Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kim Gans, founder, and CEO of Sweet Flour Bake Shop, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are an online bakery that specializes in gourmet gift delivery, but ultimately what we’re about is providing memorable experiences. From across Toronto to across Canada, we deliver fresh baked and unique gifts that inspire smiles, friendships, traditions, and above all, memories. We believe every moment - big or small - is worth celebrating, and we believe every celebration is better with something sweet & delicious!
Beyond offering gifts for every occasion, we’re also big on community engagement. Every year we partner with SickKids and donate a portion of holiday sales to their Milk & Cookies campaign that helps support families with children in the hospital. We also recently launched a new initiative to support women entrepreneurs that includes offering expert advice, mentoring, networking, and support to other women entrepreneurs. Our business has been primarily led by women, and we want to help other women entrepreneurs grow their businesses.
Tell us about yourself
I knew from a young age that I always wanted to run my own business. After graduating from the University of Michigan with an MBA combined with over 10 years working in strategic consulting and later brand management at General Mills. I gained the confidence and skills I needed to make that dream happen. At the same time, I developed a real passion for cookies & freshly baked treats because they were always a part of my fond family memories, and I loved that something so simple could make people so happy. Founding Sweet Flour was a way for me to combine all my passions - running a business, developing a brand, and making people smile
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Partnering with Hershey to bring our 2 Minute Custom Cookie experience to a pop-up location in downtown Toronto. Customers could choose from one of our premade cookies loaded with Hershey’s product or make their own on the spot. They could choose from 3 doughs and 10 mix-ins, and then their cookie was mixed up & baked in two minutes. It was a huge sensation with long line-ups every day that led to us doubling our output from our initial projection numbers. The experience exceeded our expectations, and I was proud of my whole team for executing it so smoothly.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Staying true to my passion and vision while also being willing to pivot. I opened Sweet Flour in 2009 as a retail concept featuring the ability to create your own cookie and have it baked in 2 minutes. It was the first of its kind in North America, and we knew people would love the novelty, but even from very early on, we never rested on that idea. I knew we had to keep expanding and growing, so we evolved into an online baked goods gift business and also sold cookies through other premium retailers; eventually, I sold the store altogether to focus on online gifting.
When you shift from your original concept, it’s easy to lose sight of your original vision, but I made it my goal to stay true to our mission to “surprise and delight” customers. It’s always been important for me to provide a way for people to take time out of their day to connect with family and friends over freshly baked treats. Initially, we provided these moments in-store, but it still holds true today, only now it’s through a surprise gift delivered to a friend’s door or a tray of decadent cookies shared with your team.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
You need to have a plan with goals and financial targets that you assess quarterly. If you are missing the mark on your targets, you need to be open to making changes.
Raise more money than you think you need and then raise even more - always have a buffer! A great mentor once told me you want to ensure you have enough money to see a good idea out rather than have to shut down a company prematurely because you ran out of money.
Have a great team and support system (i.e., family, friends, mentors) that can help you along the journey and challenge your ideas. Being an entrepreneur of a start-up can sometimes feel isolating and overwhelming versus working in a large company where you can bounce ideas off one another. I feel so fortunate to have the strong support system that I do; their support has been invaluable to me and the growth of Sweet Flour.
Lastly, I would say you absolutely need to have a true passion for your idea and purpose; it is not enough to simply have a good idea. You will work more hours than you thought possible, and your business will become intertwined with every part of your life, so you need to be 100% passionate about what you do. As an entrepreneur, you don’t have the luxury to be partially committed - you have to jump in with both feet.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.sweetflour.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SweetFlour
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetflourbakeshop/
You can call or order online for delivery across Canada and the US, you can pick-up at our production kitchen in Toronto or find our products in selected gourmet shops like Pusateri's and McEwan's Fine Foods.
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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