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

So This Is My Why

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:

• 1:55 Italian childhood
• 4:11 What do Italians eat every day?
• 5:38 People in Asia aren’t taught to think?!
• 10:58 Entering the food industry
• 12:13 Work hard to earn your money
• 13:33 Your first job sets the bar
• 14:49 That English breakfast shift
• 16:52 Knowing that the F&B world was for him
• 17:33 How to cook the perfect pasta
• 20:04 Moving from London to Singapore
• 21:58 First job at Pasta Fresca
• 23:19 What’s an authentic halal Italian restaurant?
• 25:59 Chefs can only be chefs, they can’t run a business
• 29:43 Going into marketing & the lost $3000
• 31:22 The turning point
• 32:39 Content strategy
• 35:14 Going truly viral
• 36:18 Acting debut
• 37:58 Why accept collaborations?
• 40:00 Separating his personal brand from his Kucina restaurant
• 41:24 The content creation team
• 42:48 Advice for entrepreneurs
• 44:06 Do you feel like you’ve found your why?
• 45:25 What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?
• 46:15 What do you think are the most important qualities of a successful person?

📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/144

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