This week, we're diving into the essential questions every sourdough microbakery owner should be asking themselves before the holiday season hits. Imagine heading into the busiest time of year with a clear plan, boosted confidence, and a game-changing strategy to handle the holiday rush without losing your sanity. In this episode, you'll discover how to maximize profits, streamline your processes, and strike the perfect balance between your business and personal life. Whether you're worried about keeping up with orders or wondering how to stand out at holiday markets, I've got you covered!

Tune in to get insider tips on managing your time, energy, and resources effectively. You’ll walk away with practical steps to make this your most profitable and stress-free holiday season yet. Get ready to set yourself up for success with less overwhelm and more joy. Grab a cup of coffee, and let’s make this holiday season one to remember!

Download the 10 Questions Worksheet: https://carolinebower.myflodesk.com/tenquestions

Join The Bread Winner Inner Circle: www.carolinebower.com/innercirclewaitlist

Download the FREE Guide and Checklist, Your First Steps to a Successful In-Home Bakery at https://www.carolinebower.com/checklist to begin building YOUR thriving microbakery! 

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Episode 22

Hi, thanks for tuning into another episode of The Bread Winner Podcast I'm your host, Caroline Bower. And today's topic is a really important one for the season we're in right now. But regardless of what time of year, you're listening to this episode. There are some really valuable insights that you can apply to your business any time of year.

I have 10 questions for you to reflect on and ask yourself before you dive head first into the craziness of the holiday season. You might want a pen and paper for this one, but I also have a free download in the show notes with all 10 questions, as well as some space to write your answers. So, if you want to print that off or use an iPad to write on or type it up on a PDF. Whatever method you want to use. I have the questions written out for you.

You can jump down into the show notes to download that if you're a pen and paper person, like I am.

Stay tuned for the next time that the inner circle opens for enrollment. you can join the waitlist to get updates when it opens back up. And I'll put that link in the show notes as well.

All right. All that said, let's start with question number one to set the tone for this season.

Now it might be a busy season. You might have really big goals for how many loaves of bread you want to sell. How much you want to earn. How many new customers to gain, et cetera. But before we get into those questions, I want you to ask yourself this question. How do I want to feel at the end of the holiday season?

It is so easy to get caught up in the rush to feel like, because it's so busy and there's such a high demand.

You have to meet every bit of that demand. And that can cause so much burnout in the holiday season.

It's easy to just get caught up in that rush and forget. That our emotional wellbeing matters. Just as much as the business side.

So write down your ideal feelings. And keep them front and center throughout the season as a reminder of what you're working toward.

Next. Ask yourself. What are my non-negotiables.

It'll give you a framework to protect what really matters. Your time with your loved ones, your holiday traditions, whatever that is. And that ensures that you are living the life that you want, even during the busiest of times.

So you might decide that your top priority is maximizing your sales. Or maybe it's building deeper relationships with your existing customers.

Or you might decide that this year, your top priority. Is maintaining your sanity and avoiding burnout. And you might say no to a lot of opportunities. Whatever it is. Get clear on it now. Write it down so that you can review it When you need to remind yourself. And this will help guide your decision-making.

When you're trying to decide whether or not to say yes to an opportunity or whether or not to pursue something new or expand your menu, check back on your priorities, check back on your non-negotiables and check back on the way you want to feel at the end of the season. And that's going to help you have clarity on how you want to move forward.

This question is what are my goals for this season?

Now this has business goals, but also consider lifestyle family. Household goals. So on the business side, your goals might be something financial. Maybe you want to hit a certain revenue target, maybe you want to be able to.

Use the income from your bakery to purchase holiday gifts.

So maybe it's a certain revenue targets selling a specific number of loaves of bread. Or expanding your customer base by a certain percentage.

Maybe you want to streamline your process to save time or create a new, special holiday flavor that could become a seasonal Favorite.

But as you're creating your business goals, make sure that you're also keeping in mind your personal goals. Think about the what and the why behind each goal.

Now question number five is really important and it also requires you to be really honest with yourself. Number five is what is my capacity.

So we all have our limits, physical, mental, logistical.

How many loaves can you realistically bake? Package. And distribute each week. Without compromising your quality or running yourself into the ground.

Maybe you can streamline your processes a little bit to elevate your capacity somewhat, but you have a limit somewhere. Make sure you're realistic about that.

Be really mindful of how many hours. You can work. While still, fully showing up in the other areas of your life.

