Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Trixie Calapatia, Founder of Bear & Belle’s Bakery, located in Northridge, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Our small business is named Bear & Belle’s Bakery! We bake healthy & organic dog treats for furry friends big & small who want to live a healthy life!
Tell us about yourself
My name is Trixie! I am the founder of the bakery! I’m a hard-working woman who chooses to pick & choose healthier foods every day for myself & those around me whom I love, especially my children. During the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, my daughters, Bear & Belle, approached me with the desire to want to start something new together. We had never baked before, so we thought, “why not bake some healthy treats for our doggies?”
After sharing the extra snacks with our neighbors, and our friends, word spread like wildfire & soon, friends of friends started to ask for our homemade treats! It soon came to my attention that this newfound hobby could be something much more beneficial to my family. I went from working in the medical field to being an entrepreneur! To be able to share the knowledge & importance of eating better, even during snack time, & seeing so many happy doggy faces, gives me more than enough motivation to do what I do today!
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
The biggest accomplishment I’ve surpassed while running this business is the life lesson it’s taught my kids and me — that whatever you set your heart to can most definitely be done!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
One of the most difficult things I go through being an entrepreneur is having to accept the fact that running your own business does not come with a How-To manual. There are no set guidelines & answers to this kind of thing. Things come up. Life comes up; therefore, the success of your business is ultimately up to how much time, effort, and flexibility to change you give it.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
3 tips I would like to give anyone looking to start a business are:
- Have a plan. Do your best to follow that plan. But also be willing to adjust if those plans do not fall through.
- Celebrate all your accomplishments, big & small! Do not forget to give yourself a pat on the back for all that you do & put in for your business.
- Show up! Do not ever lose sight of the fact that simply showing up makes your business all worthwhile! Life can easily distract you & pull you away from the #1 thing to do when you’re the boss of your own design.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://bearandbellesbakery.square.site/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bearandbellesbakery
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bearandbellesbakery/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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