Hello Elizabeth! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business:
I’m a chef, baker and Mediterranean lifestyle enthusiast. I’m also a writer, performer, and founder of Cafe Leza. My jam is educating and entertaining in all things connected to female empowerment, the Mediterranean food culture (beyond Italy, France and Greece) and creating safe spaces for people to come together to share their cultures, their histories and their food.
So Elizabeth, what excites you about being an Entreprenista League member?
I’m thrilled to be a part of such a thriving high vibrational community of women bosses. I’m looking forward to connecting, collaborating and building new friendships, partnerships and collaborations.
Why did you decide to take the leap to start your own business?
My dreams became to loud to ignore.
What was your background prior to starting your own business?
I've worn many hats, a mama first, teacher, and chef.
Did you always have a feeling you wanted to be an entrepreneur?
Not always, but I did know that I was a leader.
When you are first launching a business, an initial marketing strategy is so important! What was your marketing strategy to get the word out, and did it go as planned?
I began by going to school for my cooking passion. From there you could find me at local Farmers Markets and mostly spreading the word about my private chef services by mouth.
Entreprenistas must overcome challenges everyday! What is the biggest challenge you have encountered along the way?
The biggest challenge along the way was and still is, getting more eyeballs on my brand. Getting the world to know who and what LEZA is. The road to this has lead to many realizations about myself, the brand, what I stand for, therefor what my brand stands for and becoming really clear on a granuel level about strategy, marketing, advertising etc.
What is the accomplishment you are the most proud of to date?
I am most proud of "still standing" - not giving up. Not surrendering. The fact that I keep learning despite all the challenges. Most specifically that when things don't go the way you want, or go "wrong" - those are the most important lessons.
We all want to believe in work life balance and hope we can achieve it. Do you actually believe in work/life balance, and do you have any tips?
Of course, a work life balance is mandatory. As a single mom it might be even more important, if not damn near impossible. But taking time for yourself, your family is always a juggle, it's never easy, but you do it, and through trying, finding out what works and what doesn't, essentially trial and error, do you learn what, and who is most important to you.
What's a piece of advice you can share that you wish you'd known when you first started your Entreprenista journey?
It's going to be hard, you are going to want to give up, there will be many learning curves to navigate, many platforms, and tools that are not in your field of genius. That it's ok to resent it, that it doesn't mean you're a failure because you find some if not all of it challenging and most importantly, most joyfully you will come to a place, quicker than not, where you can and will stand in your confidence . You will know what your worth is, what you can outsource, how to say no to clients who are vampires, to trust your intuition, to fight for what you believe and that you were always the queen you were meant to be.
So Elizabeth, what have you achieved recently that you'd like to celebrate with our community?
I've been wanting to get onto a major food program to show my talents and to be able to pitch my idea to executive producers who already believe in me, who already love me. This happened both in January and in April. The shows will air this summer. I will keep the community aware.
What's next for your business? What can we expect to see over the next few years?
I am working towards national brand awareness, opening a bistro and having my own network food, cooking, travel, lifestyle show.
Learn more about the Entreprenista League and join today!
About the Author
Entreprenista Team
