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For our program The CEO Series, I was fortunate enough to sit down with some of the world’s smartest and most creative business leaders and receive their hard-won advice on what it takes to launch and grow a thriving brand.
This episode took us to the New York Stock Exchange to talk with Norma Chu, founder and CEO of DayDayCook. The direct-to-consumer food and content brand has a reach of more than 60 million users and completed its initial public offering in November 2023. Norma told me the company’s mission is to promote the joy of Asian cuisine to the world through a growing number of customers. portfolio of authentic Asian food brands focused on convenient ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat products.
Over the course of our conversation, Norma explained the evolution of DayDayCook, her passion for food, her business development strategy, and, luckily, she took me into the kitchen to prepare an incredibly delicious red curry spaghetti lunch .
Below are some highlights from our conversation, which have been edited for length and clarity. Watch the full video above to discover all of her incredible insights (and to see if Norma managed to turn me into a five-star chef!)
The corporate evolution of DayDayCook
“DayDayCook started about 13 years ago with a simple idea: I wanted to create something that could inspire the future generation to continue enjoying cooking. And I started doing this by creating lots of short videos and sharing the content on social media platforms like YouTube. For the first three years we focused on Hong Kong market.Later we expanded into mainland China market.That’s when we started to explore different aspects, such as entering content trading and incorporating some product recommendations into our video. And from there I decided to launch our branded product portfolio.”
Related: He created a personal finance app that manages $8 billion for half a million customers. Here is M1 CEO’s hard-earned advice for future founders.
Trends in the food industry
“There have been some really interesting trends in recent years. The first is that three out of five consumers see the kitchen as the new epicenter of creativity and experimentation with new recipes. The second trend is that East Asian cuisine has become increasingly more popular. And the third trend is that more and more people are cooking at home. 43% of consumers find themselves cooking at home more than twelve months ago.”
His passion for spreading joy
“I always tell people that I have had two real passions in life: cooking and the stock market. [Laughs] The passion for cooking began at a very young age. My parents and grandparents had a very early influence on me to think of cooking not as a chore, but as an act of caring. So when you care about what you cook and what you eat and share it with other people, joy and happiness come naturally. And that’s something that’s very important to the company, to continue to share that joy while preserving our legacy.”
Related: How Personal Passions Fuel Business Success for the CEO of Vivid Seats
The keys to success as an entrepreneur
“When I was young, I didn’t really think about starting my own business. But as a young man, I always liked to try new things. And this was reflected in my working life. I worked as a hostess and as an intern” In a private bank and in accounting firms. I have also taught Chinese and English in Japan. I think having that kind of mindset of curiosity and not being afraid of the unknown are some of the key components of being an entrepreneur. And always think about the silver lining. If you see that maybe more people are coming into this space or there’s more innovation in this space, look at it in a positive light. How can I be part of it? And the third step is really positive. Don’t just have an idea. Not just having awareness. When you see the opportunity, you really take it and run with it.”
His changing role as CEO
“I started the company with a co-founder and a very small team. At first it was simply about putting the initial concept of this vision into practice. But then, over time, we started raising capital and a few years later, we decided to take on money from institutional investors, so I had to learn several things: I have to learn how to raise money. What does Serie A mean? How do you prepare to present to investors? What is a cap table? There are many things to learn. I think it’s just a continuous journey of learning over and over again. That’s a constant of being an entrepreneur and being a CEO.”
Related: Inside Potbelly’s Recipe for Quick and Casual Success
DayDayCook IPO
“The IPO journey itself was an exceptional experience. It tested my mental strength in terms of overcoming all these different obstacles, staying level-headed and being able to map out the right strategy for the future. It was a rollercoaster. But after accomplishing something like “This, I look back and realize that it made me stronger and more prepared to become CEO of a public company. And I also think the whole team has become stronger. It really takes coming together to have a successful IPO and we did it. “