Meet Chef Flex. A local entrepreneur turned influencer. In this interview, he provides key insights on his journey to this point and how any business owner (like you!) can do it too.

It Starts with an Entrepreneur

Flex has always been drawn to entrepreneurship, and he even had a clothing line before his cooking career. However, as many entrepreneurs find, the first attempt isn’t always as successful as envisioned, and they are then required to adapt. 

So, Flex began doing food reviews–spending 30 hours a week going out to restaurants, trying their food, and submitting reviews. While enjoyable, Flex knew he had to take this experience and turn it into something that paid the bills–so he taught himself how to cook, and Flex Eatss was born. 

This persistence to continue in the face of failure, and this flexibility to try new things are the first two ingredients to success for any business owner.

The Spark of Influencer Marketing

With this newfound passion for cooking, Flex’s next step was to build a demand for his services. At this stage in a new start-up, an entrepreneur often tries to be superhuman–everywhere at once, making connections, making sales, constantly on the go–but they quickly learn it isn’t sustainable. The next step? Influencer marketing.

Flex’s journey to influencer marketing started on Twitter. He created a video; he didn’t like it, but he went ahead and posted it before going to bed. When he woke up the next day, Flex was surprised to find the video had 30,000 views and tons of retweets. His first (but not last!) viral video. Upon seeing this success, the experimentation to continue creating viral videos began. 

And where is Flex now? After going viral 10+ times in 2021, he’s found a rhythm that works well. He has continued to make content on the usual platforms and even dabbles in being a TikTok influencer. 

His array of foods has expanded from primarily chicken-based meals to more seafood-based food, accommodating his growing audience and their interests. Through trial and error, Flex has mastered an understanding of how his videos interact with social media algorithms. Where some entrepreneurs either avoid influencer marketing altogether or engage ineffectively with influencers, Flex has simply bypassed that roadblock by becoming an influencer himself. 

Influencer Marketing Content is King

Once an influencer has found what works for each platform, they can start optimizing how they distribute and repurpose their content. For Flex, this looks like recording a recipe video and posting the full recording on Instagram but editing it down to a 5-second clip for Twitter. It might be easier to create just one thing and share it on all platforms, but producing good content tailored to the strengths of each platform is a fundamental necessity for influencer success.

An Individual Can Go Fast, But a Team Can Go Far

So, what’s the formula for success? We’ve covered the need for a persistent entrepreneur who doesn’t give up, the power of influencer marketing, and the necessity of a good content strategy. But there’s still one piece missing: a team. 

Once marketing efforts have taken off and an entrepreneur finds overwhelming success, they again encounter a crossroads between continuing with what’s familiar, even though it’s stretching them thin, versus accepting the need for expansion and outsourcing. Flex wisely has chosen the latter by hiring people to help with the videography, content building, and more while still maintaining a manageable team size by automating as much as possible. 

“They say if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, you get a team. And…I’m moving fast. [But now] I’m trying to go far.” He says. 

If you, like Chef Flex, have found yourself at that crossroads–ready to expand and outsource–you’ve come to the right place. As a marketing agency, we are fully equipped to help you with all of your marketing needs: content strategy, content creation, influencer marketing, and more. We bring decades of combined experience with us, and we’ll help you go far. Contact us today to learn more!

Check out Chef Flex:

Watch the Interview on Youtube Here

Follow Flex on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @FlexEatss

Visit Flex Eatss to Book with Chef Flex

And if you’re looking for an Orlando influencer marketing agency to help you develop your influencer marketing strategy launched, give us a call and follow us on our social media channels.