Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Vanessa Williamson, owner of The Cake Pan LLC., located in Blue Springs, MO, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a full-service bakery and bakery supply shop located in the same spot for almost 44 years! Our customers are at-home bakers, husbands, wives, small businesses, and everyone that loves sweet treats.
Tell us about yourself
I took over this business because I saw the potential to make it my own and share my own recipes with people all over the Blue Springs area. I'm continually driven by everyone that comes into the shop and shares their love of everything sweet. I hear stories all the time about other small businesses and DIY bakers about their experiences with the store over the past several decades. I love hearing about people learning to bake here when they were kids and continuing that tradition by bringing their own children in.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
It has been incredibly rewarding to renovate the business and transform it into a modern-day bakery. Seeing people react when they first come in never gets old.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The idea that you're never truly "closed" is a tough adjustment. You live and die by the reviews you get and the experiences that people have. No matter how your life is going, when people come in, their experience begins. Sometimes that can be difficult, but it's worth it if you're able to deliver them a good experience and a good tasting product.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Get used to hearing "no." Embrace that. It's not always going to go your way. But if you can see your path and you have a definite end result, it will always pay off in the end.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.thecakepan.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bluespringscakepan
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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