Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Amber Tipton, owner of The Neighborhood Nest Gluten-Free Baked Goods, located in Fairborn, OH.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
The Neighborhood Nest is a dedicated gluten-free bakery that accommodates most all other allergies as well as offering vegan items and a keto line of grain-free, sugar-free items. Our customers are made of up people who have celiac disease, are immune-compromised, and have various food sensitivities and allergies. We go above and beyond to provide not just SAFE baked goods by having very strict protocols in place to keep our folks safe by avoiding cross-contamination but also work diligently to always serve the most tender, flavorful, and delicious food. My goal at the nest is to give people who have often been disenfranchised in the foodie world the things they miss and to also make those items safe.
Tell us about yourself
The Neighborhood Nest started as a cottage baking business, where I baked out of my house and sold baked goods throughout the community at local Farmer’s Markets. In November 2017, The Neighborhood Nest moved into the Spark Fairborn Incubator space, a shared kitchen that is a dedicated gluten-free production kitchen. From the production kitchen, my team and I have grown to provide baked goods to an ongoing list of restaurants, coffee shops, and health food stores in the Greater Dayton region, as well as holding retail hours in the incubator space. In April 2021, we officially opened the doors to our very own retail bakery and production kitchen. We are in the process of growing the menu to include brunch & savory items in addition to the baked goods.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
As of April 19, 2022, I will have been in business for nine years. That alone is a huge accomplishment in any food world, but with several years of COVID impacting business, I feel exceptionally lucky that we are still around. In this last year, I have seen the culmination of years of work and the goal of being a bakery and brunch spot come to fruition with more growth in the coming months.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
I would say that you will never please everyone no matter how hard you try; there's always going to be people who just refuse to be happy in any given situation. I would also say that establishing and holding firm on some level of work/life balance has been a huge obstacle. The messages and emails never end, and in a day and age of customers wanting instant answers and access to the staff, it makes it a challenge. On a personal level, learning new POS systems, keeping up with social media, and staying on top of correspondence have all been huge personal challenges.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Just do it. Use the resources available through your local SBC, get a mentor in the field you are interested in to help you with questions and planning. Listen to or read the E-Myth to see where you fit into the roles of the business you want to start and then fill the other roles with competent talent that will help your growth and stability. STAY IN YOUR LANE! Don't try to be all things to all people. Do what you do, do it well, partner with other small businesses to collaborate and help you all grow. Keep an open mind and don't consider other like businesses as competition, but rather see that there is room for us all to link arms and work together to create a firm foundation of success and support.
Where can people find you and your business?
https://www.theneighborhoodnest.com/
https://www.instagram.com/the_neighborhood_nest/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-tipton-08572445
https://mobile.twitter.com/glorygfree
https://www.facebook.com/TheNeighborhoodNest/
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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