If you can bake like a madman and be at every market and supply bread for your entire city. If you're capable of that, that's great. But can you do it without sacrificing the non-negotiables that you identified earlier? Make sure that you're really clear on this so that when opportunities arise, you know, whether or not they make sense for you to accept.

Question number six is a practical one. This question is what resources do I need to meet my goals? Do you need extra ingredients? New equipment.

So for their resources, you may consider bringing on help, even if it's just for this holiday season. You might consider tools that might make your life easier.

If you haven't already started using an ordering platform, something like the simply bread app or hot plate. This would be a really good time to do that so that you're not trying to manage orders manually or accept them via messages or text. It's a lot easier to let things fall, fall through the cracks when life gets crazy and you have a high number of orders coming in.

This might be a good season to consider whether the cost of your time is worth going and purchasing your ingredients by yourself, or whether maybe you want to pay a little bit extra. And get back a bit of time by having those groceries delivered.

If you need to place an order ahead of time for holiday specific ingredients that you'll need for any flavors that you're offering or specific packaging labels, things like that. Identify all of these special resources that you might need so that you're not trying to overnight an Amazon order. That you realize that you need and Hadn't thought ahead

to obtain. I experienced that firsthand at least once or twice last year. And I will be doing everything I can to stay on top and stay one step ahead of my needs this year to ensure a smoother season.

Now, speaking of planning ahead and trying to anticipate the things that you'll need.

I want to make sure I have plenty ahead of time, just in case there's some sort of supply chain issue down the road.

Maybe it's unexpected weather affecting your markets or your deliveries.

So you may need to consider how you're going to tweak your process, whether you're going to. Move from fermenting during the day to doing it overnight so that you shape your dough in the morning. These are all factors to consider ahead of time so that you're not thrown off by them when they do happen.

So how can you plan and adapt if your usual supplier runs out of stock of a certain ingredient that you need? What's your plan. If a key piece of equipment breaks down.

Do you have a little bit of money put away in a rainy day fund in case you need to spring for a new fridge or freezer or something.

And think ahead about how you might handle the curve balls.

Question number eight folds right into number seven. And we ask how will I know if I need to adjust my plan. So it's easy to stay on autopilot and just push on through. But sometimes the best decision is to reassess and adapt.

So decide on some benchmarks that will signal when it's time to pivot. Maybe it's a certain number of sales that you need to hit by a certain date. If you're under that target, maybe you reassess and change your strategy add another market. Or maybe you adjust your goal to be more in line with what your actual sales are.

These could all be signs. That it's time to dial back, listen to your body, honor your time and your space, because ultimately, if you are the business, you need to take care of yourself. To make sure that the business can continue operating well.

So Be ready to pay attention and adjust your plan if needed.

And now let's talk just a little bit more about you. Because as the heart and soul of your micro bakery. Your wellbeing is just as important as your business goals. I would argue, I've mentioned this before in other episodes.

That I think taking care of yourself. Should always be one of your absolute top priorities, because like I just said,

If you are the sole or one of the sole operators of your business, it's all going to

Maybe it's a nightly routine. Maybe it's taking a walk during the day. Maybe it's making sure that you have at least one day off per week.

And then I'm speaking to the choir here, making sure that you're eating lunch with protein. Not just a slice of bread.

You don't have to do it all. You don't have to check all the self care boxes. But pick one or two with a high impact. That are realistic for you and commit to them. Write those down in front of you. So you can go back and be reminded. But the more you care for yourself, the better you can care for your business.

Do not be afraid to ask for help. Think about friends, family, even fellow bakers who understand the unique challenges. Of this season, maybe it's your partner. Stepping in to help with the household chore. Or a neighbor watching the kids for a couple of hours. Maybe it's a fellow baker who you can bounce ideas off of and vent when things get tough. Having a support network will make all the difference in any season of life, but especially in these busy, crazy seasons.

Then I would love for you to join us in the inner circle.

I am so excited about the community and the friendships that are going to come from this group. And you can find more information in the show notes.

If you found these 10 questions helpful. I would love for you to share your thoughts. And even your answers with me over on Instagram.

Send me a DM or posted in your stories and tag me. I always love it when you take a screenshot of the episode and tag me, I love to race, share those and see where you're listening from. We can all get connected and grow together. I'm Caroline Bower underscore sourdough on Instagram. And I would love to see where you're listening from.

I will be back soon with another episode. But until then happy baking.