Kitchen Notes

Join us on this inspiring episode of Kitchen Notes as we sit down with Amy Smith, the dynamic owner of The Evergreen Southern Kitchen & Gathering Place, a multifaceted Bakery/Cafe & event venue in Bridgeport, Kentucky. Transitioning from a corporate career to entrepreneurship, Amy shares her journey of creating a thriving business that not only serves delectable treats but also stands as a pillar in the community. Discover how Amy’s blend of passion, creativity, and strategic business acumen has transformed The Evergreen into a beloved local destination.

I’ve been teaching my flagship bakery finance e-course in one form or another since 2019 … it’s gone through many iterations and revisions, and I’m confident it is the most comprehensive & approachable bakery finance e-course out there today. We re-lauched the latest version of the program last month, and now I’m excited to announce that for the first time EVER, we are running a LIVE cohort of the class!

To learn more and sign up today, visit:
https://www.bakerybusinessacademy.com/finance

Order Up! On today’s episode of Kitchen Notes, we’re diving deep into your bakery’s ordering process – with a specific focus on reducing friction in the ordering process so you can increase sales. 

From crafting a user-friendly menu to leveraging modern technology for 24/7 ordering capabilities, we explore strategies & techniques to make buying from your bakery as effortless as possible. 

Join us as we discuss practical tips and share stories of real-world implementations that have helped us streamline our customer service process and grow sales.

On today’s episode, we dive into a detailed financial review of the first half of 2024. We’ll discusses investments, revenue growth, budget considerations, and specific financial metrics that we’re keeping on eye on as we grow our bakery. This financial check-up aims to provide listeners with insights on managing their bakery’s finances and adapting strategies for continued growth in the second half of the year.

If you run a bakery business, this episode is packed with practical tips and “lessons learned” from our bakery to yours.

On today’s episode, we’re digging into “Part 1” of a new two-episode series where we look back at the first six months of 2024 – sharing key business updates, financial insights, and unique investments that have shaped the success of our year so far!

Join us as we discuss the projects we’ve worked on, investments we’ve made this year, and trends that have influenced not just our bakery but could inspire your own culinary ventures as well. This episode is packed with valuable takeaways for any bakery owner – especially those of you in the retail space or selling DTC!

In this episode of Kitchen Notes, Meg dives into a crucial topic for bakery owners struggling with profitability: the myth that more sales always lead to more profit. Drawing from personal experiences and lessons learned with her bakery, Spilt Milk, Meg emphasizes the need to deeply understand your costs, price your products correctly with healthy profit margins, create a profit-first budget, and have a plan for monitoring numbers/taking corrective action. She outlines practical steps for understanding and managing your bakery’s finances effectively before ramping up marketing efforts.

In this episode of Kitchen Notes, join us as we explore the power of business collaborations to boost bakery sales, expand customer reach, and enhance brand exposure. Discover how partnerships with complementary businesses – whether with taco joints or local florists – can lead to fun and fruitful outcomes. Host Meg Svec shares real-life examples from recent successful collaborations, offers practical tips on setting up your own partnerships, and discusses how to ensure these ventures benefit all parties involved.

In today’s episode of Kitchen Notes, we’re diving deep into effective strategies for increasing your bakery’s revenue, without the need to expand your menu or invest in new product development. Focusing on practical, low-effort techniques, we’ll explore how things like minor packaging adjustments, “low-fi” subscription models, and regular sales promotions can significantly boost your bakery revenue. Whether you’re operating with limited time or looking for creative ways to engage customers, these bakery sales strategies will help you enhance profitability while keeping your operations manageable.

In this episode, we’re diving into a detailed post-Mother’s Day debrief that reveals how to leverage holiday sales to sustain and grow your bakery business. Join us as we explore practical strategies for maximizing revenue during key sales periods, with real-life examples from our recent successful Mother’s Day holiday baker promo. Whether you’re running a bustling retail bakery, are in the thick of online sales, or operate as a “popup” business … this episode will provide you with actionable tips you can apply to your own business operations, and change the way you think about your finances.

