podcast

Ep 144: Going viral with 500k following as an Italian Chef | Gero DiMaria Mohammed Omar (Kucina)

31.03.2024
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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 

💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062

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