Three Years into Opening a Business

October 2018-October 2019

Things change when we least expect them. Sometimes it’s an overnight change, like COVID. We have to pivot and change our direction. What do you do then and how do you do that? Year three into my business I had to pivot and not by choice.

In this post I am going to share how I had to rebrand a business and not by choice. It’s the true and raw things I experienced in year three as a business owner and mom. From hiring my first team member, then expanding my company to learn that I need to rebrand, and in the midst of this homeschooling and learning to enjoy my time with my kids.

My goal with sharing all these things is for you to take away something from my story and learn from my mistakes or successes. Maybe you are walking a similar journey, experiencing similar emotions. I hope this helps you feel normal because it is normal to feel the way you you do when running a small business.

Let’s dive in!

Hiring My First Team Member

I was working part time, 20-30 hours a week. My kids often came with me where I rented the kitchen. Some days were awesome and some days were tough. I really thought I was ready to hire, so I started to spread the word. The team member I was looking for was going to be super part time. Just a few hours a week, a couple nights a week. I felt like the Lord sent me a great person, so I hired. That was the beginning of having team members in the business. 

My first team member had a passion for baking so it was very easy to train her. We got along well. There were things I didn’t understand as an owner, so I became friends with her first. That was the first mistake I made. Work is work and we must have a good relationship. But when it comes to getting the job done, there must be boundaries. I didn’t learn to create boundaries with my first employee though. This will be in the later years of my business.

An Opportunity to Expand

July 2018, I received a message on Facebook messenger asking if I would be interested to join an indoor market. We took this as a sign that it was time to move on and grow the company. The next few weeks we took time to pray and visit the market to see if this would be the right decision. It all felt right and the risk was something we were able to manage and cashflow. Our families schedule was going to be a bit different and busier, but we were willing to navigate through it and expand the company.

In November 2018, we opened a stand at an indoor market to see if this would be the step in growing our business. I found a dry case to hold our pastries at the market and we all went as a family to the market during the dark hours to build our mini stand. 

We committed to being at that market for six months to try it out. I hired my second employee to run the stand while I baked and transported the baked goods for market. It didn’t take long and the second employee stopped showing up to work. I had to work the hours until we found more help. This was my first experience with team members not showing up to work. I didn’t know at the time that this was a trend from applicants, but now I do after seven years of applications. 

Team Members Not Showing Up to Work

Shortly after employee #2 that didn’t work out, I hired #3. This team member lasted for 6 months as well. I was very inexperienced as a new business owner, so I hired people, but I didn’t know how to develop a job description. As a result, my team members had free reign to do whatever they wanted. It would upset me when things were not done and the stand was a mess. I had to let that team member go as well. It was so hard to do.

How do you tell someone they were not meeting standard kindly? Am I not being Christlike by firing someone? Those were all the questions that ran through my head. Back then, I didn’t understand this process, so I did my best to navigate this situation. I would sit down and express how this job is probably not a great fit for the both of us. I was partially doing the right thing without any formal education on how to fire properly, but I only knew what I knew. Looking back, I now see my gaps and can learn so much from my own mistakes. 

Continuing to Expand

This was a new market, so the foot traffic wasn’t the greatest. Some days we would make $100 in sales and we were thrilled and other days we made $20 and we had to scramble to put the pieces together. The waste at the end of the day was ridiculous! I never had that many pastries to eat at the end of the week like I did then.

After our six month contract, the landlord offered us a bigger space where we were able to build a mini kitchen. It was an extremely scary moment for me because I was committing to a space that would be my own and I had to rely on customers coming through the market doors to make the sales. My sales up until that point were mainly to the cafe and I had to make a big jump to selling directly to my customers and meeting them face to face. Despite the fear, I did it. During my first two years of business, I collected enough money to build this stand. Alex, dad and a few of my brothers were so gracious enough to spend the wee hours of the night to build me my very own mini kitchen. I was ecstatic! 

Pivot or Go Out of Business

May 2019, I was baking from my own kitchen at the market! I probably made $20 that day, but that didn’t matter. I was in my own kitchen! That excitement wore off pretty quickly when I had to pay the bills. In July 2019, I decided to add items to the menu. I added very popular Ukrainian foods and started advertising as such. People would walk by my stand and ask, “What is Ukrainian? Where is that?” I realized pretty quickly that I needed to change it to Russian Food. That’s when people started getting more interested in my stand and purchases form me, but not enough to pay the bills. This was the first baby step to rebranding the business.

Menu one did not go over very well, so I had to pivot again. I started doing research about all the Ukrainian food and what people know here in America. My baker (first employee) gave me a lot of ideas, so I researched them all. The one idea that stuck out as I was doing my research was pierogi. So, I decided to do a big launch of my pierogi. When I say big launch, I mean a few social media posts and a sign outside of the market doors. That was the extent of my marketing skills. 

When the Pierogi Journey Started

Week one pierogi sales – 20 meals with organic marketing. That was a big deal. The first menu was not near as successful as this one!

Week two – I doubled the sales. The trend kept on going and the word started spreading. Pierogi sales were starting to pick up. 

The pierogi making journey was born in July 2019. I didn’t know this was going to be a big hit. But what I did know is giving up is not a choice. And that’s a lesson I learned that year.

I had come to a fork in the road where I had to decide, do I continue under my old brand name ‘Tanya’s Pastry Shop’ or rebrand the business so that customers can understand who I was and find the company in the easiest way possible. It took a few months, but I took the risk and rebranded my shop, left my love for baking aside and went 200% into making pierogi for the crowds. That was the first step to rebrand the business. It is something I never dreamed of doing, but I knew it was the right thing to do. ‘Inna’s Pierogi Shop’ was born in year three of owning a business.

If you thinking it’s time to rebrand your business, here is a simple article to learn if it is time to rebrand. It will give you some clarity and direction.

Making Memories with My Kids

My kids came to work with me almost every single day as I ran the stand. I continued to homeschool them. We had lots of slow days at the market, so in between customers, I would do some education and playing. I really enjoyed that part as a mom. 

One specific memory is when we stopped at Starbucks before going to the market to open up our stand. The kiddos would get up early enough to get their hot chocolate, decaf lattes and cake pops so they could just hang out with mama at the market. We all sat at this very tiny table and just chit chatted. It was so wonderful to bond with these wonderful humans. I will never forget that. 

Lessons I Learned in Year Three:

1. Don’t be afraid to pivot. It doesn’t always go as planned.
2. Take risks and make sure you can fund them too.
3. Enjoy the little moments. They will be your best memories.
4. Create boundaries with team members. It’s important that work is done first and then build a relationship. 

If you are interested in my story, read how Year One and Year Two unfolded in my business, the lessons I learned and more.