Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kevin Ford, CEO and head baker of Tell Me Something Sweet Bakery, located in McKinney, TX, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Tell Me Something Sweet is a bakery featuring quality goods that are delivered to North Texas residents and shipped to customers throughout the United States. We feature various types of pound and layer cakes, cookies, bar desserts, and pies. These creations are not mass-produced but are made daily in our kitchen with the freshest ingredients. Tell Me Something Sweet has appeared in local Farmer's Markets and vending events throughout Texas communities. Customers have come to love and appreciate our products, along with the care that is put into the preparation of each item on our menu.

Tell us about yourself

I was raised in a home full of bakers. My grandmother and mother were very good bakers. While growing up, there were homemade cakes, pies, and other desserts frequently baked in our home. Many years ago, my personal baking stint began unexpectedly when I asked my mother for a pound cake, which is my favorite dessert, and she told me to make it myself. So, with the guidance of my grandmother, I successfully made my first-pound cake! That started me on a journey of developing my baking skills to include all types of treats.

With Tell Me Something Sweet, my goal is to bring to the tastes, textures, and deliciousness that I experienced throughout my childhood. Why? Because there are people who have never had a well-made home-style dessert. I want customers locally and around the country to have huge smiles on their faces as they enjoy the sweet taste of the goodness that comes from our freshly made goods. For those who have had the experience of growing up with a family member who baked well, I want it to be a reminder of those times. But for those who may not have had that privilege, I want TMSS to be their introduction to the world of quality baked goods.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I feel that my biggest accomplishment as a business owner so far is having our products purchased and loved by people locally and across the nation. It's a delight to hear that it reminds them of something from their childhood or that they have never had anything this good in their life!

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Often, one of the hardest things for a business owner is to be able to shift gears and go in a new or different direction that you didn't see when you first started the business. This may be a strategic and necessary move so that you will stay relevant and not become stuck in an outdated system but be able to adapt and go further than you thought you ever could.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. In starting, plan, strategize, and execute. Don't become stuck in the paralysis of analysis.
  2. In the day-to-day, maintain an attitude of positivity, diligence, and excellence. Remember. If you don't, no one else will.
  3. Concerning growth, nurture your business by providing the nutrients that it needs to become all that it can be. Faith - believing that it will grow, vision - seeing and treating it with excellence as if it is already "there" and taking the risk and bold steps to make it become what you believe and see it to be.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Finally, as business owners, we often become so bogged down with fatigue and the day-to-day pressures of running and maintaining our businesses that we lose the initial excitement we had when we first started. How do I stay excited? By knowing that I initiated my dream, I am working on my dream and that my dream will develop to its fullest potential.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.tmssbakery.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmssbakery
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tmssbakery/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/c-kevin-ford-92381967/

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.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.