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Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food & beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Lauren Barker, Owner of Cheese Garden, located in Cincinnati, OH, USA.

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

Cheese Garden is my charcuterie and woodworking business that specializes in arranging custom charcuterie orders, handcrafting wooden serving boards, creating grazing table spreads for events, designing cheese pun-inspired merchandise, and teaching charcuterie classes. My customers vary as much as my services do. My charcuterie orders range from companies hosting events to couples looking for a date night treat.

I've taught classes at wine bars, private residences, event centers, and retirement communities. I've received woodworking orders from both the local community and people across the country. At their core, my customers are people who have an appreciation for flavor pairings, art, possibly a bit of humor, and above all, cheese.

Tell us about yourself

My name is Lauren Barker, and I am the owner/cheese artist/woodworker behind Cheese Garden. Starting this business was sort of a happy accident. I had been arranging charcuterie as a hobby for a couple of years but never dreamed of turning it into a business. Months of staying in during the pandemic changed that, as I found myself arranging more boards and sharing pictures of them on my personal social media.

As more people became interested in my creations, I hatched the idea of trying to make a living out of my art. Woodworking was a chaotic skill that I picked up after I launched, and it became another creative outlet for me. I don't think there's really one specific thing that motivates me every day. Some days I am brimming with ideas and have all the motivation in the world, and other days I curse the day I decided to become a business owner. I've learned that the best way to stay motivated is by giving myself the creative time and space I need on my good days, being gentle with myself, and allowing myself to rest on my bad days.

No matter what kind of day I'm having, though, looking back on everything I've created and everything I've done so far keeps me falling in love with Cheese Garden over and over again, and I think that is what really keeps me going.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I've hit a few milestones with Cheese Garden that I'm quite proud of, like having my work featured in Today Food, making my first 75 people grazing table, and learning how to use power tools I never knew existed, but I would say my biggest accomplishment is that I hit these milestones without any investors, technical training, or business experience.

I just kept following my passion, experimenting to find what works and what doesn't and challenging myself to go outside my comfort zone, and while I never imagined Cheese Garden would grow as much as it has over these past couple of years, I'm very proud of where this mindset has gotten me.

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

Owning a business comes with its own set of unique challenges, but I would say one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner is overcoming imposter syndrome. No matter how many years I run Cheese Garden or how many milestones I hit. There will always be a little voice in the back of my mind telling me I'm not really an artist or an entrepreneur and that one day, everyone is going to realize that I have no idea what I'm doing.

But the thing is, I don't think anyone actually knows what they're doing until they do it, and if I let myself listen to that voice, I never would make it anywhere.

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

Getting started, accept that you will make mistakes. Those mistakes are how you learn and grow as a business. It's okay if your launch isn't perfect. The most important thing is that you launched it.
Learn how to set healthy boundaries for yourself with your business. Overextending yourself will only lead to eventual burnout.
Be open-minded to change as your business grows and receptive to new ideas. Your business will likely evolve quite a bit as it expands and might look different than you initially imagined it, and that is completely okay. It's all about growing your business and allowing those changes to unfold.

Where can people find you and your business?

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3saJoch
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cheese.garden/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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