Embracing the Value of Your Micro Bakery Business

In this heartfelt episode of the Bread Winner podcast, Caroline Bower discusses the importance of recognizing and valuing your micro bakery, regardless of its size. She addresses the habit many female business owners have of belittling their own ventures by using the term 'little,' and offers practical steps to help change this mindset. Caroline shares actionable tips such as eliminating certain vocabulary, avoiding comparison, celebrating wins, networking confidently, and investing in oneself. Join Caroline for an encouraging chat aimed at empowering you to take full pride and ownership of your bakery business and its impact on your life and community.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:36 The Power of Language in Business

03:39 The Impact of Female-Owned Businesses

06:03 Practical Steps to Own Your Business Value

12:32 Networking with Confidence

15:07 Investing in Yourself

17:12 Mindset Shift: Embrace Your Business

19:09 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

https://www.carolinebower.com/checklist

Episode 11

Hello, Bread Winners. Welcome back to another episode of the Bread Winner podcast. I'm so glad you're here. I am always so thrilled that you choose to spend some time out of your day with me, it's such an honor. Whether you're baking your first loaf or your 500, this is the place where we share practical, actionable insights to help you build a thriving, sourdough, micro bakery that compliments your lifestyle. .

And I will also preface this conversation by saying, this is a topic primarily for my female listeners. So if you're a micro bakery owner and you're a man, you may also benefit from this conversation. But it is a message that will be most relatable to those of us who are female.

I'm part of a really beautiful, very intentional women's community here in San Antonio. And it's a place where we come together as women business owners, but also just as women.

I've started noticing that when women would get up to introduce themselves in our women's community. They would say something like I own a little blank or I'm just starting this little blank.

And it occurred to me that we really need to stop using this word to describe our business. Our businesses, no matter the size are significant and worthy of respect.

That is the message. This has been on my heart. Let's dive a little bit deeper.

It feels a little demeaning, right? But when we speak of our business, that way it gives people permission. Even if we say I own a little bakery. It gives people permission to see it as little, no matter the size it is. When we call our businesses, little, we unintentionally be little our efforts, our passion and our achievements. It sends a message. Not only to others, but to ourselves that what we're doing, isn't that important. And that really isn't true.

Additionally, and I would argue maybe even more importantly on a micro level is the impact on the family of a mother who owns a home-based business. When mothers own successful in home businesses, the benefits are not just financial. But they provide flexibility that traditional jobs can't allowing more time to be spent with family attending school events, managing household responsibilities. Not only that, but very close to my heart is the fact that we are modeling. Hard work, dedication, pride in worthy work and a work ethic for the kids that we're raising.

So it allows us to create a lifestyle that works for us and for our loved ones. And that is so incredibly valuable. So here's the thing, whether your business is big or small, it's value, isn't determined by its size. It's determined by the impact it has on your life and the lives of those around you. If running a micro bakery that sells a few loaves a week fits your needs and brings you joy. Then that's the right size business for you.

So with all that said, how do we practically step into our ownership role. And truly own the value of our businesses.

I love tactical, practical actionable steps. So here are just a few things that we can do to start to shift the way that we are viewing our business. And shift it, not only for ourselves, but for those around us.

Number one language really matters. Start by eliminating the word little from your vocabulary when talking about your business.

Instead of saying my little business, just say my business or my bakery or my company.

Or if "our" fields more natural, use our, I find myself referring to my business as ours. Most of the time. Because even though I am the one doing pretty much everything.

So next time someone asks you what you do, instead of saying, I own a little bakery from my home. Just say I own an in-home bakery.

Automatically doesn't that just feel a little bit more , professional a little bit more official, a little bit more. Worthy of respect.

You can take this. A step further and create a mission statement for your business that reflects your goals and values. This exercise really can help you see the impact of your business. If you drill down on why your business exists. And get really clear on the impact that it has on your family and on your community, that can help you become more confident with dropping the word little and owning your business as a beautiful and worthy business.

I remind myself all the time, do not compare your beginning to someone else's middle. Or your middle to someone else's end. It is a totally different picture. Completely wrong to compare. Your situation to someone else's. We have to keep in mind that everyone's circumstances are different. You might be working full time. Caring for toddlers. You might be homeschooling. You might be managing the household without much assistance.

We don't always see that side of the picture.

We just see the image of someone who looks like everything is going right. And that is just not true.

So this really just takes a reality check and being honest and reminding ourselves not to fall into that comparison trap.

The practical application here is just to stay in your lane. Commit to your own goals and priorities. If you've written out a mission statement, if you have a longterm vision for your business, check back in on that. Remind yourself of why you exist. And commit to doing what moves your goals forward. Don't let this strangers on the internet. That includes me make you feel like you need to be anything other than what you are.

All right.

You can share your wins with your community too, as you're sharing your wins, share on social media or with your family or in local groups, celebrating publicly can reinforce your sense of accomplishment of ownership. I [00:12:00] love to share in a very humble and gratitude filled way, but share when my business has a great day. I often share when I sell out not to be boastful, but just to bring people in, they get excited with me. And allow people to see that my business really is thriving and growing, and that connection helps others view it as a legitimate business. Which in turn helps me to view it that way, too.

You do not need to say I own a bakery, but I only sell 10 loaves a week. Just say I own a bakery.

Being a part of a local women's networking group for me has been so transformative, not just for business connections, but also just as a business owner, owning a business can be really isolating and lonely. A lot of times the women in our peer groups maybe don't relate to what we're doing, so they have a hard time connecting with the entrepreneurial mindset.

Alright, the next step is to invest in yourself.

As a business owner, it is important to continuously invest in your skills and your knowledge, whether it's through workshops, courses, networking events. Investing in coaching, the more you grow, the more your business will grow too. It's great idea to set aside some time each week for personal development, whether this is reading business books, taking online courses, attending webinars. I will often go for a walk in the evenings with a business development podcast. And that's some great personal and business development time where I just listen a little bit and then walk with my thoughts for a little bit.

All right. The final step in going from little business to business owner is a mindset shift.

So this kind of piggybacks on replacing the word little or just dropping the word little, but this is

daily and sometimes moment by moment choice to remind yourself of the importance and the value of what you're doing.

If you're a positive affirmation person, you can write down affirmations in your baking space. And

go back to them when you need to statements, like my business is valuable and impactful. It can help shift your mindset over time. If you repeat that stuff, that to yourself each day as you're baking. That will become intrinsic knowledge for you.

All right before we wrap up, I'll leave you with this thought. Your business, no matter its size. Is a reflection of your passion, your hard work and your dedication. And it deserves to be spoken about with the respect that it warrants. So by changing the way that we talk about our businesses, we can change that the way that we and others perceive them. I am so proud of you and all that you have and will accomplish. And I am so grateful that you allow me to be a little part of your journey. Thank you so much for joining me today on the Bread Winner podcast.