We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jackie Huebbe. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jackie below.
Jackie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?
I think, like anything, there are pros and cons to both sides. There are things that I miss about being “just an employee,” but realistically, I can’t imagine working a schedule set by anyone else anymore. I’ve become pretty comfortable in my freedom.
I do look at job postings sometimes and think “Ooh, I would love to do that!” but I think it’s very similar to how people say, “Oh my gosh, you own a bakery and ice cream parlor? That must be SO MUCH FUN!” There are absolutely aspects of it that are fun, but there are a lot of behind the scenes work that goes in to making the fun parts viable, and especially right now, it can be really nerve-racking worrying about the political and economical conditions in the US.
I think if I were to go back to working for someone else, I would want to work at a library, a yarn shop, or a stationary store. I can’t imagine not working with my hands all day, and those three positions would still give me the chance to teach, which I love doing through the cookie and cake decorating classes we host at our Creamery location.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I own SugarBot Sweet Shop and SugarBot Creamery, both located in St. Charles, MO. SugarBot Sweet Shop came first, and is a small-batch bakery that offers custom sugar cookies, cakes, and more. We are currently operating by appointment only, and focusing on custom orders and catering, but we have pop-ups planned through out the year around holidays.
SugarBot Creamery started with my desire to save a local business that had gone under (Little O’s Old Time Soda Fountain). After buying it, I realized that the reason it was failing was because they hadn’t been doing things the way they should be done, just like I saw when I worked for others in my bakery career. My husband, Mark, and I worked hard to remodel the original space and develop a line of products that we were proud to call our own. As a result of that work, we rebranded the shop to SugarBot Creamery, and later moved the business to a larger space we purchased that is now the Creamery’s permanent home.
For both businesses, the biggest thing that sets us apart is quality and ingredients. We specialize in “childhood favorites, better than you remember them” at both spaces. It’s important to me that things are being done the right way so that our crew and our clients can stay excited about the work we’re doing.
Let’s talk M&A – we’d love to hear your about your experience with buying businesses.
I have purchased two different businesses since starting SugarBot in 2012.
The first was called “The Very Best Cookies,” and we still operate a line under that name today as our wholesale cookie brand, which is carried in area markets, cafes, and grocery stores. When we bought the business in 2014, we also took over their current storefront. It was absolutely a lesson in “trust but verify.” I learned a lot of lessons of what to look for, and how to evaluate a business and what was being sold. I don’t regret it, but there are things I would have done differently if I was purchasing it today.
The 2nd business was called “Little O’s Old Time Soda Fountain,” and we still use that name as a sub-title for our SugarBot Creamery location. We purchased that business in 2018, mostly because I grew up playing with soda fountain equipment from my grandpa’s soda fountain the he ran inside his pharmacy in my hometown of Hermann, MO. I was also so sad seeing Little O’s because it was more of a diner than a soda fountain, and it really lacked the historical touches that would bring charm to the historic district of St. Charles. It went up for sale around 2016, and I wasn’t in a position to purchase it, so when it came back up in 2018, I jumped at the chance. This time, I was able to have the business professionally valued, and it made a world of difference in the negotiations. I also remembered my lessons from the first business purchase, and did much more of my due diligence in the process. That made it a much more stressful process, but I am very glad I knew what I did, or I would have been taken for a very expensive ride.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
I am an avid listener of audiobooks! Because I spend a lot of my day in the kitchen still, I can clear almost a book a day thanks to audiobooks, my library card, and the option to listen at a faster speed.
Some of my favorite business/creativity books are:
– The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E Gerber
– The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
– The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll
– Atomic Habits by James Clear
– Business Made Simple by Donald Miller
– We Should All Be Millionaires by Rachel Rodgers
– High Conflict by Amanda Ripley
– Good Inside by Becky Kennedy (this is a parenting book, but translates perfectly to management)
I am also a strong believer that you can do good while doing well, and I use my businesses to offer employment to folks in the community with barriers. This is very important to me, as I have been someone with barriers in the past as well.
A few books that are tough, but really important, reads are:
– The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
– Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
– The War on Normal People by Andrew Yang
– Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Pérez
– Divergent Mind by Jenara Nerenberg
– The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee
– Invisible Child by Andrea Elliott
Contact Info:
- Website: getsugarbot.com / sugarbotsweetshop.com / sugarbotcreamery.com
- Instagram: @sugarbotsweetshop / @sugarbotcreamery
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackiehuebbe/
Image Credits
Photos provided by Traci Shadden & SugarBot Sweet Shop