Waiting on others is HARD. Especially when you are as anxious as we are to start baking! We are waiting on some very important and necessary things to happen so that we can set a date for opening. Hopefully they will happen this week.....but as we have learned when it comes to starting a small business, nothing comes easy! Or fast.
Wondering what we HAVE been doing? I'll share.
We meet at the local Small Business Development Center every week or two weeks with a very nice lady who is assigned to us and helps us with our business plan. Her spreadsheets are Ah-Maz-Ing.
We have met with our banker.
We have made two birthday cakes. One was a giant "topsy-turvy" cake! We had a lot of fun working together.
We have leased a building! This was no small task. In our city, food establishments have to have a "grease trap" attached to the plumbing. This keeps unnecessary waste out of the water supply. Grease traps are not cheap, but if you are operating without one you are out of compliance with the city. Fortunately, we were able to apply for a smaller-sized trap since we will not be frying or using large amounts of grease. Having this installed will cost us significantly less money than a large-sized grease trap. Also, our building has had a grease trap in place before, which means that the plumbing did not have to be re-routed. This was one of our criteria in looking for a building.
We have had painters, contractors, plumbers and electricians at our new building.
We have also worked at our regular jobs and taken care of our families on top of all of this. We have been two very busy ladies.
Here's to hoping and praying we get what we need this week!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Joining with a partner to feed sugar lovers!
Hi folks, my name is Lacey Nobles. And as of right now, I am a producer for an NBC news affiliate. However, within the next very short weeks, I will become a baking protege/virtuoso. Jessica, the other poster of this blog, and I are going into business as 'professional' bakers.
So how does one make the leap from journalism to slinging batter? Well, I shall tell you. I graduated from Texas Tech in 2005 with a degree in broadcast journalism with a Spanish minor. My first 'adult' job landed me in Austin. I was the assignments editor at KTBC Fox 7. While in the capital city, I was exposed to the cutest, funkiest clothing stores anyone could ask for. I was able to really coddle my eclectic style. So, I decided I wanted to own a clothing store to cater to folks with an eccentric vision of style, much like me. Well, this didn't happen.
After two years in ATX, I got a job in Lubbock and was happy to return to the South Plains. I've been a producer ever since. It might sound impressive, but really it's solely a labor of love. And even that doesn't happen often.
Since I've been back in Lubbock, I still make a pilgrimage to Austin a few times a year to replenish my wardrobe with wares I can't find in the Hub City. So...then...it hit me. Open up a clothing store that would be very 'Austin-esque' here in Lubbock. P.S. - It's a million dollar idea, easy. Since this idea has hatched (I'd say about 8 months ago) I have been wondering how to make it come to fruition.
So in a moment of swagger, I talked to Jessica at my company's Christmas party about opening up a business. However, the exchange went something like this : "Jessica, you want to open a bakery, right? I'll help you open a bakery if you help me open a clothing store down the line." That's pretty much where the idea stopped. Three weeks later I wrote Jessica on Facebook and said, "don't think I'm a freak, but let's go into business together."
Fast forward to March 2, 2011 - we signed the lease on our bakery, and are now working to secure working capital (knowledgeable and official sounding, huh? Don't worry it'll fade.)
Thus far just making a fleeting idea form into an operational business has been a challenge.
But things are rolling along, and as this blog goes on we will share stories of heartache, happiness, triumph, and warnings to those ready to make the leap into self-employment.
Cheers!
Lacey
So how does one make the leap from journalism to slinging batter? Well, I shall tell you. I graduated from Texas Tech in 2005 with a degree in broadcast journalism with a Spanish minor. My first 'adult' job landed me in Austin. I was the assignments editor at KTBC Fox 7. While in the capital city, I was exposed to the cutest, funkiest clothing stores anyone could ask for. I was able to really coddle my eclectic style. So, I decided I wanted to own a clothing store to cater to folks with an eccentric vision of style, much like me. Well, this didn't happen.
After two years in ATX, I got a job in Lubbock and was happy to return to the South Plains. I've been a producer ever since. It might sound impressive, but really it's solely a labor of love. And even that doesn't happen often.
