What It's About
A brother-sister duo start a baking side hustle to learn the ins and outs of entrepreneurship firsthand.
Business Model
Skills Required
Complexity
Profit Potential
Words of Wisdom
Amanda and Josh discovered that they sold more bread when they had free samples for people to try. They also started learning customers names and greeting those customers with friendly smiles. During their marketing evolution, they also learned how to tell their origin story as pre-teen entrepreneurs, which went over well with the farmers’ market crowd. Between the free samples, focusing on friendly customer service and expanding their product offering, their sales steadily grew.
Fun Fact
Over the years Amanda and Josh went from selling only banana bread that very first market to now offering 13 different options. As they said, “We were never afraid to try new breads—some sold well and some did not. But regardless we learned from the experience and either expanded our offerings or tried again.” Which means they’ve ended up with some fun flavors, like the “Elvis” which is a banana bread with peanut butter and the “Ultimate Alabama” which is a jalapeño cheddar beer bread with a local sausage. In addition to these unique flavors, they offer some more traditional options like zucchini, apple, and Amish white bread.
Notes from Chris
Episode 200
Amanda and Josh Dawsey are a brother-sister team that created a side hustle about five years ago. Their full-time job is being high-school students, but they actually started in middle school when Amanda was 12 and Josh was 10. They started where most students start: with some research. They began with a search for all the farmer's markets in the area and learned more about what was required to start a food business. Then they contacted three of those farmers markets to ask about renting a stall, what they would need for permits, fees and any other requirements. The list of requirements that were needed to get started was actually quite short: a business license, the $15 rental fee for their farmers’ market space, the pop-up tent, table, ingredients, and packaging. Over the years Amanda and Josh went from selling only banana bread that very first market to now offering 13 different options. As they said, “We were never afraid to try new breads, some sold well and some did not. But regardless we learned from the experience and either expanded our offerings or tried again.” Amanda and Josh now sell at two weekly farmers’ markets and one monthly market, plus seasonal holiday markets. While revenues change seasonally, these days they average $400 in profit each week and up to $500 some weeks, all on a combined 16 hours a week of prep time. In 2016 they had their highest earnings yet—$10,000 in profit.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- Paint the Town Bread: Read more about this resourceful teenage duo on their website and purchase a loaf of one of their delicious quick breads!
- Square: The company that Amanda and Josh used so that they could accept credit cards in addition to cash and checks
- National Farmers Market Directory: In addition to selling on their website, Amanada and Josh also sell their bread at their local farmers market. Find your local farmers market here!
- Cottage Law: Interested in starting your own baking side hustle? Here are the cottage laws in the U.S. by state
- Full-Time Mom Ships $35,000/Month in Frozen Bread on Amazon: The busy mother of a child on a specialized diet decides to take action and ‘liberate’ parents like her with her allergen-free food side hustle
- Delicious Cookies Arrive at My Door in Portland, Oregon: A late night craving evolves into a cookie delivery service spreading chocolate chip goodness throughout the land
Resources
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