Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Deborah Rota, founder of Buzzing Bee Baked Things, located in London, UK.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Buzzing Bee is an online bakery run by me, the baker, and my husband, who helps with the day-to-day operations and the deliveries. We make and deliver healthy and real sourdough bread, bagels, and baked sweets in a 3 miles circle from our area in South West London, with our electric cargo bike, and we also ship giant scrumptious boxes of cookies nationwide.
Our customers are mainly families and young couples who enjoy eating authentic food, healthy and without additives or preservatives. They love to indulge in decadent bakes like sticky buns or huge chocolate chip cookies! We are a different bakery experience, where you can shop from your sofa and get a warm loaf of sourdough baked just for you and delivered within 24 hours.
Tell us about yourself
After working for over 12 years in the bakeries and restaurants scene, I decided it was time for me to go on my own; I wanted to get up at whatever hour of the night and know that I was creating the best product ever, with ingredients that I had personally chosen, timings that I knew they were right, and work on my own terms. With my husband's help, I launched the first website in June 2019 and left my day job at a hotel the following November. Buzzing Bee really picked up with the pandemic, and now I'm busy daily with kneading, mixing, and baking.
What motivates me the most is really knowing that the bread I make could make a difference in people's lives: our sourdough has only three ingredients, organic flour, water, and sea salt, and we never compromise on the quality. We only use an organic sourdough starter (Leonard, five years old) in all our products, despite the longer proving time. Sourdough is the healthiest choice in terms of carbs: it has long-term benefits on your cholesterol gut health, balancing the glucose in your blood, adding to your daily intake of fibers... I could go on and on 'cause truly, it's one of the loves of my life, but that's why I believe in what I do.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Being recognized for the work, I did in 2021 when we won the Bread Product of the Year Award for the UK (for our very own Chocolate Sourdough): made me realize that no matter how small the business is, you can always be able to create great things that can last and make an impact.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
I think believing in yourself: as business owners, we all deal with that bit of 'impostor syndrome, thinking you're never good enough to be doing this job, or working for yourself. It's something I still struggle with sometimes, and walking through all the accomplishments we had in the past two years helps during those times of deep self-doubt.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Keep learning, study, research. If you don't know something, chances are it's somewhere on the internet, and if you can't find it, don't be afraid to ask for help.
- Give yourself a breather. You're doing great! If you get overwhelmed, write down all the things that need to be done, and start at the beginning with one task at a time: you'll get through it at the end.
- Don't take shortcuts and don't compromise on your integrity or on the quality of your product: hard work pays out in the end, no matter how long it takes or how hard it is.
Anything else you'd like to share?
After creating two websites for the bakery, taking care of the marketing, and designing the marketing materials, I realized I'm also in love with food photography and web design, something that I now have fun studying during my (rare) free time!
Where can people find you and your business?
https://www.instagram.com/buzzingbeebakedthings/
https://www.facebook.com/Buzzing-Bee-Baked-Things-2815286501877383
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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