Ottawa's Unique Three-bite Cookie

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Michelle & Ben Ozturk, founders of Something Sweeter, located in Ottawa, ON, Canada.

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

We are a husband and wife team that always loved to spend time in the kitchen developing recipes and sharing our creations with friends and family. When the great shift to virtual environments started with the pandemic, socializing had to evolve. We decided to start Something Sweeter to create a wholesome alternative to commercial cookies that come in large sizes. We vowed to offer customizable variety in a single box with flavours that are utterly unique. We tried to distinguish ourselves by offering free delivery to most of the city. We wanted to address those cravings when someone wanted something sweet directly but just didn’t know what. We also meant for the cookies to be shared, sent to loved ones, and taken to family dinners. We didn’t just want a side-hustle. We also deeply wanted to be part of a community of dessert aficionados. That’s how we have and continue to shape Something Sweeter.

Tell us about yourself

As a business started in the middle of the pandemic, we realize that lives have changed significantly. Parents have been forced to care for their children at home while trying to manage their work in the same space. A countless number of our deliveries had children coming to the door with their parents curious about the bag that arrived with "there is something sweeter in this bag" written on it. When they figure out that it's a box of cookies they get to enjoy, their curiosity turns into giant smiles and uncontained excitement.

We look forward to every delivery with that same childish excitement because we get to remind someone to take a break, socialize, share, and ultimately enjoy something different and unique. We get to make someone's day something sweeter.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Something Sweeter is a true family business with all aspects managed in-house. Our schedules can get extremely hectic with our day jobs in the mix. When we launched in May of 2021, we started with nothing but a sense of ultimate confidence in our product. What followed was building out our digital presence, sleepless nights of recipe testing, and eventual profitability in 28 days that led to smashing our six-month sales targets within the first 90 days. We believe that the initial definition of success and expectations is just as integral to the journey as knowing when to pivot. What keeps you going at the end is the joy you get from creating something people are interested in. We were incredibly lucky for the stars to align the way they did.

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

Probably the hardest thing, from our perspective as a young business, is to keep going when there are too many unknowns… Building a brand from zero takes time, and it can be frustrating to see the lack of progress. Especially at the start, you feel like you are climbing hills without knowing what’s on top, questioning the process and, ultimately, your ability. You feel like you’ve worked hard and finally launched your business and product, but converting your confidence to reviews on your social media or website seems miles away. The truth is, trust is built with consistency each and every day, whether with genuine content on social media or doing absolutely the best job possible when those first sales come in. “If you bake it, they will eat” mentality goes out the window as early as the first two weeks.

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

Proof the concept: Planning every fine detail and having a fully defined path sounds great. How exactly do you know if you are doing a good job or if your product is well received when you are starting. That’s where it becomes so important to do just enough to get your product out there. Don’t compare your website to others, don’t spend too many resources on marketing, and don’t try to make your product perfect. Just get it out there in a presentation you can sign off on and have people try it. That’s what will help you find the north star for your product.
Don’t plan to succeed: This might be controversial, and we don’t intend to suggest not planning to be successful, but it’s more a rhetorical beckoning to say that it helps to have realistic expectations, keeping plans to short term only, and being true to yourself. Building a business, especially a bakery, is a risk. Just make sure it is a calculated risk. Our firm belief is that you will arrive at whatever success looks like to you by paying attention to what consuming your product means to your customers, drawing parallels in those experiences, and enhancing them.
Don’t worry about the competition: We know! It’s a busy space, and you didn’t notice much before, but now that you have a business, everyone seems to be selling that one thing you are amazing at making. Don’t worry; you don’t have to be the first at doing something. At the beginning of your journey, be aware of your competition, but stick to your plan. Changing things up right off the bat in reaction to someone else’s move wastes the valuable energy you can put into focusing on your product and audience.
Create a differentiator: What makes your brand stand out? Is it the product itself, your concept, your service principles? Whatever it is, build your marketing around that and run with it.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://somethingsweeter.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/somethingsweeterottawa/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/somethingsweeterottawa/

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.