Notes from Chris

Episode 1333

When British military officer Collette Preece started baking, she did it as a hobby. It offered her a break from her physically and mentally demanding job—in fact, she says it was just the kind of therapy that she needed. She and her partner James would bake pastries and cookies, exploring fun shapes and unique flavors.

Then, one day Collette stumbled upon a cookie-cutter design that caught her eye: a 3D dinosaur model set. She thought it would be fun to test out with James’ family. Together they baked the cookies, assembled them, and added icing and sprinkles for the finishing touches.

The experience was so positive that Collette decided to look around to see if there were more 3D cutters on the market. When she found out that there weren’t, she thought that might just be an opportunity to design her own. James, an engineer by training, volunteered the two 3D printers he owned to turn the designs into reality.

One of the biggest concerns in the UK at that time was the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE). In response to that problem, an online 3D printing community sprang up, asking for those who had 3D printers at home to produce face shields. Collette and James knew that this was far more important than their business, and joined in to help.

Although their 3D cookie-cutter plans were put on hold, Collette quickly discovered a new opportunity to keep her side hustle dreams alive. As people were staying at home due to a lockdown, a lot of them started trying their hand at baking. Colette wanted to inspire some of these cooped-up homeowners and apartment dwellers to expand the types of tasty treats they could create.

Enlisting the help of a friend who had graphic design skills, she created the 100 Bakes Scratch Off Poster. The poster lists 100 classic bakes to try from hot cross buns to focaccia to treacle tart. Once you make an item, you scratch off the square below the bake to reveal a picture of the item. The goal is to bake all 100!

Their website and design work ended up setting them back about $600, with the posters themselves costing about $1,500 to print. However, Collette has had great success in her marketing techniques, and her quick thinking and hard work has brought in about $1,000 a month since May, with 200 of the original posters sold and counting.

As military officers, Colette and James are no strangers to uncertainty. They know they’ll need to continue to be flexible and adapt to changing circumstances. One challenge they’re facing is the overseas assignment that Collette will have to undertake in the upcoming months.

To ensure that James can keep up, the two of them have since taken their business onto the Fulfilled by Amazon platform, solving any delivery problems that might arise because they’re shorthanded. Pivoting from one product to another, and now to another means of distribution, Collette and James have shown that there isn’t a single cookie-cutter approach to building a side hustle.

 

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  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Get your own baking scratch-off poster at Collette's website, CrumbsByCollette.co.uk.

SEE ALSO:

• National Pie Judge Spreads Gospel of Sugar, Butter, and Flour: This lifelong baker was afraid of pies—but when she overcomes her hesitancy, she undertakes a baking adventure that leads to hundreds of satisfied customers. Get rich or pie tryin’!
• Social Worker Bakes Cupcakes for The Walking Dead: After a stressful divorce, this social worker and mom needs to make money. She begins by selling cupcakes at the local market, then goes on to establish a sustainable business.
• Couple Crumbles Debt with Gourmet Cookies: In search of a side hustle, this husband and wife team bake their way to sweet success.

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

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