Tracy: I’m excited to share today’s interview with Tamzin Cochrane. She’s here to share her story about how she built her business, Pinny and Trowel, LLC, and what she’s learned along the way. Welcome, Tamzin, thank you for being here today. Can you tell us about your introduction to entrepreneurship?
Tamzin: Thank you, Tracy, I’d be happy to. I was working in the food industry, training health and food safety to the catering and hospitality industry in the UK. I discovered that people actually want to know a lot more about planning, timing, healthy options, and meals for busy households and encouraging children to eat variety. I have always had the entrepreneur bug. While I was growing up, I was out there doing ‘rogue barley picking’ and raspberry picking, so I had my own cash-flow. As I went through college I set up a children’s birthday party business. Creating a kitchen coaching business around the need I saw came naturally to me.
Tracy: What do you love about being an entrepreneur?
Tamzin: I love variety in my life, and being an entrepreneur gives me just that. Every day is different, i can adapt and change the direction my business is going. The challenges are far outweighed by the joy and flexibility and the continual growth of yourself. I have met so many interesting people, worked in some amazing places and grown so much as a person, it is very rewarding.
Tracy: It certainly is. When did you have proof of concept? In other words, when did you know you were on the right track with your kitchen coaching business?
Tamzin: When I started to get calls from people who had heard of me from word of mouth. That was the biggest compliment and I knew I was succeeding.
Tracy: Are there common problems that most of your clients come to you to solve?
Tamzin: Almost all of my clients come to me because they struggle with things like eating healthily, time constraints and lack of knowledge in the kitchen, feeling inadequate to cook a variety of dishes, and pleasing everyone at meal times.
Tracy: Those are big challenges. What services do you provide to overcome them?
Tamzin: They receive fortnightly tips and tricks and receive an eBook on ‘top tips for a healthier life’ a book of top 10 tips for pack lunches, car travel, quick meals, eating out and encouraging children to eat variety
Tracy: I always like to ask my guests about their non-work time, the things they do for balance and to refuel themselves. What do you do to keep your energy high?
Tamzin: I love to cook (yes really, I cook all the time), scrapbooking, gardening and card making. I thoroughly enjoy tennis, Pilates, skiing, running half and full marathons, cycling, swimming and dog walking.
I have four fabulous children, two of them have left home: Cara and Jack, and two are still at home: Alexander and Benjamin. I have a very patient husband, Allan, and two dogs: Tex and Nutmeg, two cats: Issie and Rookie.
Tracy: To wrap up, do you have some advice you’d like to share here for people who want to up their game in the kitchen?
Tamzin: I would suggest changing the way they view food, cooking is fun! They need to use 90% whole foods and only 10% processed foods just start cooking their favorite dishes and roll from there. What is the worst that can happen?
Tracy: Wonderful! I’m sure a lot of our audience members would like to reach out to you. How can they get in touch?
Tamzin: They can go to my site at www.tamzincochrane.com, or connect with me on social media:
Twitter @cochranetamzin
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tamzin.cochrane
LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/tamzincochrane
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8rPz6LPHnHqS-2PKTAOI-g
