On Working with Family, Finding New Revenue Streams, Launching the Paula Deen Network, and Never Giving Up
By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Southern cooking maven Paula Deen founded her food empire with $200 twenty five years ago. “It was totally illegal,” she recalled in her recent interview with Home Business Magazine®. She felt that the commercial kitchen in a poolhall wasn’t clean enough, so she started cooking in her home kitchen! Since then, she’s built a home with its own commercial kitchen. Home Business Magazine also asked her about her tips for success.
Home Business Magazine® (HBM): You’ve launched Paula Deen Network online Sept. 24, 2014, with subscriber-only content. How did you come up with the idea?
Paula Deen (PD): I am blessed to have a great partnership. We did some research. I had over 4.5 million followers on Facebook. We asked, “Do you want Paula back? How do you want her back?” We’re the first to develop a digital, interactive network with cooking and lifestyle. We learn every day. You never know who you will meet along life’s journey. You have to be open to risks, but calulated risk you’re open to winning.
HBM: How can entrepreneurs figure out a new revenue stream for their businesses that will work for them?
PD: It’s all about going out there and doing research. It’s about doing something you’re passionate about, and don’t let anything stop you. If you’re passionate and willing to make sacrifices and work very hard, you don’t know what great things will happen next. I’m living proof that the American dream still exists.
HBM: What’s it like working with your sons, Jamie and Bobby?
PD: Working with family is probably one of the hardest things in business, but it can also be one of the most rewarding. You have to be very, very careful that you don’t overstep the boundaries that you wouldn’t with anyone else. Sometimes, we think that the unconditional love they have for us makes overstepping boundaries alright. It’s really not. You have to work harder to not damage the family dynamic. That lasts forever.
HBM: What are the benefits of working with family?
PD: Just getting to see them and watch them grow and develop. There’s nothing better than being able to give your children wings so they can soar and fly in the direction they want to go in.
HBM: Your cooking features a greater variety of recipes than you’ve offered in the past. How has expanding your “product line” benefited your brand?
PD: We’re constantly trying to create new recipes to keep things interesting. I love having guests on my show. They make your vision a little broader. We can sometimes get stuck in a rut, so it’s wonderful being able to share others’ kitchen knowledge and what has been born from their heritages and their families.
HBM: Paula Deen Network offers access on any smartphone, tablet ,or computer. How has leveraging the power of electronic accessibility affected your business?
PD: That was our goal when we started this network — to give all of our friends out there access 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We spent a tremendous amount of time developing that content. People can take their iPhones and get their shopping lists going for whatever they need for recipes, for example. There’s a lot of pure entertainment. We play games and have a section called Paula Low Country Lounge. Bloopers and everything’s right there. Plus, it has very helpful tools to make people’s lives simpler.
HBM: What is your home office like?
PD: My home office is, like, my kitchen. My kitchen is great. When we built this house, I wanted to have all of the conveniences of a commercial kitchen, but I wanted it to be my home. I have everything I need in one spot, like a double sink so when I have help, I can get my dishes done in half of the time.
HBM: How does technology help you manage your time and stay organized?
PD: I don’t go anywhere without my iPad. I adore my iPad. If it gets out of my site, I go into a panic like a baby dropping a pacifier.
HBM: What are your best tips for success?
PD: Don’t ever give up. You can’t let discouragement get you down. You can always find negative people that will try to discourage you from your goals. Sometimes it can be a family member. You can’t be discouraged, and you can’t let the word “no” stop you. If you’ve got a good idea and you’re willing to do whatever it take to pursue it, keep your head up and eyes open because you don’t know when opportunity will come knocking. HBM
Paula Deen Network is at www.pauladeen.com. Membership starts at $7.99 a month, with a year-long subscription.
Deborah Jeanne Sergeant writes from her home office in Clyde, N.Y. Visit her online at www.skilledquill.net.
