Cooking for a billionaire?
Sounds like a cakewalk.

Hey Contrarians,

I went from Wall Street to TikTok for a reason.

Conventional wisdom tells us success relies on taking advantage of existing opportunities.

Well, I’m not listening to this advice anymore. Magic lies in creating opportunities for yourself.

I started to buy boring businesses like vending machines and laundromats. When people wanted to know how I did it, I started to create content. I made myself discoverable, built trust with entrepreneurs, and grew my audience.

And I truly believe you could do it, too.

I’m hosting a free, live Masterclass next week on the exact process I’ve used to buy 20+ cashflowing businesses. I’ll break down all 10 steps – and to sweeten the deal, I’ll throw in a live Q&A and a chance to win a $1,000 startup grant. But we have a cap of 5k attendees (and 380k+ people are receiving this email), so be sure to secure your spot here ASAP!

The business-buying is half my story. …But why does this Latina in her mid-30s keep popping up on your fyp?

Let me share how you can turn a craft into explosive content, make yourself discoverable, and create unexpected opportunities.

(Oh, and there’s videos of delicious food, too…)

Today in 10 minutes or less, you'll learn:

✔️ Contrarian frame: The Content Flywheel

✔️ How food fame has changed

✔️ A day in the life of a billionaire’s chef

✔️ How to become a private chef without a culinary degree

✔️ How you make your own content flywheel

Contrarian framework: The Content Flywheel

I don’t make content just because it’s fun (although let’s be honest, it’s a pretty cool gig).

I use a 6-step system to make my boring biz’s and not-so-boring content join forces to make a profoundly profitable cycle.

It’s called the Biz-Buying Content Flywheel, and it goes like this:

1. Buy a boring business. Rules: It’s already cashflowing day 1, it’s a little outdated, it lacks a serious online presence or tech.
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2. Create content about it. I have ~4M followers across socials. I share about the business, teach how I did it, and write my financial philosophy.
   ​
3. Increase dealflow. 4M people see the business content. Some want me to invest in or buy their business.
   ​
4. Get better deals & investor attention. I am on the radar of 4M people. I meet some amazing humans to get involved in my biz's and invest in.
   ​
5. Create courses on my learnings. 4M people ask how I did all this. So I offer deeper content folks can opt into: a free newsletter (oh hey), plus biz-buying courses and a Mastermind full of like-minded builders.
   ​
6. Use cashflow to buy more businesses. The original biz makes $. The investments make $. The courses make $. And so, the cycle continues.

​
I started all this 3 years ago with a few hundred followers, a decade of finance experience, and a little insomnia-inducing passion.

As it turns out, a tablespoon of social leverage, 2 cups of expertise, and a dash of passion can cook up something pretty special.

Today, we've got the story of Rob Li, who makes 6-figures as a private chef for billionaires, supercharged by social media.

You can’t become a billionaire overnight, but you can cook for one.

How food fame has changed

Before we dive into Rob’s story, let’s talk about how platforms like TikTok, YouTube & Instagram are changing food culture.

When we were all locked down for months in 2020, internet cooking videos became one giant talent contest.

And it hasn’t slowed down. Hashtags like #WhippedCoffee and #FetaPasta reached billions of views. #TikTokFood and #FoodTok are used to identify food-related content, and have been viewed 40.2 billion and 9.7 billion times respectively since March 2020.

FoodTok turned culinary mavericks into stars. People like Ahmad Alzahabi and Jessica Woo have become celebrity chefs and entrepreneurs.

Chefs are leaving the restaurant industry and becoming content creators earning hundreds of thousands of dollars, sometimes millions, thanks to the TikTok Creator Fund and business-savvy brand deals.

Now, let’s move to Rob – who took advantage of the food content money train in an unconventional way. He paired it with an industry set to be worth $20B.

A day in the life of a billionaire’s private chef

Rob’s first Instagram post from August 2020 featured Adobo Chicken Tacos and got 59 likes. For ~3 years, his videos looked like this.

