In a few days, tablespoon bakery will be open for 7 months, the 6th to be specific. A milestone I suppose.... Over the last 20 days since the last post some things have been happening, so I will dive in with a little detail.
....
Lets talk about support....
What occurs to me is when people offer to help you, I am not sure they really mean it. I do not want to generalize, so I am speaking specifically about the bakery. In my life, I take nothing for free. I have a strange quirk about me where it is extremely hard to accept gifts from people. One person offered me financial support monthly and I said no. Unless that person was getting something in return for that money, there is just no way I would accept it. Other people (many actually) told me to do a go fund me page or something similar to raise money, but again, this is a give without get and I do not like that.
So, I came up with the idea of t shirts. Many people said it sounds like a great idea, and I thought, ok, I will get a little bit of money for a lot of giving. Really, they generate very little money for me, but, I thought ok, I invest a few hours of my time to set it up and maybe I can sell a few shirts. And, like crickets, I heard from only a very few people, those who I have known for a long time.
Words do not say what it means to me when someone gives like that. For me, it is very special. What i like the most about the idea is that any time those people have a shirt on, I am kinda, sorta, with them. It is interesting, I have no idea who the people are who buy the shirts because of data privacy, but I know they wrote me messages telling me more or less. That means a lot to me.
I set a goal, and as of now, I am 19% of the way there. More than I expected, but of course, the road I want traveled is much longer.
I do not know, maybe t-shirts is a bad idea. Maybe they are too expensive. Maybe they are ugly. Maybe someone does not want to buy one because most of them say "vegan" somewhere on the shirt, though, I am not so sure that is a crime, yet!!
And so that is where I am. I tried to get advice from someone but i never got a response even though the person offered. So I just close that door and move forward. And what you do not know is, the reason I am trying to raise money is times are very difficult. Three days ago I was just shy of 6 euros in my bank account after paying some bills (not all). We have been having some good days so I am thankful for that, but I need many more good days.
....
And the work....
I now get to the bakery around 4:30 or 5:00 am. I do not want to say much as to why it is necessary to do this, but, the work must get done. I am truly feeling like a zombie most days, and now that I am working 7 days a week again, it is all a blur.
Here are a few of the things I have been selling over the weeks since we last spoke:
This is a vanilla two layer cake with freeze-dried rose petals
This is a croissant muffin filled with cinnamon and raisins
Who doesn't like focaccia? When in season I will make a more traditional one with tomatoes, basil, red onions, and olives, but right now the tomatoes are not good enough.
A few croissants I have baked.. I work very hard on these to get to perfection. I have a long way to go, but I know I am working towards that goal.
One day I took a sample of some of the breads I made that day. In this photo there are the following: integral, white, gluten free, spelt, and baguettes. I never get tired of making bread <3
And the inside of a croissant. Truth be told, this is what I work on the most. I want that inside filled with beautiful little bubbles, to be soft, with a slightly flaky outside, and the taste that you could get naked and roll around with.
I am very proud of that work Some of them are not perfect, I understand, but it is the journey that I travel that really I enjoy. The downside is, honestly, I have no life at all. I am so tired every single day that I come home, fall down on the sofa, try to relax for a few hours, and then I start all over again the next morning. The only saving grace is on Mondays I can sleep because the bakery is not open. So I do not have to go until about 10AM, This past Monday, I was there for 9 hours working on croissants and a couple of other things. What scares me is that the season has not begun yet. The cost is far too high to hire someone to help (and with me not being able to even pay my bills in full it is impossible anyway). So, I just need to buckle up for the bumpy ride. Fingers crossed, head down, and work!!! work work work!!
....
That is it! Thank you so much for reading the update. I hope you enjoy these little pieces of information. I am still working on the Breaking Bread podcast. I am so behind with everything I have not had time to edit my interview with Jack. Also, I do not have more interviews lined up yet either... I must focus!!!!
Do not forget to buy a t-shirt if you have not already
#doeverythingwithlove or stay in bed!
....
Lets talk about support....
What occurs to me is when people offer to help you, I am not sure they really mean it. I do not want to generalize, so I am speaking specifically about the bakery. In my life, I take nothing for free. I have a strange quirk about me where it is extremely hard to accept gifts from people. One person offered me financial support monthly and I said no. Unless that person was getting something in return for that money, there is just no way I would accept it. Other people (many actually) told me to do a go fund me page or something similar to raise money, but again, this is a give without get and I do not like that.
