Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jessica Ellington, founder of Sweet Bee, located in Chicago, IL, USA.

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

I'm an executive pastry chef with over a decade of experience with some of Chicago's top restaurant groups and bakeries. In 2018, I started my own company to help restaurants, bakeries, and food manufacturers with recipe and product development, staff training, and managing production costs. Additionally, I work with food brands to create recipes and produce products for marketing purposes such as for photoshoots, social media, catalogs/brochures, and live demonstrations for conferences and conventions.

My clients range from small businesses to multi-million-dollar manufacturers. Businesses reach out to me when they have a pastry project, but they don't have a pastry chef. This can mean several things, including short-term support such as helping a restaurant or bakery open, identifying opportunities to save on food and labor costs, or developing a product for a manufacturer and helping them scale up for production. I can also help with one-off projects like fine-tuning a dessert menu, creating dessert pairings for a distillery cocktail class, or being an extra set of skilled hands to complete a large project.

Tell us about yourself

After I graduated from DePaul University, I pursued a career in marketing, but realized my heart was in the kitchen. After a few years, I decided to attend culinary school at Chicago's world-class French Pastry School. I started as a pastry cook. After several years, I became an executive pastry chef managing a multi-million-dollar bakery with a large team. Simultaneously, culinary school enrollment was diminishing, leading to a shortage of pastry chefs, and I was growing weary of working long hours in a large kitchen every day. I realized there was an opportunity to offer my expertise that could help solve the labor shortage and my desire to create a more ideal working environment for myself without having a lot of overhead.

Originally, I was motivated by knowing that companies are looking for solutions to labor shortages, but now it's become so much more. I'm able to work closely with companies to help them solve their biggest pastry problems. Many of the companies I work with are small companies that can't afford big consulting firms, and it feels amazing to be able to help them.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment is creating a business that has generated the same income I made working for someone else. I love working for myself, and I'm the best boss I've ever had. I have a flexible schedule and take vacations whenever I want – even during the holidays, which was never a possibility in my previous kitchen jobs.

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

The hardest thing is all the roles I must take on as a one-woman business. I track expenses and mileage as well as make sure invoices are paid. I'm a salesperson. I'm in charge of all supply purchases. I troubleshoot IT issues and manage my website. And, my least favorite, I'm also the dishwasher. Even still, I love owning my own business.

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

  1. Know that the beginning is hard – I didn't have my first paying client for seven months. It's easy to look at social media and see everyone's successes, but I guarantee it was hard for them in the beginning, too.
  2. Believe in yourself and your idea – you will have people in your life that don't see your vision and will try to talk you out of it. They probably don't have the entrepreneurial spirit, and that's ok because there are plenty of other people that do! Find those people thru industry organizations, business development centers, and social media groups.
  3. Show yourself grace – allow yourself to make mistakes because they're not only inevitable, but they're also necessary for growth.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Recognize when something is beyond your skillset or not worth your time and hire someone to do it for you. Everything I personally do for my business is something I can and want to do. I absolutely hired a photographer to take photos for my website because that is beyond my skill set, and it would have taken me too long to learn that skill. Initially, I hired someone to design my website. I chose a platform that would be easy to manage after its initial setup. I also hire an accountant each year for my taxes. Your time is worth a lot, and it's great to support other experts in their field.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.sweetbeechicago.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetbeechicago/

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.