Let’s delve deep into the personal and professional challenges of running a bakery amidst life’s unpredictable swings. Host Meg Svec shares her heartfelt experiences balancing personal challenges & family life with bakery management, and offers insights into navigating the financial and emotional ups and downs of the bakery business. Join us as we explore the importance of “knowing your numbers” and how this knowledge can be a lifeline during turbulent times. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just starting out, this episode is packed with actionable advice to keep your business thriving.

It’s been a year of profound changes and learning for me, both on a personal level and as a business owner. From embracing my role as a parent, to steering our bakery towards new growth with the help of my business partner … we’re unwrapping it all on today’s episode! 

In this episode of the Kitchen Notes podcast, Meg delves into the crucial topic of setting pars for bakery products, a concern that resonates with many in the baking business, especially during seasonal fluctuations. As we’re entering the slow month of January, she shares insights into managing production levels to avoid waste while ensuring customer satisfaction.

In this episode of Kitchen Notes, we're taking a listener question & diving deep into an essential business finance topic: raising your prices! On today's episode, we'll talk about... The various factors that can impact your bottom-line profitability, The...

Today we’re sitting down with Maura Walker, who owns a small business in Massachusetts called pies by Maura. Maura and I have worked together for several years now and I have been consistently impressed with how her business has grown and matured in such a short period of time. Maura is a former deli owner turn pie Baker operating her wildly successful cottage bakery out of her home with zero employees. Today, we’re talking with Maura about how she built her business, the hurdles she’s faced along the way, how networking has helped her streamline and grow her business in a way that works for her and her family, and how she’s using smart production planning and strategic automation to operate her business in a sustainable fashion for a solopreneur. I hope you find this interview as inspiring as I did!

It's been a while since I last recorded an episode of Kitchen Notes. Our last episode was recorded waaaaaay back in January, so I apologize for the abrupt four to five month hiatus! But I'm thrilled to be back now and reconnecting with all of you 🥳 I'm happy to report...

Happy New Year!

In this 3-part series, we’ll be sitting down to “hit the reset button” as we start a new year. We’ll take a look back at 2022 to talk about what went well, exciting milestones we achieved as a business, lessons learned, and where we’re headed in 2023.

Today, tune in for Part Three, where we’re talking about some of the important pillars that our guiding our goals for the upcoming year, including commitments we are making to our team, our community, and the planet.

In this 3-part series, we’re sitting down to “hit the reset button” as we start a new year. We’ll take a look back at 2022 to talk about what went well, exciting milestones we achieved as a business, lessons learned, and where we’re headed in 2023. Today, tune in for Part Two, where we dig into a few things that could have been better about last year, including some valuable lessons learned we will carry with us into 2023. We’ll talk about staff turnover, overshooting the labor budget, growing as leaders, team communication, and more. Enjoy!

Over the next 3 episodes, we’ll be sitting down to “hit the reset button” as we start a new year. We’ll take a look back at 2022 to talk about what went well, exciting milestones we achieved as a business, lessons learned, and where we’re headed in 2023. Today, tune in for Part One of this three-part series, where we’ll dive into our million dollar year, using data to run a growing business, building a strong team, and leadership growth.

In this episode, we’re talking all about prepping for the holiday season — like how to boost revenue without adding a ton of extra tasks to your already full to-do list.

In this episode, we’re talking about why when it comes to your bakery business you should listen to that little voice in the back of your head telling you to pay attention — while still looking at the numbers to validate and guide you.

In this episode, we’re sharing our month-end financial review process and sharing how it allows us to put together a strong game plan based on facts based on data.

In this episode, we’re reflecting back on some lessons learned, friends made along the way, keeping a business running throughout a global pandemic, and our very favorite memories.

On this episode, we sit down with seasoned pastry chef turned entrepreneur and owner of Pretty Cool Ice Cream, Dana Cree. Dana shares her journey and the lessons she learned along the way.

Knowing your numbers is a critical piece of bakery business success, but how do you take action to stay on top of things when you notice some gaps in where your money is going? In this episode, we’re sharing how we’ve approached tracking slow leaks in our budget.

In this episode, we sit down for a chat with financial educator & all-around cool gal Sarah Becker for some real talk on effective money management. 

In a time where the cost of ingredients is steadily climbing, can you run a bakery AND still make a profit?

 In this episode, we’re tackling this question from a community member.

