Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kristen Baileys, co-founder and CEO of Bake Eat Love, located in Raleigh, NC, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Baking is so rewarding, but there are some... not so fun aspects. Recipe planning, measuring, ingredient shopping, and skills traditionally learned through years of trial and error. We help with all 4! We created BEL with the mission of making baking from scratch more accessible. Have you ever started a recipe only to find you are missing an ingredient or critical decorating tool? Have you ever avoided a recipe because you thought it might be too difficult to make just right? Each month we ship a unique recipe, pre-measured ingredients, a tool used in the recipe, and all the resources you'll need to make a delicious, impressive treat with 12+ servings.

Tell us about yourself

Some people know they are meant to be entrepreneurs. They feel it in their bones. I am not one of these people! My journey led me to where I am today, and I wouldn't change a bit of it. I grew up in Western North Carolina. I enjoyed baking with my mom and Nanna. In my childhood hometown, there was a small bakery - it's still there today. It's probably the busiest place in town on a Saturday morning. I remember going there and being so happy to get these amazing danishes and chocolate chunk cookies. But I didn't think too much about making a career out of baking until I was in my early 20s. I followed my heart to Seattle, where my now-husband had moved for Naval submarine deployment. Seattle has a great marketing scene, and I knew I wanted to progress my marketing career there. But while looking for the right marketing job, I stumbled upon this amazing cupcakes and coffee shop. I took a job there for a few months and absolutely loved it. There were no bad days. No matter how rainy or dreary the weather was, people would come in and light up when they received a cupcake. I didn't know how or when, but I knew I had to find a way to spark that same kind of joy only a fun-baked good can deliver in my future.

Fast forward about five years later, and my parents asked me what I wanted for the holidays. I've always loved baking but wanted a gift that could expand my baking skillset, help me explore new ingredients I didn't own, and build out my baking kitchen tools (whisks, piping tips, sifters, etc.). But, I couldn't find anything like that. So, I started putting together a plan on how I could bring this missing educational baking kit to life.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Being able to do what I love: Bringing my mission to life. I get so much joy each time we ship boxes, knowing that bakers around the USA are baking from scratch, learning new baking skills and techniques, and sharing their love of baking with others.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Having limited coworkers! In the beginning, it was only my husband and I working nights and weekends, after our day jobs. Once I made the leap to working at BEL full time, it was a little lonely! Luckily we have been able to grow through collaborations with vendors, hiring a few awesome employees, and developing amazing partners that we work with on a daily basis.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Be open-minded! Listen to customers, family, friends, others in the industry. Don't do everything everyone says, or you'll drive yourself crazy. But listen, consider, then act.
  2. Diversify your marketing mix. Don't be afraid of failure, especially when it comes to marketing. Some tactics work great for lots of companies, but they may not work for you. Not now, and possibly not ever. Research and see what else you can do to grow your business.
  3. Lean on technology. If you are doing this all on your own or with a small group, you need to effectively automate as much as you can. Investigate what your technology options are, which tools work well together, and how you can lean on tech to do repeatable processes so you can focus on making an awesome product, delighting your customers, and growing your business.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.bakeeatlovebox.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristen.burghardt
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k10burghardt/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristenburghardt/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.