What I Have Learned in My First 6 Months of Business
I am so overjoyed to be able to bake every day. But it is not all sunshine and rainbows. It comes with lots of let downs, uncomfortable situations, failures, and tears. As someone who leans more toward an introvert, being a small business owner is not the easiest path. Regardless of how stressful it has been, I would not change it for the world. I have grown into a confident and proud baker who has had the adventure of a lifetime. I wanted to share some of the things I have learned in the past 6 months of starting my own business out of my home kitchen.
1. You need support. For me, my biggest support and encouragement comes from my husband. He understands where I am weaker and has helped build me up to where I am now. No matter your personality, you need someone or a group that will keep you strong in your path and keep your momentum going forward. There will be times you feel stuck and unmotivated and that is where you support comes in. It seems like an obvious statement, but if you don’t have the right people in your corner that believe in you and your ideas, then you will have a hard time being successful.
2. You will experience rejection. This has been something I have struggled with, but who doesn’t hate rejection. It hurts. But trust me, you need to try. The more people that know about you, the better. One bad review will not define you. The first time I experienced a negative review, I was devastated, But I took a step back and remembered how many positive comments I had heard before this dessert. Not everyone is going to like your services, it’s inevitable. It’s okay to cry once about, but then you need to pick yourself up. I still hate rejection to this day and always will, but I no longer let it effect my mood and what I do.
3. You can do it with little starter money/no debt. This sounds absurd, but honestly, if you are making this hobby into a business, then you most likely have everything you need besides an inventory or samples. So give yourself a small budget and set up that etsy store, or take some samples to the next meeting or event you are attending. I started my business with under 200 dollars and was able to be profitable in my first 6 months of business. I follow some state laws for selling food out of my home and make sure my costs are low. Everybody says you need to rent space or need the best equipment, but I can honestly say you can do it with a 45 year old sewing machine and one small kitchenaid, and minimal pans and tools. Work your way up to the new materials and fancy equipment, making sure that your business helps your situation rather than hindering your success.
My first and only current Kitchenaid
4. Put yourself out there. As someone who dreads crowds and has introvert qualities, this is what had held me back the most in my first 6 months of business. After some encouragement, I made some of my signature chocolate cake with some chocolate cream cheese frosting and went to some local businesses. Sure enough, within 30 minutes, I had an inquiry for a wedding cake! After that, I began sampling once a week to minimum two businesses and received great feedback from it. Eventually I became more intentional about where I sampled and made sure the ladies from my women’s bible study were my taste testers each week. So be confident, work through the fear, and just do it. What is the worst that could happen really?
5. Be open. As a baker, I look around and lots of companies are focusing on one thing or dessert. From cookies, cupcakes, and wedding or specialty cakes, they do one thing well. For me to stand out in my business I have been open to making any and everything for dessert. I have no limits and enjoy expanding my skills and working hard at growing. I have done all sorts of orders from banana bread to wedding cake. People will appreciate your menu, but will recommend you for being personal and accommodating. This also helped in my kitchen accessories such as aprons, oven mitts, and pot holders. Expanding my sewing skills into anything but aprons was intimidating, but has paid off and created more fun pieces in the kitchen. So try new things, stay within your means, but don’t limit yourself. You may be more skilled than you ever thought possible. (fun fact: I did not know how to sew a year ago and last year I sold over 30 aprons, custom and my pattern combos)