Catering Business in Nigeria - A step-by-step Guide

Let's talk about one thing called a catering business.

What does it mean and why it's so important to you?

Do you know that nearly 6% of Nigerians organize occasions as more every weekend?

Do you know that birthday parties now is more than just a birthday party?

What if I told you that every human needs a caterer for one or two reasons in their entire lifecycle?

Will you ever agree that with me?

A catering business is a lifetime experiment it doesn't fade and I don't think it will.

Pretty much every home has a kitchen, the kitchen is little served as a catering center for the family.

As everyone in the family learns something new every day in the kitchen.

New meal ditches were served as the hours passed by and the whole family consumed it richly in unity.

That does show the reason why a catering business is a lifetime investment.

As the kitchen doesn't look like fading off so as catering business won't either.

The secret thing is that everyone is a cook but not everyone is a caterer.

Putting food on the table doesn't qualify you as a caterer.

In other words, being a good cook is the aspect that almost qualified you as a caterer.

But you still need to do more.

A catering business is growing more in Nigeria pretty much every demographic above 19 years wants to do more like a caterer.

As it is, new trends keep gaining momentum with different meal patterns and names.

It shows why you need good planning to stand out.

Not good meals to stand out.

For this reason, I've got you 10 actionable strategies that will make your catering business stand out even when you're out of an idea in Nigeria.

Here's how to start a lucrative catering business or school in Nigeria

1. Know your catering business element
2. What's your brand logo teaching out?
3. Know who's your target audience
4. Get a location that converts
5. Always improve your knowledge
6. Set a marketing KPIs
7. Set a catering business opportunities
8. Churn out a catering business proposal
9. Stay professional
10. Build a catering business from home

1. Know your catering business element

Life of a caterer is a different story to tell now it's a fandom of prospect attraction.

To really stand out your catering business element must have a meaningful statement in place.

Not like any other business, a catering business end statement should arrive with a meaningful slag.

Of course, you might think this isn't a restaurant vendor in which you're right.

But a catering business should pretty much go in the same line.

For example, the exceptional step you might forever take lies in the uniform of your mission statement choice.

A mission statement here's your slag, for instance, Good Food, Good friend.

That tiny attractive statement forever goes a long way in what your catering business is pinching out to its prospects.

It shows dynamics and so much uniqueness.

Image credit: freelogodesign

That way, you don't need to manually tell your prospects about what you do they actually will know that already.

So, what's your catering business element?

If by now you don't know the reality of why you're doing what you're doing.

And what short snippet you think can engage prospects even more.

Believe me, it's so hard converting those prospects for sales-ready clients.

Take for instance, by now you've heard of Mama Put, that short name didn't just come overnight and I don't think that's what makes it comes alive.

But I think there was chemistry behind the purpose why Mama Put the name triggers.

So for whatever reasons, that short name snippet is what everyone knows and is still what every prospect will align with after some time.

It's just nature people will get used to it with time.

Read here: Real Estate Business - Turn Your Ideas Into a Conversion Machine In Nigeria

And if that truly matters then your catering business needs a short name and slag everyone can convert for with time.

So, how did you intend to do that just to stand out?

It's so simple but sometimes hard to pick on anyone.

Note that you ain't running the catering business alone at least throw it up as an assignment for your team.

For better marketing insights and for choosing the best choice out there.

For one, don't ultimately rely on your power or knowledge you can't just do it alone.

Unfortunately, you can't.

You still need to pick up some alternatives for a better choice over time.

This means you don't have to depend on yourself as a boss that might end up you not getting the tactics right.

Try to feed your team and you all should come up with a creative and exceptional fandom that everyone would convert for.

2. What's your brand logo teaching out?

A business logo isn't just about having a logo anymore.

Now, a logo differentiates the entitlement of brands.

If you don't know by now why a brand logo could attract clients here's the epic thing.

If you want to stand out among people doing the same business chore with you.

Actually, you'll have to get the fundamental tactics right you don't just aim to go too fast.

But aim at going with the right strategy.

Every logo contrast has a special way it's communicated to the audience.

Industry experts have to tell why using light colors preferable white and light grey means a relaxed feeling among customers or clients.

This shows why choosing a catering business logo the contrast in it has an impact on what's teaching out.

If that you're about running a catering business school yet your brand logo precision will tell and your short statement is the fandom in it.

Remember, don't act too fast I guess you know that the same brand logo will be the one you're going to use for years or maybe forever.

