Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Roanna Canete, owner of The Gluten Free Baking Company, located in San Diego, CA, USA.

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

We are the safe haven for anyone who needs to eat gluten-free! It can be so challenging to find options, and when you walk in our doors, not only does it smell amazing--but you can eat it all!

Tell us about yourself

Baking was a skill I learned as an adult in my 30s. I find it exciting and inspiring when my customers hug me and say: "My child has never been able to decorate a gingerbread house; thank you for making him one," or "My family bought me your challah, and it's the first time I was able to eat bread at my meal." I am motivated each day to provide the foods that are so normal for others--and yet unavailable to celiacs--to my lovely clients. I make unsafe foods safe, and I hope to enrich people's lives in the process!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I am so proud of myself for being able to chance concepts quickly. When the pandemic hit, I was a wholesale business, only sourcing hotels, restaurants, and coffee shops. On a whim, I opened a retail shop Feb 2020. I knew absolutely nothing about retail....and when the pandemic hit, in 24 hours, I lost my entire wholesale business. I was left with only a retail shop. I had an amazing team, and together we learned, grew, and found success!

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

Loneliness has been a challenge for me. Especially during the pandemic, I felt the weight of my staff's paychecks on my shoulders. I didn't want to let them down. It was a big burden, and I found it isolating.

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

Three tips for success are: (in no particular order) find a mentor, engage in learning about your industry and find staff that genuinely know more than you do. Hiring brilliant staff is key because synergistically, you will both reach places you couldn't reach individually.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Challenges hide around every corner. We have mental challenges (your staff's paychecks weighing on you). We have physical challenges (how many bowls of cookies can you scoop before your hands hurt?) We have community challenges (your staff's childcare called out). How we view these makes or breaks us. Keeping a positive attitude is key, and so is recognizing that these circumstances are what it means to be human.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.thegfbakingco.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegfbakingco/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegfbakingco/

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.