My Home Bakery Story

Hi, I'm Tiffany...

I'm a wife, mom, grandma to 9 sweet grands, owner of The Pink Crumbb, and the founder of the largest community for home bakers in existence.

To be honest, if someone had told me that I would someday be operating a thriving home bakery, I never would have believed them.

I grew up in an environment where there was just enough money to survive, and even that was questionable at times.

As an adult, I craved more financial security, particularly for my children. At the time, I thought that meant I needed a "stable" and traditional career.

So, I climbed the education ladder, becoming a daycare provider, then an elementary teacher, then a principal, and finally, a director at the county office of education writing credential programs for teachers.

During all these years, I baked as a hobby but never once considered the possibility of baking as my career path.

To tell you the truth, I never considered my hobby as a career choice because I wasn't sure I was good enough! I also wasn't licensed. I also stressed about someone becoming ill.

Honestly, I just stressed about ALL OF IT and so it was easier to bake on the side and then just not charge or ask for only ingredient costs to be covered. Crazy!

Opening My Home Bakery

By 2020, however, I had a sudden realization that my career had taken me further and further away from family and the strain on my work/life balance became increasingly difficult. I craved the freedom to set my own hours and put my family first and do life on my own terms.

The term "entrepreneur" seemed to be all around me and I developed a newfound determination to obtain my cottage food license and dive headfirst into becoming a small business owner.

Getting Licensed

Obtaining the necessary licenses for my home bakery wasn't the daunting challenge I had dreaded but there was a time I felt like I was on a wild goose chase when it came to finding the correct information! In the end, it took me all of about two weeks to become fully licensed as a home bakery owner and I felt a bit foolish that it had overwhelmed me for so long.

If you need help with licensing, please join one of my membership plans. Both will provide you with the specific requirements for licensing, food labeling, and application information for all states in the US.

Ready to Close Down

While licensing wasn't as difficult as I had imagined, selling presented a whole other set of challenges. I had zero knowledge in marketing and despised sounding pushy or salesy.

Add to that my long-standing desire to satisfy everyone, I found myself taking on every order that came my way, and instead of progress, my work/life balance took a hit. Random requests for various items, from cinnamon rolls to custom cakes left me fatigued. My first couple of weeks yielded just four orders, but those four orders took me what felt like forever to fulfill, and I had no idea what my profits were. In fact, I felt like I might have made zero profit after the hours I'd invested. It didn't take long before I was dreading baking rather than enjoying it as I had previously.

Within a month or so, I seriously contemplated the prospect of shutting down. I really felt that I was not a business-minded person and there was no way this could provide enough income to prevent me from having to return to a 9 to 5.

The Farmer's Market

Shortly after, one of my daughters urged me to take a bold step and showcase my cake slices at a local pop-up event. As someone who tends to be introverted, I initially resisted this path. Exhausted, discouraged, and skeptical about the viability of a home bakery as a source of income, I hesitated. However, my daughter's persistence prevailed, and I reluctantly attended with 36 slices, standing there at my booth with an overwhelming sense of imposter syndrome.

Thankfully, my daughters accompanied me, choosing to dismiss my negativity. They took charge, distributing samples to visitors, and to my surprise, my booth gradually became bustling. Within a couple of hours, all 36 slices were sold.

While the profit might not have been substantial, the experience served as a pivotal moment. It motivated me to reconsider the effectiveness of my prior selling model and explore alternative approaches. In a few weeks, I ventured to my local farmer's market and experienced a swift transition to earning a consistent income. For six consecutive months, I participated twice a week, acquiring invaluable insights into selling, marketing, pricing, and more. This period not only brought financial stability but also paved the way for implementing numerous "work smarter, not harder" strategies, refining my business model with each iteration.

My Home Bakery Business Today

In the present day, my home bakery thrives as I've adopted a more streamlined approach through my bakery cart—an even more efficient model than the farmer's market, though I still consider the market an ideal starting point. Alongside this, I take immense pride in leading a flourishing home bakery community boasting over 10,000 members, while my new product line of bakery boxes and papers also continues to expand.

Most importantly, my business has achieved remarkable profitability without compromising the precious work/life balance that prioritizes my family.

Looking back at the whole journey, it hits me that success often waits for us beyond what feels easy or comfortable. You've got to push yourself, and every success story kicks off with that first brave step.

If you're looking for a supportive community of folks who share your passion, then definitely join our home bakery community. We cheer for each other's successes and help each other through the tricky parts. I wish you all the best. I know you're going to achieve some fantastic things!

Love, Tiff