When you run a bakery business, you can always expect the unexpected. In this episode, we sit down with Connie Brown, owner of The Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor and Creamery, who successfully made the transition from corporate marketer to ice cream shop owner. We talk to...

Competition is a reality when you run a bakery business. But should you really be worrying & wondering what your competition is up to? In this episode, we get real about how we deal with “competitors”

In this episode, we’re talking about how to get your processes for pre-orders nailed down so that you can avoid extra headaches during what is usually a busy time of year.

In this episode, we tackle the need for a business plan and why if you want to have a sustainable, successful business, putting in the leg work for a business plan is a must. 

In this episode, we’re serving up some real talk on how motherhood has impacted us and how we’ve worked to find the right balance that allows us to excel as both parents and business owners.

In this episode, we’re discussing how discounts, waste, refunds and more can all have an impact on our bottom line.

In this episode, we’re sharing some of our biggest tips & tricks from running our bakery through the holiday season.

As sisters who run a bakery business together, we often get questions about what it’s like to work together. Do we always get along? How do we make it work without killing each other? In this episode, we’re sharing our own experience working with family and some of the ups and downs we’ve had along the way.

In this episode, we’re joined by the founder of the Dick and Jane Baking Company — Dick Held. He shares how a passion for combining nutrition and education went from idea to implementation, and they managed to get their products into school boards across the country!

Running a bakery business isn’t all sugar, spice, and everything nice. In this episode, we’re talking about how to find your motivation when you’re in a slump.

In this episode, we’re having a chat with our friend, photographer Tina Harle of Tina Harle Photography who’s built a thriving business focused on food-related businesses. She shares some of her tips for what bakery owners should pay attention to for their branding.

As a bakery business owner, you’re a creative soul and probably have lots of ideas about what you’d like to offer your customers. So … how do you narrow down the choices and figure out what makes the final cut on your menu? And more importantly, how do you make sure your menu is profitable?

On this episode of Kitchen Notes, we’re joined by our friend, Cindy Summers, the former owner of Sugar Fixé in Oak Park, IL, and now owner of Flourish Cake Design – a premium custom cake studio in Chicago.

We sat down with Cindy to learn some of the best lessons she’s learned along the way on her bakery ownership journey.

Getting help in your bakery business is really exciting, but it can also be fraught with anxiety. With the right processes in place, you can ensure your business is set up for new employees to thrive!

This week we’re tackling a listener question: How do you get comfortable delegating important tasks to your employees?

Are you chasing that next big sales goal? Do you want to achieve that next level of success with your financial goals in your business? If so, this is the episode for you! As a bakery business owner, you’ve already got a ton on your plate, so finding the time to...

In this episode, we’re chatting about this important & timely topic – How do I raise my prices?!

In the episode, we’re sitting down with Daliah Fritz, CEO of Fritz Financial Solutions (formerly My Small Business Pro), to talk about why starting off on the right foot with your finances can make a big difference in the success of your bakery business.

In this episode, we’re talking about the number one question we hear from our community, and it’s probably no surprise it’s about pricing your products! 

Ever wondered what KPIs are — or why they matter for a bakery business? Let’s talk about Key Performance Indicators!

During this episode, Molly and Meg share how whether it’s turning a profit, saving for unexpected expenses, paying off business debt, or paying yourself regularly, knowing your numbers makes all the difference in meeting your goals. 

In this episode, we take a trip down memory lane to reflect on Molly & Meg started Spilt Milk. If you’ve ever been curious what it takes to launch & grow a successful and profitable bakery business on a budget … you won’t want to miss this episode!

In this episode, we sit down with Kate and Dorie from the Chickadee Bakeshop to chat about operating 2 business models at once, running a thriving business in a small town, and how partnering with an established business can be a recipe for magic. Their smart approach to business helps ensure sustainable revenue AND has helped them grow and scale, while focusing on baking things they enjoy.

Welcome to episode 1 of Kitchen Notes! In this episode, we’re setting our intentions for the podcast & talking about why we decided to start having these conversations. When we started our bakery in 2013, there weren’t a ton of resources available for bakers looking to turn their talents into profitable small businesses … and we are on a mission to change that! We hope you will find this podcast helpful as you work on launching & growing a successful bakery business in your community.