Anna Maria Florio WINs by pivoting during a pandemic

Send us Fan MailWelcome to W.I.N. (what's important now?) - the entrepreneurial podcast where we dive into business challenges, achievements, and opportunities!Join your host, Ian Richardson, from Richardson & Richardson Consulting as he explores what entrepreneurs care about and focus on. This week, Ian hosts Anna Maria Florio, the owner of La Cucina at the Market.ANNA MARIA FLORIO, the owner of La Cucina at the Market, is a Philadelphia native and the daughter of Italian-born parents from the Campania region of Italy. Her family brought rich traditions of la cucina with them when they emigrated to Philadelphia in the 1960s. Anna grew up speaking Italian in a family where the kitchen was the center of the house. When people came together in their home there was always something cooking. In 2000 she accepted an invitation to join Temple University Center City (“TUCC”) as an Italian language instructor and began to share her Italian heritage with the Philadelphia community. Anna wanted to recreate and share the experience of her own family kitchen directly with her students as teaching tool.In 2004 Anna approached the Director of the Continuing Education Department at TUCC, about developing a series that combined food and language. TUCC’s first Italian cooking/language class, entitled “Mangiamo in Italiano” was a hit! Several years later with increased interest in all things food, it was the right time for the birth of La Cucina at the Market. Anna approached management at Reading Terminal Market, with the idea of having a space exclusively dedicated to cooking education and culinary demonstration. The enthusiasm was contagious and the process began.After 7 years at RTM, it seemed like time for a change. Anna found a wonderful new home in Market East. On July 17, 2016, 1206 Arch Street opened its doors to old and new friends and the tradition resumed. Each month brings new and interesting class options and a breadth of opportunities for culinary activities. Carrie Richardson and Ian Richardson host the WIN Podcast - What's Important Now?They are the co-founders of Fox & Crow Group, a software development company building growth platforms for MSP and IT channel businesses.Learn more at:Fox & Crow Group - the MSP Sales Process platform and all-in-one CRM solution Fox & Crow Instinct - the MSP Decision Intelligence Platform for IT Channel VendorsFox & Crow Jackdaw - Competitive Intelligence Reports on Demand for MSP businesses Book time with Carrie here!Be a guest on WIN!  We host MSP channel founders, executives and sales and marketing leaders who are willing to share advice with other IT channel firms on how to build, grow or sell a business using examples from their own experience.