Ep 144: Going viral with 500k following as an Italian Chef | Gero DiMaria Mohammed Omar (Kucina)
Gero DiMaria knows what it means to go truly viral.
He's an Italian chef & owner of Kucina - Singapore's first authentic halal food restaurant.
But he's also a bona fide Italian culinary superstar with over 500k followers on social media - 256k on Instagram & 252.6k on TikTok!
He took the world by storm with his recent series of viral reels on choosing the best pasta/cheeses in grocery stores, and that had a real trickle down effect on his business.
So we dig into all the juicy stuff, including:
❓ What does it mean to actually go ‘viral’?
❓ What kind of measurable impact has social media had on his business?
❓ What is his advice for leveraging social media for businesses?
❓ What have his toughest moments been?
❓ And who exactly is Gero?!
The goal: To understand the role of social media today, what it really means to go viral & how one can leverage on that social media reach to build your own business.
Highlights:
- Italian childhood
- What do Italians eat every day?
- People in Asia aren’t taught to think?!
- Entering the food industry
- Work hard to earn your money
- Your first job sets the bar
- That English breakfast shift
- Knowing that the F&B world was for him
- How to cook the perfect pasta
- Moving from London to Singapore
- First job at Pasta Fresca
- What’s an authentic halal Italian restaurant?
- Chefs can only be chefs, they can’t run a business
- Going into marketing & the lost $3000
- The turning point
- Content strategy
- Going truly viral
- Acting debut
- Why accept collaborations?
- Separating his personal brand from his Kucina restaurant
- The content creation team
- Advice for entrepreneurs
- Do you feel like you’ve found your why?
- What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?
- What do you think are the most important qualities of a successful person?
📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/144
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