Sweet Dreams Come True - Dream Maker Bakers

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Megan Wagner, owner of Dream Maker Bakers, located in Killington, VT, USA.

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

Dream Maker Bakers is a full-service from scratch bakery that also serves breakfast and lunch, in house or catered. Our specialty is custom cakes and wedding dessert displays. I began my career as a pastry chef for restaurants who found my passion in cake decorating and opened a breakfast cafe.

Tell us about yourself

I told my dad in fourth grade that one day I would own my own bakery. He bought me the "Bakers Bible" and "1001 and muffins." I did not start my professional career as a pastry Chef at Choices Restaurant. I previously had no professional career baking but loved to do it for fun and was always bringing treats in for the staff. Chef Claude offered me the position and sent me to a week-long crash course of professional baking at the CIA located in Hyde Park, NY. I baked for him for years and teamed up with any other bakers I had the chance to. I remained baking for restaurants until it sucked the passion and love out of me with its high demands. With the birth of my second son, I quit and swore off baking as a profession.

Months later, a close friend needed to close her bakery due to a terminal illness diagnosis. She was looking to sell everything as a lot. I bought it all found a space a Dream Maker Bakers was born. What drove me to succeed in the beginning was watching a dream come true and not letting my family down. What keeps me going now is the accountability and support of customers and staff alike. It is no longer just my dream but the dream of those who work for me and those we serve.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Surviving the pandemic as a new business and young mother in a dying industry with an unbelievable failure rate.

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

All of it! If I had to pin it down, it would be dealing with people, and I don't mean customers. The hardest part about this all and the part I planned for the least was staffing challenges and managing people. It takes much more time, attention to detail, and overcoming of personal feelings to put the business first as opposed to others. I have a big heart, and it takes a lot to overcome that and make smart decisions, not emotional ones.

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

Set not only goals but boundaries too.
Prepare for the worst but believe wholeheartedly in the best. You manifest what you believe.
As hard as you think it will be, multiply that by three and strap in.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://dreammakerbakers.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dreammaker802
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dreammakerbakers/

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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