Since I've been back in Lubbock, I still make a pilgrimage to Austin a few times a year to replenish my wardrobe with wares I can't find in the Hub City. So...then...it hit me. Open up a clothing store that would be very 'Austin-esque' here in Lubbock. P.S. - It's a million dollar idea, easy. Since this idea has hatched (I'd say about 8 months ago) I have been wondering how to make it come to fruition.
So in a moment of swagger, I talked to Jessica at my company's Christmas party about opening up a business. However, the exchange went something like this : "Jessica, you want to open a bakery, right? I'll help you open a bakery if you help me open a clothing store down the line." That's pretty much where the idea stopped. Three weeks later I wrote Jessica on Facebook and said, "don't think I'm a freak, but let's go into business together."
Fast forward to March 2, 2011 - we signed the lease on our bakery, and are now working to secure working capital (knowledgeable and official sounding, huh? Don't worry it'll fade.)
Thus far just making a fleeting idea form into an operational business has been a challenge.
But things are rolling along, and as this blog goes on we will share stories of heartache, happiness, triumph, and warnings to those ready to make the leap into self-employment.
Cheers!
Lacey
Friday, February 18, 2011
Where to Begin?
Hi, I'm Jessica. I have always loved to bake. I have memories all the way back to Elementary school of me in the kitchen - always making a mess! I remember making sugar cookies with runny icing dyed a million colors while my Mom wasn't home and taking them to my piano recital reception. In high school, I got a little better. My best friend and I baked Christmas cookies and delivered them to friends every year. They were a hit! When I was 16, I entered chocolate zucchini bread and pumpkin muffins in our county's youth show with my Home Economics class. The chocolate zucchini bread won first prize and my muffins won the "Rosette" grand prize, over all of the other baked goods at the show. I began to think that I could be good at baking!
I went to college to become a nurse. I still don't know why, but it never crossed my mind to pursue training in Culinary Arts or Pastry.
In 2006, I gave my first child her first birthday party. My best friend came from out of town and we worked for hours on her birthday cake. It was perfect. Amateur, but perfect. And I was hooked. I started asking for baking supplies and equipment for my birthday and Christmas. That year, my mom and mother-in-law both gave me a ton of cake and cookie decorating supplies. I've thrown birthday parties for my kids every year since, and my sister has always helped me- or if I had a newborn, she just did the cake for me.
In January 2010, I held my first cake tasting for a wedding in my home. The clients were friends and it was a lot of fun. Over the last 13 months, I have done many birthday cakes, showers, and 3 weddings. I have also experimented and brought goodies to my co-workers to taste, and sent some to work with my husband.
At my husband's company Christmas party a couple of months ago, I talked with a friend who works with my husband, casually, about how I would love to have my own bakery. She also, as it turned out, wanted to be a business owner.
A couple of weeks later, she emailed me and basically said, "let's open a bakery!"
I will let her introduce herself!
I went to college to become a nurse. I still don't know why, but it never crossed my mind to pursue training in Culinary Arts or Pastry.
In 2006, I gave my first child her first birthday party. My best friend came from out of town and we worked for hours on her birthday cake. It was perfect. Amateur, but perfect. And I was hooked. I started asking for baking supplies and equipment for my birthday and Christmas. That year, my mom and mother-in-law both gave me a ton of cake and cookie decorating supplies. I've thrown birthday parties for my kids every year since, and my sister has always helped me- or if I had a newborn, she just did the cake for me.
In January 2010, I held my first cake tasting for a wedding in my home. The clients were friends and it was a lot of fun. Over the last 13 months, I have done many birthday cakes, showers, and 3 weddings. I have also experimented and brought goodies to my co-workers to taste, and sent some to work with my husband.
At my husband's company Christmas party a couple of months ago, I talked with a friend who works with my husband, casually, about how I would love to have my own bakery. She also, as it turned out, wanted to be a business owner.
A couple of weeks later, she emailed me and basically said, "let's open a bakery!"
I will let her introduce herself!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
