervous, that is completely natural. Everyone always is. This is all brand new and a big life change - an exciting one yes, but it’s normal to feel trepidation and nerves! That first class is always a nerve-wracking experience and there is a lot to think about and remember. It usually takes new people starting about 6-8 weeks before they really find their feet and it all starts to click. Before long it will all be second nature to you too and the prep and running of the classes becomes much easier.

We’re here throughout the whole of your time with Cook Stars - it’s the business side that help is typically most needed after the initial support in the earlier days. New things will pop up that you’ll need help with (what to cook for a particular bespoke session, what to charge, how to reach a certain audience, how to approach XYZ situation, how to get that marketing campaign fine-tuned, what is the policy for XXX etc). Nerves are normal, but once you’ve settled in I hope you’ll love it!

Then there is the next question - what if it doesn’t work? Simple answer – why wouldn’t it? It has for plenty of other people! If you implement all the things we teach and use the tools you have access to, there is no reason it won't work. It has done time and time again – you can see that for yourself if you look at the team's social media pages and their wonderful customer reviews etc!

There is only one reason it could fail and that would be down to a lack of action, effort, consistency and simply not putting in the work. Running your own business does take work. It’s very different from working for someone else. Everything you do will benefit you directly, so it often doesn’t feel like ‘work’ and that feels amazing in itself. But even though it’s fun work….it does still take work nonetheless.

We have created a ‘Done For You Marketing' service so we have taken LOADS of that work from you, but you do still need to take the actions to bring it all together. Think of it like a jigsaw, we give you all the pieces but it’s down to you to take the actions to bring all the pieces together.

Nobody sets out to not action, implement and do what’s required of course! The best intention is there, but we have had some situations where it has not worked out for people. We’re always open and transparent with these things because we know that it's not down to a flaw with Cook Stars model. It’s rare that it doesn't go according to plan, but we don’t shy away from talking about it. We know you need to know answers to the ‘what if' questions. Typically, where it has not worked out it’s been through some unfortunate circumstances - those unpredictable life events that come along and blindside people. These things are tough no matter what role you’re doing.

We have recently made some changes that acknowledge these things may happen and offer practical help to enable people to deal with them in the easiest way possible. We recently put in place a new assurance that anyone can leave at any time after 3 years. We really doubt this will happen very often at all - but we have done this to reassure people that should they need to leave, they simply can.

Also, if you have something difficult in your life to deal with that needs prioritising then if you need to take up to a 3 month break from the agreement – you can. You won’t miss out to reassure you, you can simply add this time to the remaining term of your agreement. These are safety nets that we know if we were in your shoes we’d really appreciate. Hopefully they’ll never be needed, but we hope they reassure you.

What if I don’t earn enough? This sounds like such a cringy ‘sales’ line…but there really is uncapped earning potential. There is a huge amount of scope with Cook Stars – our team are always being presented with new opportunities such as new bespoke sessions, or new organisations to work with etc. There is NO reason at all that you won’t earn well if you take the right actions.

There is one common obstacle and that is if you are at full capacity and literally don’t have time to do any more sessions during your week. This happens to a lot of our team after a while because our services are so in demand. There is a simple solution though and that is to employ class leaders. This may sound scary, but it’s actually an easy process and we have lots of help, support and advice ready for you if you chose to opt to go down this route.

If you opt to have class leaders, it means you could be running 2 or 3 classes (or however many) on the same day that you are running classes (Monday after school for example) in different areas within you exclusive area. If you want to run larger scale, it doesn’t need to be restricted just to what YOU personally can run. Class leaders enable growth beyond what you individually CAN do....or perhaps what you WANT to do. Remember - your business....your choice.

Not everyone wants class leaders of course, some people come on board because they are looking to escape a busy chaotic life and they want life to run at a gentle pace – perfect! You do that! You do whatever you want. This is your business, your life, your choice.

We LOVE seeing people happy and loving what their doing, that is the entire point of joining Cook Stars!

You will have opportunity to run the following services:

• Minis classes
• Junior’s classes
• Academy classes
• Schools
• Organisations/ charities
• Workshops
• Parties
• Plus sell merchandise

You can choose what you want to do from these…. and how far you want to take it…. and how much of it you want to do.

You can set yourself a financial goal, work out exactly what and how you’re going to offer that within your area to achieve it. We have an awesome Goal Setting System for our team which looks at exactly this.

It’s very exciting being your own boss and knowing there is choice, control and opportunity. It’s exactly why I started Cook Stars. I didn’t have those before – far from it in fact. It’s also why I chose to franchise Cook Stars. Aside from wanting to get as many children cooking throughout the UK as possible and loving and enjoying our classes, I also wanted to give that choice, control and opportunity to other people too.

I hate seeing people unnecessarily unhappy with a career they don't enjoy when there are so many other paths and options open to them. Cook Stars may not be the right thing for you, or it may be perfect - but either way I think it's great you're exploring your options. I’m a firm believer that life is both too short and too long to be in a situation that doesn’t make you happy, so I sincerely hope you find what you're looking for.

I hope all this helps you a bit? If I can help with any other questions you may have, please get in touch. We’re always happy to do our best to help you.

Cathy (Cook Stars founder)