From the kitchen of Smokey Jollof

How to Set Up a Catering Business

The practical playbook for launching a catering kitchen people actually call back. Eighty-two pages, nine chapters, three templates. Built from a decade of trays, tasting sessions, and 4am prep in Lagos.

Get the Guide — ₦14,900

Peek inside

Instant download. 14-day money-back guarantee.

The hard part of catering

You can cook. That is not the problem.

The problem is the quote you sent last Tuesday that you regret today. The one where you forgot the cost of packaging, the cost of fuel, and the runner who drove across Lagos twice because nobody remembered the cooler. Then the WhatsApp group goes quiet and the referrals that were supposed to come, do not. This guide is about those losses, and the small operating habits that stop them.

Inside the guide

Nine chapters. Zero fluff.

Each chapter ends with a one-page worksheet you can fill in tonight. By the end of the guide, you will have priced your first three packages and drafted outreach to five potential clients.

Pick your lane

Event catering, daily lunch packs, corporate standing orders. Each lane has a different economics profile. Pick one before you spend a naira.

Cost a tray of jollof

The true-cost formula that includes gas, packaging, transport, and the hour you spent at the market. No more guessing.

Price the package

Build event packages that protect your margin even when the client negotiates. Scripts for the negotiation itself.

Your first five clients

Where they actually come from. The three outreach moves that work in Lagos. Why cold Instagram does not, and what does.

Kitchen, logistics, cold chain

What you need on day one, what you can wait on, and the three pieces of equipment that pay for themselves in a month.

The order form that saves you

A one-page intake form that catches the mistakes quotes usually miss. Copy it, adapt it, send it.

Handling a 300-plate event

Timing the cook, loading the van, staffing the line, presenting at venue. The run-of-show that keeps a big event calm.

Staff, trust, pay

Who to hire first, how to pay per event without losing them to the next caterer, and the one rule that prevents theft.

From side hustle to registered

CAC, tax, a business bank account, and when it actually makes sense to do each. No rush, no jargon.

Bonuses

Plus three templates you can use tonight.

Included free with the guide. Work on a laptop or a phone. Open in Google Drive, Numbers, Excel, anywhere.

True-Cost Calculator

A spreadsheet that figures out the real cost of a tray. Plug in your numbers, see your margin instantly.

Event Brief & Quote Template

The one-page intake form and quote doc we use at Smokey Jollof. Copy, rename, send.

Five Outreach Scripts

WhatsApp and email scripts for getting your first five clients without feeling like a nuisance.

Who it is for

You will get value if this sounds like you.

You have cooked for family, friends, or events and people keep asking when the next one is.
You have catered one to three events and you want to turn it into a real business.
You run a small kitchen and you suspect you are bleeding margin but cannot prove it yet.
You would rather learn from someone who cooks daily than from a generic online course.

Not a fit if

Skip this one if...

You want a get-rich-in-thirty-days promise. This is a working playbook, not a shortcut.
You are outside Nigeria and need regulation specifics. The pricing and logistics chapters are Lagos-flavoured.

One-time, lifetime access

The Catering Business Playbook

₦14,900

₦24,900 launch price, first 100 buyers

✓The full 82-page guide (PDF and ePub)
✓True-cost calculator spreadsheet
✓Event brief + quote templates (Word + Google Docs)
✓Five outreach scripts (WhatsApp + email)
✓Free updates for life
✓14-day money-back guarantee

Get the Guide — ₦14,900

Before you buy

Questions we get.

Is this guide specific to Lagos?

The pricing examples, logistics, vendor names, and typical client expectations are Lagos-grounded. The operating principles apply anywhere in Nigeria and most of West Africa.

How long will it take to read and apply?

You can read the guide in a weekend. Applying the first three chapters to your kitchen takes about a week. The full playbook, including registering the business, is a three to six month arc.

Do I need a registered business first?

No. Chapter nine covers when to register and why. Many small caterers wait until their fourth or fifth paid event before they register, and the guide tells you why that is usually fine.

What if I have never catered before?

The guide assumes you can cook but have never run catering as a business. Chapters one through four are written for day-one operators. Chapters five through nine are for when you are past your first few events.

Is there a refund?

Yes. If the guide is not useful to you within 14 days of purchase, write us and we will refund in full. No form to fill out, no justification required.

Do you offer coaching?

Not yet. We are working on a small-group version for 2027. The guide is what we have today.

Start tonight. Book your first event this month.

The guide downloads instantly. The calculator works on your phone. The quote template is ready to rename and send. You do not have to figure this out alone anymore.

Get the Guide — ₦14,900

Works on phone, tablet, desktop. Lifetime updates included.