But last April, he had a new opportunity, so he created a new type of video. He also started posting on TikTok in addition to IG…

The new video has a simple message:

“POV: You’re a private chef for a billionaire in the Hamptons.”

What you see is a day in the life of Rob as a private chef — and weirdly enough it looks tranquil as F*CK.

7:30 AM - Bike ride to the mansion, stop to visit the herb garden

8:30 AM - Make mushroom avocado toast with scrambled eggs

9:00 AM - Take a break by the pool

9:30 AM - Lunch prep

10 AM - 12 PM - Be outside, edit videos, chill by the pool

12:30 PM - Make carne asada tacos

1-3:00 PM - Pick more herbs from the garden

3:30 PM - Dessert prep

~Intermission to the beach because you’re in the motherf-ing Hamptons~

6:30 - 8:30 PM - Prep & serve dinner

8:30-10 PM - Clean up the kitchen, eat dinner, and leave for the night.

Rob’s not even breaking down the recipes, he’s just showing the ingredients and letting your mouth water.

You get a quick glimpse of the prep, but this content is purely inspirational and entertaining. Turn up a chill, happy song in the background and watch a chef who didn’t go to culinary school make delicious-looking food for a billionaire – and for you and me.

Here’s a look at his speedy TikTok growth…

In less than two months, he’s surpassed 4.1M likes, 213k followers, and 30M views (qualifying him to earn TikTok-money from his videos).

Talent + Good Content = Profitable Venture.

My compliments to the chef.

How to become a private chef without a culinary degree

To any contrarian thinkers who can make a flavorful paella that your friends and fam rave about, you can become a private chef too.

One way to do it? A platform called Cozymeal.

Think Airbnb, but for chefs. People will pay you to come to their kitchen and cook for them. All you have to do is create a profile on Cozymeal.

How it works:

1. Create your culinary experience (can be a cooking class or only private dinners).
2. Select your availability and set rates.
3. Get booked.

Top chefs on the platform typically charge $149/hr per person.

Note: If you think you can toss some prosciutto in a bowl of Kraft mac & cheese and call yourself a chef, be warned… Cozymeal will try your cooking in-person before accepting you on the platform.

Want to know the best part for you?

This business endeavor is low overhead.

As the chef, you shop for the ingredients but cook in someone else’s kitchen. No paying for a private space (unless you truly want to).

Let’s say you spend $100 on ingredients and cook a private dinner for four people at $149/person. You made over $500 for the night.

Book yourself out 4-5x/week, and that's a 6-figure year.

How you can expand this into a content flywheel

Here’s how I would do this:

• Sharpen up the ol’ knife set and get approved on Cozymeal.
• Get reviews and take pics and videos with your clients to post on social media. Build awareness outside of Cozymeal.
• Create a manageable content strategy. I’d start on IG and TikTok. Once I make enough money from Cozymeal, I’d re-invest it into a great editor (I use ViralCuts for this now – highly recommend).
• Once I nailed down short-form videos, I'd re-post all my best-performing TikToks as YouTube shorts, then expand into weekly long-form YT vids.

Social media can accelerate revenue, but more importantly, it makes you discoverable. And you never know who’s watching.

If our friend Rob Li aka Broccoliraab has taught us anything, it’s that someone who could give you the opportunity of a lifetime may see you. Maybe even a billionaire.

I want you to be one of the few who do, not the many who talk.
​

- Codie

🍝 This cursed #FoodTok creation has a whopping 206.7M views

📶 Today I Learned: Almost 1/4 of Americans don't have internet access​

🤳 Not enough creator economy to go around for startups in the space​

🧩 You're good. But you're not "solve a Rubik's cube in 3.13secs" good.

🌌 MDMA-zing grace: Turns out this psychedelic... Cures racism?

Ready to become part of the Contrarian Crew?

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✔️ Work closely with us in the Unconventional Acquisitions Mastermind to buy your first, or next, business if you have a minimum of $50k to invest!

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