This is your caterer's identity as for your catering school this is your student identity.

That's why you need to create a fandom around it that attract word of mouth marketing.

Although that can only happen I mean a word of mouth marketing only when you speak about what you do from how you behave.

That's how a catering business should be run.

3. Know who's your target audience

I believe right now you know running a restaurant business is completely different from when running a catering school or business in Nigeria.

For a restaurant, you pretty much target every demographics.

So far they can put food into their mouth without manually doing that for them.

Then as for such people, they're qualified for your restaurant outlet.

But a catering business isn't much in the same hook.

Both are totally off the track.

So don't ever make a mistake why you shouldn't segment your prospects.

Here's what to talk about.

Let's your catering business or school ideal customers attribute goes this way:

• Name: Anyone
• Interest: Event planning and Meeting planning
• Location: Lagos
• Target class: companies
• Mode of operation: B2b vendor

Now, your prospect ideal profile:

• Name: Alakija
• Interest: catering training
• Location: Abuja
• Target class: student
• Mode of operation: B2c

Alternatively,

• Name: Destined company
• Interest: catering meeting planning
• Location: Lagos
• Target class: company
• Mode of operation: B2b

It shows your catering business is pretty much interested in doing business with a b2b marketing vendor.

For this reason, the first prospect ideal customer profile has said it all why it isn't a good fit for your offer.

That way you don't need to nurture that profile into sales intent.

Because that profile can't just convert no matter how hard you try turning it to a qualified lead.

But for the second ideal profile.

Guess what.

There's so much interest in that profile getting it for a sales intent can be so easy.

If your marketing tactics go with the right strategy.

4. Get a location that converts

In a business like this, another strategy that works is to acquire a good outlet.

What do I even mean?

This is what I'm talking about.

If there's a thing that can ever add to your conversion strategy then getting a conversion location is the thing.

Well, a conversion location really doesn't mean the visibility of your catering business.

That's how much exposure it gets.

No. That doesn't count the number of impressions doesn't equate for the number of target clicks.

If you have all the impressions and fewer target clicks it shows your catering business isn't doing well.

Read here: Bakery Business - Why Your Lucrative Ideas mean sales in Nigeria 

For this reason, you need a location that converts which makes you found people of your kind.

Take, for instance, you wish to start a catering business in Lagos.

Your target audience as bear in mind goes align with event planning like weddings, special occasions.

This way, you already have an attribution model of your target audience.

The next thing to think about is to find a location where demographic is over 25 years.

Also, a location where ceremonies always happen.

This way, you can implement on a word of mouth marketing tactic to cheerfully attract clients for qualified leads.

But what works is to give those prospects a reason to believe.

And why you're doing what you're doing.

For this reason, you'll need a catering business portfolio of your previous works.

Better still, a catering business proposal that serves as a value proposition to your prospects.

5. Always improve your knowledge 

To stay successful and professional in the catering industry having a better understanding will shield more enlightenment and help you discover new benchmarks.

Whenever you seem to be run out of content what would drive you next to stay relevant more is the knowledge you ever initiated.

This knowledge will help you in terms of creativity and innovation.

That way, you won't just follow the trend but always innovate the trend.

There're seminars and conferences you can pay a token fee for out there. 

By that, you meet people of your kind that way you learn from them and vice versa as everyone grows together.

But in the case where you always lack the time then you can stumble on online blogs and always keep the reading time consistent.

Just don't stop learning as the world doesn't stop teaching you.

6. Set a Marketing KPIs

If you're starting out a catering school or business one of the fundamental strategies is a key performance indicator.

Here you're drafting out a catering business or school plan and also leveling up your business to reach a revenue goal.

This means you have got a business objective and everyone has a focus on achieving that.

The sweet thing about KPIs is that it indicates what role and task you'll need to perform for the business to reach its revenue goal.

Take, for instance, let's say your KPIs for the year as a business is to increase sales by up to 15%.

This way, a correlation would have been made to the marketing team in terms of how many qualified leads are needed to pass across to the sales team in order to reach the monthly goal.

That means, there's a service level agreement between the marketers and the sales team.

For example, let's say your catering company really wants to hit 200,000 Naira in new revenue.

First, determine your customer expenses.

For instance, your revenue goal is 200,000 naira, and let's say your average catering service price is 50,000 naira.

Now, to determine the number of new customers you need to meet up with your catering business revenue goal.

