Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Carly Hamilton founder of Crème Cream Puffs, located in Calgary, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Crème Cream Puffs is a Modern bakery specializing in Cream Puffs, Cakes & New York Style Cookies! We make and create Cream Puffs inspired by the season so we change our flavours on the regular! Over the past 3 years, we have created more than 40 different flavours! Some of our favourites have been Mini Egg Cream Puffs, Strawberry Shortcake Cream Puffs, S'mores Cream puffs, and my all-time favourite flavour, Salted Caramel Cream Puffs. We are a local business that services the Calgary area.
Tell us about yourself
Crème is run by Carly Hamilton who started Crème 3 years ago after moving home from London U.K. where she was working in a Michelin Star Restaurant. After moving home, Carly started recipe testing and created a Pumpkin Spice Cream Puff and started selling them to friends and family for Thanksgiving. From there Crème has continued to grow and expand and continues to put out new flavours every season. What motivates me is the desire to continue creating and developing flavours and products that our customers know and love.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment as a Business Owner was being able to talk about Crème on National T.V. when Crème was featured as one of the Female Owned Businesses to watch across Canada.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
I think one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner is always feeling like you are on the clock. On days when I'm not in the kitchen baking, there are always numerous different things that need tending to from bookkeeping to managing our social platforms, when you own your own business, the work really never ends.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Just start. You don't have to have the perfect business plan, marketing strategy, or product. But you do have to start somewhere and you can figure out A LOT by just putting yourself out there. Whether that starts with creating an Instagram account to promote your business, or you sign up for a local market to start selling your product, you just have to start somewhere and be open to the learning and growth, and failing that comes with it. Start small and go from there.
Where can people find you and your business?
https://www.instagram.com/cremecreampuffs/
https://www.facebook.com/cremecreampuffs
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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