Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Britty Buonocore, owner of Flour & Salt, located in Hamilton, NY, USA.

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

Flour & Salt is a bakery cafe in Central NY that serves customers from all over the county. We have a wonderful community of locals and regulars who we see every day. We also get to meet and serve students at the local university, Colgate University. Over the years, our product and reputation have brought us customers, from over 2 hours away.

Tell us about yourself

Opening a bakery cafe has been a dream of mine since I was a teenager. I worked in a cafe during high school and loved the environment. I started baking in my early twenties and found an untapped love of food chemistry. In 2016, I decided to open a brick-and-mortar shop with my husband, Brendan. The motivation to keep doing what we do, which can be difficult in the service industry, comes from our customers, our staff, and the love of food. It means a lot to me that I employ 20+ people who rely on this job for income and a healthy work environment. It also shouldn't be overlooked that so many people start their days with us before heading off to work, or perhaps they come in for lunch for a respite during their workday. We make them breakfast or lunch and a good cup of coffee to get them off on the right foot.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner thus far is not only surviving a pandemic as a small business with our entire team (we didn't let anyone go) but also signing a lease last month for a space around the corner to allow us to expand our cafe operations and establish a production bakery. We will add four full-time jobs and create salaried positions for a few of our staff. The expansion will bring so many efficiencies that will make the day-to-day for our staff much smoother. We will also be able to host three times as many diners.

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

One of the hardest things as a business owner is making sure your staff is well taken care of. Each person is different and needs a specific style of communication in order to work well and happily. It takes a lot of energy to keep tabs on everyone's needs, work anniversaries, birthdays, and life events, but it is worth the effort to make your crew feel recognized. It can be so costly to find and train new staff, so it is well worth the work to keep good staff.

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

  1. Bootstrap! Do not drain your financial coffers by buying all shiny, new equipment/software/etc. Do what you can with refurbished resources to save money at first. It can be a death sentence to start a business in an extreme amount of debt.
  2. Interview successful people in your industry. Ask politely for their time and take notes on the advice they provide. They are already neck-deep in whatever business you're hoping to grow and have a level of expertise it is going to take you time to gain. Most small business owners are eager to share lessons they have learned to prevent someone else from making similar mistakes.
  3. Learn to delegate but remain an expert in all aspects of your business. As your business grows, you will need to divvy up responsibilities so that you don't get overwhelmed. It is also meaningful to acknowledge that team members are experts in their field. However, you should be the kind of boss who can be helpful in any corner of their business so that your staff always feels supported by you.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Running a small business isn't for the faint of heart, that's for sure! It can be so trying and difficult at times. Make sure you have a great support system of both friends/family but also people in your industry. People who don't run their own business can only sympathize to a point. It will be important for you to have a sounding board of people who understand what you're going through.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.flourandsalt.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flourandsaltbakerycafe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flourandsalt/

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.