Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Tori Vaccher, founder of Tori's Bakeshop, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.

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

Tori's Bakeshop offers fresh, organic delights baked daily, free of all animal products and byproducts, refined sugar, and also often free of wheat and gluten. A fully vegan space, the business runs consciously, producing as little waste as possible, offering all to-go items in compostable or recyclable containers. As active members in both our local community, as well as the city at large, we offer our support in both product and sponsorship, cultivating relationships with other local independent businesses, schools, and organizations that exude the same spirit and dedication to causes we hold dear. These are the same people we are grateful to serve every day.

Tell us about yourself

After graduating from XU with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Production, I started changing my diet and adapting my family's recipes. I learned the baking trade through George Brown put in time at other local bakeries while also taking business courses at George Brown and Bonnie Gordon. I opened the city's first vegan cafe in the Beach/es neighbourhood of Toronto nearly ten years ago. I love being a member of the community and watching the families that visit us grow. Those relationships continue to motivate me.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Outgrowing the ability to bake on-site! Now that we work in a 2500 square-foot production space, I can't imagine how we ever managed to bake in the back of our retail space.

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

It is a challenge to have any kind of work/life balance. My work is my life. It is impossible to separate us, which makes it hard to grow as much personally as I do professionally.

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

  1. Be realistic. When I started, I thought I would build a beautiful space where I could sit and drink coffee with my friends. I never fully imagined exactly how many hours I would need to work in order to succeed.
  2. Invest in the online component of your business. I spent so much time and energy on our brick-and-mortar space that our web accessibility has yet to be fully realized. It's a lot easier to launch both together!
  3. Be kind to yourself, to your employees, to your guests, to the people who make deliveries, to the Health and Safety worker arriving unexpectedly. This investment will help support your growth more than any other working capital.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Shovel your full walkway when it snows! This is so relatively basic, and yet few actually do it. It helps minimize accessibility issues and shows you want people to be able to come in, that you care. It also helps reduce the amount of time the closer has to spend mopping up slush and salt at the end of the day.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.torisbakeshop.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TorisBakeshop/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/torisbakeshop/
Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/torisbakeshop
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tori-s-bakeshop/

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.