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 childhood4:11 What do Italians eat every day?5:38 People in Asia aren’t taught to think?!10:58 Entering the food industry12:13 Work hard to earn your money13:33 Your first job sets the bar14:49 That English breakfast shift 16:52 Knowing that the F&B world was for him 17:33 How to cook the perfect pasta20:04 Moving from London to Singapore21:58 First job at Pasta Fresca23:19 What’s an authentic halal Italian restaurant?25:59 Chefs can only be chefs, they can’t run a business29:43 Going into marketing & the lost $300031:22 The turning point32:39 Content strategy35:14 Going truly viral36:18 Acting debut37:58 Why accept collaborations?40:00 Separating his personal brand from his Kucina restaurant41:24 The content creation team42:48 Advice for entrepreneurs44:06 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 ? Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍? Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442