Health Friendly Options - Three Bears Bakery & BBQ
Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jabin Olds, co-founder of Three Bears Bakery & BBQ LLC., located in Lenexa, KS, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a Low-Carb/Sugar-Free/Keto & Diabetic Friendly Bakery! That is our sole focus, and it means the world to us to bring high-quality products to people who feel left out or neglected because of their dietary needs. While that is our focus, our goal is to make products for these people(like us!), But for our products to still meet high enough standards that they can be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of dietary needs.
Tell us about yourself
At the age of 13, I knew I wanted to be a Food Scientist. It was all I cared about, my future being. I received my degree in Bakery Science and Management from Kansas State University. I worked for 15+ years developing new products and new ingredients for the food and bakery industries.
My love of food showed in my health, however, as I was near 300lbs. My wife Natalie and I knew we had to do something, with our newborn son now a factor, and wanting to be around for as much of his life as possible. We gave the Keto Way of Life a try and, in a year and a half, had both lost near 100lbs each!
With so many friends and family members seeing our success, they pushed that they would come by the food we made if we would sell it. We brainstormed and fine-tuned for nearly a year, and Three Bears was born.
Our biggest motivation is, honestly, the testimonials we get from customers who thought certain foods were lost to them and the memories our products bring back to them.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
When we first started, we were told by a CPA that "every new business loses money for the first five years. You need to just accept this and know that is what is going to happen. We have grown into operating our own 5,000sqft facility with minimal debt and turning a net profit each of our first three years operating!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The personal life sacrifices you have to make. It's really easy to think of owning a business as a glamorous life. Because your business is healthy, you must have personal financial strength. When in reality, sacrificing your time, energy, and personal finical standing, is what makes a healthy business in the long run.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- No your strengths and weaknesses, and identity which imperfections you can deal with and which are best to get outside help with.
- Build your business around what makes you unique and why that should matter to customers.
- Know your costs by heart, and understand your value. Your knowledge, blood, sweat, and tears have value. If you are giving them, be compensated for them.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Put God at the front of what you do, always.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://threebearsbakerybbq.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/THREEBEARSBAKERYBBQ/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/threebearsbakerybbq/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BbqThree
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.
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