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Check Out The Blog
Here I share insights and show notes from The Bread Winner Podcast. Whether you’re looking for tips on starting your own cottage bakery or scaling your existing business, read about behind-the-scenes advice, key takeaways, and practical guidance to help you succeed. Dive in to explore the business strategies that fuel the sourdough world!
What I Wish I Knew Before I Started Selling Sourdough Bread | Episode 136
I am three years in with a brick and mortar bakery now, and every bit of it was built on year one. Here is what I would tell you before you sell your first loaf, from the ordering system to the pricing to the menu I would keep smaller.
7 hours ago
Microbakery Q&A: Time, Pre-Orders and Repeat Customers | Episode 130
The questions bakers asked me live at the Bread Winner Summit came down to three: how do I find the time, how do I grow my pre-orders, and how do I get people to come back. Here are my answers.
Jul 30
What Market Organizers Look For in a Sourdough Vendor | Episode 58
Ashley organizes the farmers market where I sell, and she told me exactly why she says yes or no to a vendor application. Here is what she looks for, how to pick a market worth your Saturday, and what keeps you invited back.
Jul 30
Build a Microbakery That Lasts: Simplify, Stabilize, Sustain | Episode 129
The Bread Winner Summit theme was simplify, stabilize, sustain. Here is what that means for your bakery, plus the lessons on process, marketing, team and burnout that I am still thinking about weeks after the sessions ended.
Jul 30
How to Reset Your Microbakery After the Holiday Rush | Episode 49
December went well and nearly broke us at the same time. Here are my real numbers from the holiday season, the three prep mistakes I made, and the one calendar change that gave me room to grow the next year.
Jul 30
How to Run a Microbakery While Homeschooling Your Kids | Episode 68
Kellie Wolf started her microbakery and started homeschooling in the same year. Here is how she tested her capacity before taking a single order, learned to say no to work outside her wheelhouse, and built a bakery that fits her family.
Jul 30
How to Build a Values-Led Microbakery and Price It Right | Episode 54
Alexandria Fisk bakes with heritage grain and wraps every loaf in compostable paper, and she priced both into her plan before she sold a single loaf. Here is how to build a bakery around your values and still make the margin work.
Jul 30
Why Other Sourdough Bakers Are Good for Your Business | Episode 41
I read through the thank you notes this community sent in, and not one person thanked a course or a book. Every note thanked a person. Here is what those relationships are actually worth to your bakery, and how to build a few of your own.
Jul 30
Stop Calling It a Little Bakery: Own Your Microbakery Value | Episode 135
If you have ever introduced yourself by saying you have a little sourdough thing, this one is for you. I am walking through why that word costs you more than you think, and seven steps to talk, think, and show up like the business owner you already are.
Jul 23
Text Marketing for Microbakeries: Build a List That Buys | Episode 134
Instagram decides who sees your posts. Your text list does not have a gatekeeper. I sat down with Jake Dempsey of Project Broadcast to walk through my exact texting setup, how often you can text without annoying anyone, and where most bakers leave money behind.
Jul 16
4 Things to Do Before You Sell Your First Loaf of Sourdough | Episode 133
Before you open orders, there are four things worth a month of your time: your state's cottage food laws, a starter you can count on, real practice at bulk baking, and expectations that match the actual work. Here is how I would do each one.
Jul 9
How to Run a Microbakery With Kids Around | Episode 132
I handed the mic to my kids, Jamey and Lila, and asked what it is really like to have a mom who bakes for a living. Here is what they said was hard, what they loved, and the setup that makes working with kids in the bakery work.
Jul 2
How to Recover After a Big Market Without Losing Momentum | Episode 131
After the Bread Winner Summit I crashed hard, and I had not planned a single day of recovery. Here is why the crash happens after a big push, how to build a real buffer into your bake schedule, and how to start moving again.
Jun 18
Summer Planning for Your Microbakery: Scale Back or Grow | Episode 128
Summer breaks the rhythm that worked all spring. I have run three very different summers in my bakery, and here is how I decide each year whether to hold steady, scale back, or close for part of July.
May 21
The 3 Marketing Channels a Sourdough Microbakery Needs | Episode 127
I stopped trying to market my bakery everywhere and built three channels instead. Here is the order I put them in, why my text list drives the most orders, and how to grow yours without adding hours to your week.
May 14
How to Turn First-Time Bakery Customers into Regulars | Episode 126
Learning my customers' names has become the strongest retention strategy in my bakery, and it costs nothing. Here is the exact pickup routine I use, how I remember names when I am terrible at names, and how to do this with no storefront.
May 1
Hobby Baker to Business Owner: How to Make the Shift | Episode 125
If you finish a bake day exhausted and unsure you charged enough, this one is for you. I walk through the hobby baker patterns that cost you money, and the three owner decisions that fix them.
Apr 23
Cottage Food Law Updates Every Microbakery Owner Should Know | Episode 137
Cottage food laws are changing faster than most of us realize, and a lot of the online advice about it is wrong. I walk through what actually changed with refrigeration and income caps, and what to do if your state needs it too.
Apr 16
How to Find the Bottleneck Slowing Down Your Microbakery | Episode 123
Some bake days start fine and end with me rushing while there is still bread in the oven. That is a bottleneck, and there is usually one causing most of the slowdown. Here is how I find mine and fix it without rebuilding my whole process.
Apr 9
Is a Bread Oven Worth It for Your Microbakery? My Forno Review | Episode 122
I baked out of home ovens for two and a half years before I upgraded. Here is what four months with a My Forno bread oven actually changed in my microbakery, what the electrical work cost me, and how to tell whether you are ready.
Mar 26
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