Divide your revenue goal by your average catering service price.

This means, mathematically, roughly 200,000/50,000 = 4 new clients or catering students needed to meet up your revenue goal.

And you'll need nearly 200 leads to create 4 customers depending on your lead-to-customers conversion rate.

But another thing is that make sure your business goal is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely.

By that, it will make your inbound effort look easier and achievable.

7. Set your catering business opportunities

When investing in a catering business or catering school in Nigeria try as much to track goals on a SWOT analysis scale.

This way, I don't pretty advise you to rely much on your strength but rather than your weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Your threats are the wave of people doing the same business as you.

What are they doing that we ain't doing? What actually is working right for them that isn't working for us?

What innovation can we initiate to solve people's needs more - your opportunities?

Is there anything people are demanding that our business is deeply lacking?

Read here: How To Start A Business That Drives Online Sales In Nigeria 

These are questions you need to send forth to your team.

For you to know your catering business opportunities in Nigeria.

By the way, here's the point.

Catering business opportunities in Nigeria should often rely on social listening and word of mouth marketing to discover new benchmarks and trends that fit into their business KPIs.

8. Churn out a catering business proposal

Here you need to create a unique selling point and a value proposition to really stand out.

As per a catering business proposal, this is when you need to show why you're doing what you're doing.

People don't subscribe to what you do anymore but why you're doing it.

For this reason, a catering business proposal is more similar to when telling a brand story but the difference is that a catering business proposal is about creating a value proposition.

While for a brand story is about bringing human connections and feelings.

Which means;

Catering business proposal in Nigeria is about standing out not fixing in so it should remain repeatable, scalable, and valuable to prospects.

Mind you, for everything said above ranging from a brand logo color and many more.

This is when their impact is needed.

You want to scale through not blending in, right? that way you have to hack on this.

For a catering business proposal, it's partitioned into:

• Catering service proposal
• Catering bid proposal
• Catering service proposal

To get the best deal or client out there, create and write your catering business proposal this way.

Here's how to create a catering business proposal for clients in Nigeria:

1. Prepare a cover letter
2. Use your brand color as the contrast of the proposal
3. Fix your brand logo at the top corner
4. State why you're doing what you're doing
5. Avoid long talk but state immediately your goal
6. Give them 10x reasons to believe in what you do
7. Know the client objective
8. Write accordingly to the client objective
9. Understand their need intent
10. Coach them
11. Show them your expertise 
12. Show portfolio of the clients you ever work for
13. Be unique and stay real
14. Churn out a brand story to bring human connection
15. Show creativity in your write up
16. Make sure it's marketable

9. Stay professional

Here's how to be a professional caterer in Nigeria

1. Know why you're doing what you're doing
2. Get certified
3. Know your mission statement
4. Set a unique selling point
5. Be creative
6. Create a brand story
7. Always keep learning 
8. Don't always follow the trend but always innovate the trend
9. Create a business plan
10. Set a catering business KPIs
11. Resonate with the audience's intent
12. Build on a long term goal
13. Build on customer relationship management
14. Network with influencers

10. Build a catering business from home

Here's how to start a catering business from home in Nigeria

1. Get your equipment ready
2. Use the power of social media
3. Use word of mouth marketing
4. Offer pieces of training and incentives
5. Create a business card
6. Know who you're targeting
7. Create a value proposition
8. Choose a fandom catering business name
9. Set a unique selling point
10. Do social listening
11. Market your product
12. Know your ideal customer profile

Here are the pieces of equipment needed for a catering business in Nigeria

1. Refrigerator
2. Oven
3. Cooktop
4. Plate stack
5. Dishwasher
6. Chafting ditches
7. Serving trays
8. Crockery, serviettes, and cutlery
9. Blender
10. Mixer

Conclusion

There're online catering schools in Nigeria such as in ajegunle, festac, Akure, and many more that you can get certified if you ain't yet.

Better still, you can hack on catering blogs or Nairaland to gain more insights into the business.

Believe me, knowledge is power.

But for a catering business plan in Nigeria, it should stay more like this.

A catering business plan in Nigeria should be efficient, measurable, and timely to the call of the business in order to reach its revenue goal.

In other words, you can register your catering business or school using CAC in Nigeria.

So, over to you, how do you want to start a lucrative catering business that makes more sales(money) in Nigeria?

I'm Destined boy, a certified digital and inbound marketer.

You can follow me up on Twitter.

Follow @Blogdestined