Ever met someone and you just think- WOW.

I had the pleasure of meeting Kim McCosker, author of the sensational “4 Ingredient” cookbooks. Today one in every seven homes has a copy of a “4 Ingredients” cookbook; making it Australia’s most successful self-published cookbook series EVER!

Kim also has one of Australia’s fastest growing digital footprints, and her cookbook sales exceed that of Jamie Olivers and span three continents, 26 countries and six foreign languages.

I went to the luncheon not expecting the valuable lessons I would learn from Kim.

So here are my top four insights.

1. Experience versus Passion
   We often think that because someone has more experience or training, that they will be better at business than us. Kim started her first cookbook with no experience as a chef, writer or business owner. She saw a need – that busy mums needed a cookbook to make meal time easier- and she went for it. Passion is key.
   2. The David versus Goliath Mindset
   Kim defied all logic writing a cookbook. The entire trade – the experts – told her it would never work. Having to self-fund the project, Kim tells of her drive to repay her mortgage by selling the books door-to-door, and how from those humble beginnings a clever marketing strategy (on a zero budget) under-pinned what the trade now refer to as the TSUNAMI of all cookbooks. As they say, it is not the big that eat the small, it is the fast that eat the slow.
   3. Persistence Pays Off
   Kim did use a great analogy of husbands and wives that eventually a wife will give in and say yes (if you catch my drift). She suggested you have to have the same persistence in business. People will say no. But is it a no for now, or a no forever? Kim never took no for an answer. Her persistence was amazing. It took her six months of almost daily contact with Chanel Seven to secure a cooking spot on their morning show.
   4. Marketing is Key
   Kim obviously believes in the power of print, she has sold over eight Million copies of her cookbooks, and has printed 17 of them based around her “4 Ingredients” philosophy! But she also knows the importance of having a well-rounded approach. She is an absolute professional and incredibly approachable – so face to face marketing through public speaking and cooking shows is a huge part of her strategy. Social media, in particular Facebook, is also a high priority as it enables her to increase her personal relationships with her tribe.

So keep being persistent folks!