How many times have I said “what a year?!” lately? One year ago, I was baking in the back kitchen of a coffee shop, trying to make some online orders even though all of my wholesale orders and upcoming events had been cancelled. It didn’t take long to realize this wasn’t going to work. The mystery of what would become of COVID was overwhelming but also an opportunity to reconsider everything.
When running a business, it’s easy to get caught up in the siren song of opportunity or random suggestions from customers or community members. This can often lead to good things, but also can sometimes be a distraction from per- sonal goals.
I trudged on for a bit, but after a couple of months decided to officially move out and try something different in order to keep my family safe and to be able to be at home. I’ve always honestly preferred working at home. I’ve had jobs and owned businesses with storefronts and office space, and no matter how much I love my work, sitting at a desk at a very specific time never sat well with me. Home is where I can float around, working when it feels right and where I feel called (like in the winter, when I’d prefer keeping my whole self under a blanket for the entire day).
In spring of 2020, we were finally wrapping up our home kitchen remodel, so why not start with a clean slate at home?
In case you didn’t know about food laws, there are multiple types of permits you can have as a food production business. When operating in a commercial kitchen and selling direct to the consumer, it’s basically a restaurant permit, even though I had no forward facing space. Instead, I switched to a state Cottage Permit, which allows me to bake at home!
I truly love being home, as I have two small kids and I’m really just a homebody. My commute is now about 30 feet! And delivery day is a fun opportunity to drive around town and out a few country roads to drop pies and gift boxes on door steps.
As we enter an entirely new phase of this pan- demic, there will be even more changes and decisions to make. As a business owner, I pre- fer to find a balance of personal enjoyment and profitibility. The pandemic has certainly showed me that being home makes my business much more enjoyable and still able to make a tiny bit of money to keep us going.
This is why I so appreciate those of you who sub- scribe and buy online and support the little projects I do. My goal is not to just get to the “next level” with a storefront or something bigger, it’s simply to enjoy the process.
