My First Year in Business

October 2016-October 2017My first year in business: five kids under 10, a newborn just 3 months old and an aspiring dream to own a bakery and cafe. I wanted to conquer the world and I wasn’t going let anyone stop me from getting there. I felt like I was invincible. Was I though?
I remember that first month when I started putting the pieces together to start the business. We had so many questions.

Where was I going to bake?

How do I create an LLC?

Where do I keep a record of all our spending?

How do I calculate the cost of my pastry?

Where do I find customers?

The list was definitely much longer than this. Thankfully, Alex (my husband) was detailed and a lot of the questions were figured out because of him.

I was the dreamer in the relationship, so opening a business was roses and unicorns and what I always wanted to do. It was a dreamy time where it was too exciting to see anything that may go wrong. I was blind for sure.

The Journey Begins

We found a church that graciously allowed me to bake in their kitchen and charged pennies to rent from them. I was so grateful for that beginning. Shopping therapy was much needed, so I bought a few spatulas, set up my mini mixer and bought a huge 20 quart mixer. I was on a mission to bake lots of orders.

Let’s take a pause here and add a detail that is a crucial part of the journey. We started the business debt free. Alex and I collected $5000, paid for all the tools, lawyer fees and initial rent fees so that we can start the business. We didn’t have any personal debt (except our mortgage) and we want to run the business this way too.

First Mistake

Back to the story…

My first order was from a school for a school fundraiser. I was to make cinnamon rolls for grandparents to enjoy with their children. It was a disaster. I had to ask my mom to help me because I messed up the recipe and even then, I still managed to mess it up. But I ran out of time and I had to take what I made. Low and behold, the comments started to float in, “Your cinnamon rolls are too dry.” My heart sank into my feet. My first order and I ruined it! I was never invited to that event again. What a lesson to learn – never take an order that you don’t know if you can handle. I sure couldn’t handle that one! There were over 120 cinnamon rolls to make and I’ve never made more than 12 at that time in my life.

That was my first mistake I made in business. I was humbled in so many ways. My pride to be great and better than the baker next door just got crushed. I felt like a failure. Thankfully I have a supportive husband and he told me not to give up and try again. But this time, to do it right and not to compete with my imaginary baker who was next door.

Mom Guilt is Real

I continued to bake that year in the church kitchen. It was not easy to be away from my kids once or twice a week in the evenings trying to live out my dream. Leaving the house after dinner to bake orders was not ideal or the dream, but I convinced myself every time it was temporary and things would be different.

Then, there were times where I had no orders. Two weeks would go by, crickets. I would get worried. I was posting on social media and no one was interested. Back in 2016, social media was much different than now. There was no crazy algorithms to stop your posts from being viewed and the sky was the limit to get your business out there. So, when I didn’t get any orders for several weeks, I would get concerned. Instead of resting and enjoying my time with my kids, I would sit there and worry. Why did I do that? Not a proud moment here. I would change that part if I could. I would take back that time and use it a little more wisely. Rest when it’s slow! Don’t fill that space with worry. It’s not going to help!

Getting My Hopes Up

Six months into renting the church kitchen, I received a phone call of a potential space that can be turned into a cafe for us. I was so excited! We had six months until the current lease was over, so plenty of time for the transition to happen. We waited patiently. Six months came and left and the dream never came alive. Sometimes things don’t go as we plan and there is a reason and we don’t understand why. But we need time to tell us why things didn’t come to life, something I didn’t understand at that time. I was just upset!

The Lessons

I am going to stop right here because that was my first year. Year two has it’s own story and challenges. I wanted to reflect on the lessons I learned as a first year entrepreneur because there are several of them.

1. Stay humble. The minute you start thinking that you are the stuff because you own a business, that’s when life will start humbling you.
2. Don’t let disappointment stop you. I was in multiple situations where I thought I wouldn’t be able to continue baking. I had to choose to find a solution and sometimes really fast. It’s not the end of the world. If that door is closed, try the next one. You will be surprised at what you will find.
3. Start small. Don’t assume you can handle that or this. Take smaller orders and deliver them well and slowly increase so you can continue growing with consistency. You are not in a race, so take your time.
4. God always has a better plan. We don’t always understand the things that happen and we don’t have to. This is where trusting God is necessary. He know what he is doing and his ways may not be our way. Give God the eraser, so he can write your story.