What's It Take?

I'm tempted to answer this question with "grit" and let that suffice for the entirety of the post, but that would be a cop-out, so I'll continue on. Perhaps the word "grit" immediately comes to mind as a former educator who sat through several in-services over the years where Angela Duckworth's TED talk on this subject was presented. We teachers were encouraged to both fan the flames of fortitude in our students while also drawing upon our own personal strength and inner gumption to persevere through the year to come.

Now, having left the world of education behind to blaze my own trail as a small business owner, this concept of grit has taken on a new and more palpable meaning to me. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, grit is defined as "firmness of mind or spirit; unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger," while entrepreneur is defined as "one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise." As a little girl, I never dreamt about the day that I'd finally be off on a solo enterprise, facing many risks and hardships on my own; I had always pictured being part of an organization, moving group goals forward. Yet, I've chosen this different, unaccompanied journey: there is no Sherpa leading the way. It is an adventure demanding yet freeing, limited yet limitless, all at the same time.

Growing up, I didn't learn that working for yourself was an option. I was taught a different success formula: you finish high school, go to college, and find an employer who will provide a stable income. This is not to say that that road doesn't lead to success, but rather to highlight that I didn't notice alternative routes. My only exposure to self-employment back then was multilevel marketing, which I observed in several women around me. Additionally, I believe that the concept of working for yourself has recently grown in popularity with the expansion of unconventional new methods by which one can make a living. For instance, Duke University now offers a course titled "Building Global Audiences" in which individuals learn how to "optimize their presence on social media apps," as these platforms are increasingly "more valuable to some than a degree" ("How To Become Tiktok Influencer: There's a College Class for That," Bloomberg.com).

In any case, I walked in step with the predictable, safe formula and was as "successful" as a teacher on a Christian school salary can be (if we are measuring success the way society often does: monetarily). I would go on to say that I don't regret walking this path: I am very thankful for it, and I wouldn't be who I am without these life experiences. Working "for the man" did provide me stability and a consistent paycheck, and I think there is great value in this pattern for many people. I've only had the opportunity to start my own business because of the stable income my husband provides our family. It is important, though, to acknowledge everyone has different goals, which can be accomplished in a variety of ways, and small business ownership has afforded us the ability to pursue goals that are important to us. I provide this background solely to emphasize that I was starting from ground zero when it came to beginning my own business. I knew n-o-t-h-i-n-g. (Perhaps an "Introduction to Business" or "Economics 101" would have been a more practical required course than algebra for my expensive college degree, just saying...)

So, to bring it back around to the question this blog post's title asks: what does it take to start your own home-baking business? Grit is certainly an important factor, but it's not the only thing necessary to move along the path of small business ownership. In future blog posts, I plan to share more specifically the practical and necessary steps I've taken to begin my home bakery. I in no way consider myself an expert on this subject, but I share hoping that my experiences will be informative, thought-provoking, and helpful, especially if you've ever considered starting your own small business.

Until next time, I'll leave you with two questions to ponder: 1) what do you think are important characteristics necessary to achieving success? 2) What is success to you?

"There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction." - John F. Kennedy

(If you're interesting in reading more about the topic of grit, I'd recommend checking out Forbes.com's article "5 Characteristics of Grit- What It Is, Why You Need It, and Do You Have It?")