So, I came up with the idea of t shirts. Many people said it sounds like a great idea, and I thought, ok, I will get a little bit of money for a lot of giving. Really, they generate very little money for me, but, I thought ok, I invest a few hours of my time to set it up and maybe I can sell a few shirts. And, like crickets, I heard from only a very few people, those who I have known for a long time.
Words do not say what it means to me when someone gives like that. For me, it is very special. What i like the most about the idea is that any time those people have a shirt on, I am kinda, sorta, with them. It is interesting, I have no idea who the people are who buy the shirts because of data privacy, but I know they wrote me messages telling me more or less. That means a lot to me.
I set a goal, and as of now, I am 19% of the way there. More than I expected, but of course, the road I want traveled is much longer.
I do not know, maybe t-shirts is a bad idea. Maybe they are too expensive. Maybe they are ugly. Maybe someone does not want to buy one because most of them say "vegan" somewhere on the shirt, though, I am not so sure that is a crime, yet!!
And so that is where I am. I tried to get advice from someone but i never got a response even though the person offered. So I just close that door and move forward. And what you do not know is, the reason I am trying to raise money is times are very difficult. Three days ago I was just shy of 6 euros in my bank account after paying some bills (not all). We have been having some good days so I am thankful for that, but I need many more good days.
....
And the work....
I now get to the bakery around 4:30 or 5:00 am. I do not want to say much as to why it is necessary to do this, but, the work must get done. I am truly feeling like a zombie most days, and now that I am working 7 days a week again, it is all a blur.
Here are a few of the things I have been selling over the weeks since we last spoke:
This is a vanilla two layer cake with freeze-dried rose petals
This is a croissant muffin filled with cinnamon and raisins
Who doesn't like focaccia? When in season I will make a more traditional one with tomatoes, basil, red onions, and olives, but right now the tomatoes are not good enough.
A few croissants I have baked.. I work very hard on these to get to perfection. I have a long way to go, but I know I am working towards that goal.
One day I took a sample of some of the breads I made that day. In this photo there are the following: integral, white, gluten free, spelt, and baguettes. I never get tired of making bread <3
And the inside of a croissant. Truth be told, this is what I work on the most. I want that inside filled with beautiful little bubbles, to be soft, with a slightly flaky outside, and the taste that you could get naked and roll around with.
I am very proud of that work Some of them are not perfect, I understand, but it is the journey that I travel that really I enjoy. The downside is, honestly, I have no life at all. I am so tired every single day that I come home, fall down on the sofa, try to relax for a few hours, and then I start all over again the next morning. The only saving grace is on Mondays I can sleep because the bakery is not open. So I do not have to go until about 10AM, This past Monday, I was there for 9 hours working on croissants and a couple of other things. What scares me is that the season has not begun yet. The cost is far too high to hire someone to help (and with me not being able to even pay my bills in full it is impossible anyway). So, I just need to buckle up for the bumpy ride. Fingers crossed, head down, and work!!! work work work!!
....
That is it! Thank you so much for reading the update. I hope you enjoy these little pieces of information. I am still working on the Breaking Bread podcast. I am so behind with everything I have not had time to edit my interview with Jack. Also, I do not have more interviews lined up yet either... I must focus!!!!
Do not forget to buy a t-shirt if you have not already
#doeverythingwithlove or stay in bed!
Keep up the Good Work! Why are you working seven days a week? Everyone needs a rest. I almost feel like you end up giving too much and are too generous.
ReplyDeleteIf you opened your business in Spain, the resources and support would probably be easier to find. I don't know, but it's isolated and not enough patrons, I would think. You must be doing well in most ways.
I know having a business does not necessarily mean you are making any money. I'm experiencing that myself for the first time these past few years. Understandable, yes, the struggle to get ahead for most people is fairly constant.
WIshing you the best from California!
Aweee.. thank you for this sweet reply..
ReplyDeleteI work 7 days because six days we are open and the 7th day I use to prepare things in bulk, like croissants, or ensaimadas, etc. During my normal baking days I am too tired to do them.
I am sorry it took me so long to reply