What No One Tells You About Growing a Baking Business (Until It’s Too Late)

You know what I wish someone told me before I decided to start a baking business?

That PASSION and a dream will get you started…

But it won’t be enough to keep you going.

I know that’s not the fluffy, feel-good, “follow your dreams” message we like to share on our Instagram stories, but it’s the truth.

And too many insanely talented bakers find that out the hard way.

So let me be the one to finally say it:

When you turn something into a BUSINESS, you need to INVEST more than just time and passion.

You need to HIRE people, you need SUPPORT, you need inventory, you need expansion, marketing, tools, coaching, books- in order to turn this passion into a full-fledged business, there needs to be an investment.

But because the barrier to entry is so LOW for the baking industry, we get told, “Your baking is amazing, you should start a business,” so we go out, create an Instagram handle, slap a logo on it, and we’re in business.

If you can’t get 500 people to give you $50 or $100, you have an expensive hobby with a logo, not a business.

If you’re trying to create a business that is LASTING, and SUSTAINABLE, then we need to bring more to the table than just PASSION and TIME.

Here’s what no one told me (but I’m telling you now):

1. You’re not just a baker. You’re a CEO.

If you want to grow a real, sustainable baking business, you have to start thinking like a business owner.

Not just creatively. Not just as a dreamer. But a DECISION-MAKER.

Pricing, marketing, systems, boundaries, strategy -this is the stuff that keeps your PASSION going and allows your business to make money. Point blank period.

And NOBODY talks about this enough.

When you decide to turn your hobby into a business, you sign up to become a MARKETING EXPERT. Your job is to create content that attracts paying customers- not content that impresses other bakers.

You’re also a MASTER SALESWOMAN. Your job is to create compelling and convincing reasons WHY people should invest in your products vs. shop with your competitors.

Oh, and I’m not done…

You’re also a HIRING MANAGER, BOSS, THERAPIST, and TEACHER. Your job is to lead, train, and set your employees up to be successful. You’re not just teaching them tasks- you’re shaping how they view LEADERSHIP the rest of their lives.

You are NOT just a baker friend, so please STOP acting like a baker and START acting like the visionary entrepreneur your staff and business need you to be.

2. Undercharging will DRAIN your business dry.

You think you're being nice... being “affordable”... trying to help everybody because “everyone deserves a nice cake to celebrate.”

Friend 🗣️ this is ONLY creating a job that doesn’t pay you what you’re worth.

And eventually, it’ll break you.

I say with lots of LOVE but also truth…

Undercharging your products isn’t some noble deed for the sake of the greater good. It may feel good FOR NOW because people are ordering from you… appreciating your “pricing”… but not long down the road you’re gonna face a crossroads. Either you’re gonna be BURNT OUT and BROKE from trying to accommodate a shit ton of orders, OR you’re gonna realize you can’t afford to keep this “business” going anymore unless you raise your prices.

You can create affordable products that STILL make a profit. You DESERVE better. And your business DESERVES better.

Businesses are meant to support your life, not drain it.

3. Your friends and family are not your ideal customers.

REMINDER: You’re not building a business for your FRIENDS and FAMILY! You’re building a business for people who DON’T KNOW YOU, who want/need what you have to offer.

So STOP wasting time crying over your friends and family's lack of support! Instead, focus on EXPANSION and the customers you do have.

The world is a BIG place, and so many people are searching for EXACTLY what you have to offer!

4. You can’t Google your way to growth.

I’m ALL for free content! I have and offer TONS of it.

We all start somewhere. And there is SO much good information out there.

YouTube videos. Freebies. E-books. Instagram tips.

Even the little robot inside your ChatGPT chat box (hi 👋🏽) can offer some helpful advice...

BUT.

Here’s the part no one wants to say out loud:

📌 Knowledge isn’t power. Action is.

It’s what you do with the knowledge that creates results.

Because sitting on YouTube at 1 AM, watching tutorial after tutorial, pausing every 5 seconds to write down notes you’ll never implement…

That’s not building your business.

That’s procrastination disguised as productivity. 💀

“But I’m learning!”

Yes... But are you DOING?

That’s the difference between a hobbyist and a CEO.

One gathers information. The other gets RESULTS.

You can spend the next 3 years piecing together scraps from the internet...

Trying to figure out what applies to your specific situation...

Sifting through conflicting advice from creators who haven’t actually built what YOU want to build...

OR -you can plug into a proven plan, led by someone who’s been there, done it, and helped others do the same. This is why I create TONS of courses, workshops, and trainings, because I know what it’s like to build a business from NOTHING.

You don’t GROW a successful business by working HARDER.

What you need is a SYSTEM.

What you need is SUPPORT.

What you need… is someone who’s already walked the path you’re trying to walk - and made it to the other side with receipts in hand.

Because TRUTHFULLY, you can’t run a business alone.

You DESERVE to build a business that actually runs WITHOUT you in it 24/7.

One that pays you well.

One that gives you freedom, not just a fancier version of being overworked.

One that makes you proud - because it’s built with purpose, strategy, and HEART.

And that’s exactly why I created my signature masterclass, Passion To Profit!

It’s not just another course.

It’s a guided, 8-week transformation experience where I show up with you - LIVE, every week - to help you build the baking business you’ve been dreaming about.

In real time. With real support. For real results.

🚨And the doors to Passion to Profit are opening VERY SOON!

Get on the waitlist now and be the first to know when we kick things off.

Your business - your future -is worth so much more than figuring it out someday.

Let’s make someday NOW. 💪🏽

Xo, Janelle