Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food & beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Stephanie Guinnane, Owner of Night Owls Baking, Co., located in San Diego, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I am the recipe developer, photographer, and writer behind the blog Night Owls Baking Co. It's the place where I get to encourage my readers to explore their creative side and provide the tools for making approachable, fun, and delicious recipes.
Tell us about yourself
From a young age, I have always loved experimenting with different ingredients, flavors, and textures to find the best dessert recipes to share with my friends and family. Over the years, my determination to share with as many people as I could led to several small businesses. In high school, I started my first baking business, selling my great-grandma's 'famous' pies.
In college, I found the world of cake decorating, where I honed my skills to later start a custom cake business, which further evolved into custom cookies and macarons. Today, I am still determined to share my passion for baking with the world, just in a slightly different medium – digitally. Getting to combine my passions – recipe development, photography, teaching, and digital media – while sharing my own recipes is just the icing on the cake.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
As I mentioned above, I've had a few different small businesses over the years. Each of them taught me something that I am grateful for but was ultimately unfulfilling. One of my biggest accomplishments was trusting myself to pivot into a new creative space and business model, which better tapped into my strengths and interests.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
By nature, I am an over-thinker and a bit of a perfectionist, so I have struggled with coming to terms with the idea that you'll never have it all figured out, accepting that mistakes will be made at every turn, but you don't let that hold you back from taking the next step.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Make mistakes – even repeat them if you have to – you'll learn from them.
- Trust yourself - you will figure it out as long as you stick with it.
- Pace yourself - trying to get everything done at once is a recipe for burnout, not success.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://nightowlsbaking.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nightowlsbakingco
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nightowlsbakingco/
Image credits: Portrait Photos by Meg Marie Photography
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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