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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!
Why Your Microbakery Sales Have Plateaued and How to Grow Again | Episode 121
Steady orders, the same regulars, and sales that have not moved in months. Here is what the plateau phase in a sourdough microbakery really means, the four reasons it happens, and how I would work my way out of it.
Mar 19
How to Analyze Your Microbakery Sales Data, Step by Step | Episode 120
I expected my sales data to confirm what I already believed about growth. It showed me something else entirely. Here are the seven spreadsheet steps I use to find the patterns hiding in a microbakery's orders.
Mar 12
The 4 Numbers Every Sourdough Microbakery Should Track | Episode 119
Everyone says know your numbers, and almost nobody says which ones. I walk through the four areas that tell you everything about a sourdough microbakery, and the one question to sit with inside each of them.
Mar 5
Why KPIs Matter in Your Sourdough Microbakery | Episode 118
When one slow week decides your whole strategy, you are running your bakery on reaction. I share why a few meaningful numbers steady everything, what a KPI actually is, and four questions to sit with before you track a single thing.
Feb 26
Are Sourdough Workshops Worth It? My January Revenue Recap | Episode 117
January was my strongest month yet, and workshops brought in about a quarter of it. I am walking through what my numbers showed me, how a predictable core menu keeps customers coming back, and the marketing that saved two weather-wrecked market days.
Feb 12
How to Run a Monthly Check-In in Your Sourdough Microbakery | Episode 116
I run a twenty minute check-in at the end of every month, and it has done more for my bakery than any big plan. Here are the four questions I ask, the four things I look at, and my simple rule for when to actually change something.
Feb 5
How to Simplify Your Sourdough Microbakery Menu | Episode 115
I was rebuilding my menu from scratch every single week, so I built a three-layer system instead: core products, rotating items, and daily specials. Here is exactly how it works, plus the four rules that keep my menu from creeping back.
Jan 29
Yearly Planning for a Microbakery: A Simple 4-Part Framework | Episode 114
Every January I used to plan the whole year and feel behind by March. Here is the simpler way I do it now: four anchor points that make your decisions for you, protect your energy, and still leave room for real life.
Jan 15
How to Review Your Holiday Season and Plan a Leaner Year | Episode 113
December is the month that tells you whether your bakery is getting stronger or just riding a seasonal wave. Here is what my numbers showed me, what I am changing, and the four questions I use to review a busy season.
Jan 8
Five Year-End Reflection Questions for Your Microbakery | Episode 112
Before you set next year's goals, sit with these five questions about the year you just finished. They take an hour, and they will tell you more about your bakery than any planner will.
Dec 18, 2025
When and How to Hire Your First Bakery Assistant | Episode 111
When your bake days keep stretching past twelve hours, it is time for help. I walk through the signal that you are ready to hire, how to run a paid working interview, what to set up before your assistant arrives, and the tasks to hand off first.
Dec 11, 2025
Moving From a Home Bakery to a Commercial Space | Episode 110
November was the month I moved my microbakery out of my house and into a commercial space. Here is my full month in review: what the move actually cost, how I ran Thanksgiving pre-orders without the panic, and the two things I would do differently.
Dec 4, 2025
What to Prepare Before You Sign a Commercial Lease | Episode 109
I just finished my first week in a commercial bakery space after two years at home. Here is why I moved, what week one actually looked like, and the work I would do in your home kitchen right now if a lease is anywhere in your future.
Nov 20, 2025
How I Review My Microbakery Month: Revenue, Products, Systems | Episode 108
October brought $5,364.95 across three bake days, and the numbers showed me exactly which products to lean on and which ones are capped. Here is my full monthly review, the four questions I ask, and the pre-order tweak that added $200 to a menu.
Nov 6, 2025
How to Set Up a Farmers Market Booth That Sells | Episode 107
Your booth and your demeanor are selling for you every Saturday, whether you have thought about it or not. Here is exactly how I set up my market table, how I greet people without chasing them, and the display rules that move more bread.
Oct 31, 2025
How to Plan and Bake for a Farmers Market Without Burning Out | Episode 106
The two questions I get most about markets are what to bring and how much of it. Here is how I sort my menu, how I land on quantities, and the week by week schedule that gets me to market day rested.
Oct 23, 2025
How to Choose the Right Farmers Market for Your Microbakery | Episode 105
I have sold at the same farmers market for two years, and the bakers who thrive are the ones who chose well before they ever applied. Here is how I evaluate a market's location, management, schedule and shoppers before committing my Saturdays.
Oct 16, 2025
How to Plan a Profitable Q4 Without Burning Out | Episode 104
My first holiday season burned me out so badly I had nothing left for December. Here is how I plan the last quarter now, from saying no to the wrong events to the freezer prep that makes November manageable.
Oct 9, 2025
What a $5,738 Month Looks Like in a Sourdough Microbakery | Episode 103
September brought $5,738 across two markets, a popup and my first workshops in over a year, all while I was building out a storefront. Here is the full revenue breakdown and the two things I would do differently.
Oct 2, 2025
Microbakery Burnout: How to Spot It Early and Prevent It | Episode 102
Burnout in a microbakery rarely arrives as a dramatic crash, it creeps in one full week at a time. Here is the four question self-audit I run on myself, and the changes I make to my menu, my schedule, and my rest when the answers come back yellow.
Sep 30, 2025
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