blog
It’s like a bread recipe - bring a wide variety of ingredients together and create something way better than the individual parts.
You’ll find riffs on community and connection, musings on baking and fermentation, reflections on travel experiences and much more.
In the Bakernomics introduction we gathered a bunch of numbers. That's awesome. Now let's so some dreaming.
Rather than leap straight into implementation, take some time to let this future state sink in a bit. Let it really settle in your mind, the same way the idea of opening a bakery drove you crazy until you finally did it.
Read MoreSuzanne Slomin is a very committed woman. She’s committed to building a sustainable bakery in rural Vermont and keeping it small and intimate. She’s committed to making long fermented, naturally leavened bread. And she’s committed to treating her employees well. This is not an easy road to travel but Suzanne is doing everything she can to make things work.
Read MoreOne of the common discussions I've had with bakery owners, especially small bakery owners, is how to make their businesses sustainable. And by sustainable, they usually mean 'able to stay open even if I take a day off.' There must be some general principles that all bakeries follow that can transfer from place to place. That's what I want to work through with you. I'll build out a framework here and you can build on it, make it better, point out my flawed assumptions and so on in the comments.
Read MoreThere’s a lot of talk about ‘picking an edge’ for your project. Deciding what’s important and going all the way to the limit in that area. The Marbleympics is my new reminder of what an edge looks like and what it feels like to experience someone going all the way out there.
Read MoreJeff McCarthy is bringing the good stuff to the people of Greensboro, North Carolina while balancing life as a stay at home dad, which is pretty darn remarkable. He’s finished his first market season and is getting a subscription business going to boot.
Read MoreI used to love the Algorithm. Now I fear the Algorithm. Can we still connect with each other online without giving all our dreams, desires, and preferred toothpaste to the Algorithm?
Read MoreThere's an endless variety of ways we live in fear of making mistakes. The circumstances and magnitude changes but the fear is always there at some level or the other.
You can't let fear of mistakes stop you from bringing the good stuff to Your People.
Put on a white lab coat and grab a clipboard if it helps, but start solving puzzles and get back to shipping.
Read MoreTravis runs a successful farmer’s market and subscription business using rented kitchen space and is close to building out his own space. In this episode, we dig into the stresses of leasing a space and how Travis is being slow and thorough to keep things within his level of risk tolerance.
Read MoreWhat if colour is the difference maker? What if a splash of colour, literally or figuratively, made you and your work special, sought after and uniquely you?
It could be that little spark of joy that makes your day special or the magical property that makes your product amazing.
Read MoreSo often we waste all kinds of time worrying about which idea to start, without ever defining what the ideas really are. Should I work with appliance repair people or filmmakers? Should I do graphic design or copywriting?
How about answering Yes to all of the above, but one at a time? Keeping a daybook will help you keep your ideas fresh and in order.
Read Moreudith took a long and winding road to eventually opening Silver Moon eighteen years ago and I wanted to learn about all of it. I think you’ll really love her story too.
Also in this episode, there’s a brand new feature: Question of the Week!
Read MoreThere’s a repeating pattern with small, local, independent bakeries. Around year 4 or 5 a common refrain is they're stuck in limbo where they aren't totally failing but they aren't feeling safe either.
When this feeling strikes, it's worth forcing yourself to take some quiet time and take a calm, objective look at the foundations of your business. Some questions to consider:
Read MoreWhen my friend Kelli recommended a tiny book called Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life I must admit I was more than a little skeptical. Did I really need to another book recommending I eat vegetables? While the book is about living a long time, what grabbed me is the advice for having a happy time doing it.
Read MoreIn this episode of the Rise Up! podcast, Peter Claybaker shares some big news about the Marquette Baking Company and tells the story of how brittle the business model of small bakeries can become. But it's also a story of the enduring attraction of the local bakery and how help can come unexpectedly.
Read MoreWhat is the smallest offering you can make that will thrill that small group of very specific people? How do they want to be reached? How do they want to connect with your work?
Read MoreWe're the people who are always fascinated by the world around us. The ones who watch TV with a tablet beside us to search Wikipedia for more details on what we are watching.
We're also the folks who look as deeply inward as outward, trying to understand why we feel that way or what exactly excites us about knitting or the snowshoe hare or photosynthesis.
Read MoreIn this episode of Rise Up! The Baker Podcast, I talk with David Norman, co-owner and Head Doughpuncher of Easy Tiger Bake Shop and Beer Garden in Austin, Texas. I get to learn about his journey in baking, from his earliest inspiration in Europe, through stints in Florida, Seattle and New York, before finally settling down in Texas.
We talk about mentors, about teaching and about working with partners who know their stuff. And I get a sense of what it’s like to expand into a new space and triple production.
Read MoreFor those of us who want to build something that matters, there's a big piece missing in most goal statements. I call that the Because clause. It's the place where you get to articulate why the project is important at an emotional, big P Purpose level.
Read MoreThere’s no problem learning a new skill by copying the masters. I learned watercolour painting by trying to copy the techniques of famous painters, for example.
But once you start creating your own work, it’s time to find your own voice and tell your own stories.
Read More
