Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Amy Rensby, owner of C'est Tout Bakery & Bistro, located in Smiths Falls, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
C'est Tout Bakery is the destination in the greater Smiths Falls, Ontario area for fresh & seasonal food made from scratch. Whether it's pastries, desserts, breakfast, or lunch fare, our customers come for the friendly service and made-from-scratch menu. Supporting local growers and producers became a personal priority for me and my family years before opening the bakery. That has carried through here as well. We work with local farmers, coffee roasters, a tea sommelier, soda makers, and flour millers to bring in as many locally sourced ingredients as possible for use in our finished products. When you start with great ingredients, the products kind of speak for themselves!
Tell us about yourself
I grew up loving to cook, exploring the kitchen & aisles of the grocery store. As an adult, a farmer's market can capture my attention for an entire day! For as long as I can remember, the transformation of ingredients into a beautiful dish was mesmerizing - as a kid, I watched Wok with Yan, The Galloping Gourmet, and Julia Child and tried recreating things they made. Today I'm inspired by the likes of Alice Waters, Nancy Silverton, and Dominique Crenn - women who start with some simple ingredients and engage in a thoughtful and creative process to turn those ingredients into one of those beautiful dishes.
The process of creating is what I've embraced as an adult and in my bakery - cooking without a recipe, understanding ingredients, and ratios, and formulations, and using what we know to create our own beautiful dishes. I opened the bakery after growing tired of corporate life. I knew burnout was on the horizon, and I just didn't want to do it anymore. So my husband and I sat down and figured out how I could take the plunge and open the bakery. And that's what we did. It's been six years, and I'm inspired and motivated every day by the team around me - a team of passionate culinary artists who care about creating great experiences for our customers through the amazing food they create and serve. The added support and encouragement of my husband Bryan and my parents make it all possible.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I think my biggest accomplishment as a business owner was my adaptability through the pandemic. I had the benefit of the learnings of my corporate career to lean on and had no qualms about experimenting with what was going to work in a severely compromised service model. I think it drove my team nuts, but my confidence in trying and either adopting or abandoning menu items, processes, and even hours of operation allowed us to navigate the pandemic in a manner that proved successful. We have since moved to a new, much larger location. We are thriving in part because our entire team has learned those practices of continuous improvement. We are always learning to work more efficiently, enhance our customer's experience and abandon the things that don't work well while embracing the things that do.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Getting comfortable with trusting people with the baby that you've created. Delegating was one of the most difficult skills for me to embrace, and I made mistakes along the way. I had a hard time with the letting go part of delegating and chasing people about the things I'd asked them to take on, which just drove them nuts - nobody likes a micromanager. I've learned to trust and create a structure for check-ins so that my team members are empowered. I still have high-level visibility to how we're progressing on specific projects.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Don't copy other businesses. Showcase your uniqueness by finding your niche and focus, focus, focus.
- Get comfortable with adapting and evolving what you do and how you do it.
- Focus on your zone of genius, surround yourself with talented team members, and trust them to operate in their zone of genius.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
One thing I'm still working on is the work-rest cycle - there's still not enough rest in it! In the early years of being a first-time business owner, I found myself feeling guilty when I wasn't there, guilty for leaving early, guilty for attending the Chamber golf tournament, etc. What people don't always realize is how much work is going on outside of the physical hours you are present - paperwork, emails, phone calls - all after hours. It's still a work in progress, but I've gotten far more comfortable with not being on-site all the time and working from home or just taking the day off! My team is perfectly capable without me. Rest and time away ensure I'm a more present and capable leader for my team. 2022 has more rest time in it for me!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.cesttoutbakery.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cesttoutbakery/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cesttoutbakery/
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.
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