Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sara Hirsch. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Sara thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?

Picture this, first market of the season and the governor had just re-opened everything since the COVID shutdown. It was a beautiful spring day in May, and I was all geared up for this two day event. I had spent hours preparing all my baked goods using what I had experienced from past two day markets to gage how much product to have. I was ready, or at least I thought that I was.

Then, the market opened, and the people came out in droves! It was amazing to see so many people out and about again. There was a steady flow of customers all day long. With about an hour left of the first day, I took stock of my product that was left. It was quite diminished. By the end of that day, I had a total of ten items left to sell for the next day. I could not believe it. I had never had so much success! It was amazing and overwhelming at the same time.

So, I quickly broke down what I needed to and rushed to the store to pick up more ingredients. When I arrived home, I furiously started baking. It was about 5:30pm. I went through hours of sifting, mixing, baking, packaging, labeling, and repeat. To this day, I have no idea exactly how I accomplished what I did that night. The whole thing is a blur! All I remember is crawling into bed at 2:00am.

In the morning, I packed up my freshly baked items to be greeted by a cooler, drizzly day. I arrived around 7:30am and loaded up on caffeine. I had some concerns about if my efforts from the night before would be for nothing. However, a little cool weather never stopped a Denverite! Out the people came! Same steady flow as the day before, only a bit more bundled up this time. With an hour left of the market, I sold my very last item. It was exhilarating! For the rest of the time, I stood behind my table with a picture of some items that I had made front and center. I had a big smile on my face and let them know that they could special order, but I had sold out for the day. It was the craziest couple days of my business. I felt crazy, excited, and exhausted; and it was also the moment when I realized that I could really do this. It was all worth it!

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

Throughout my childhood, I watched my grandma bake. Being on the receiving end of all those yummy baked goods, I grew up knowing how special it felt to eat those baked goods made with love. She was and is my biggest influence.

My business began with a question. I was at a friend’s party where I had brought an almond torte. After tasting it, my friend said, “This is amazing. Why aren’t you selling this?” I had no good answer for him. Soon after that, I started Sara’s Confectionery Genius. It began with mostly cakes and cupcakes. However, after starting into the world of farmers’ markets, I started bringing in quick breads, cookies, and coffee cakes.

Recently, my focus has been pulled back to my roots. This is the realm of Jewish baked goods. I have always included rugelach and hamantaschen. My different flavors of babka this past season were met with great excitement. This next season I’ll bring in more of my cultural baked goods. I’m so excited to share this with my customers and teach them about what they are and where they came from.

Baking brings such joy into my life! No matter if my customer is making a special order or finding a tasty delight at the market, my goal is to bring joy into their lives one bite at a time.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Initially, I began my baking business journey with special orders while teaching full time. It was passed on word of mouth, but my business did not grow from this. It was too small of a group. However, each time that I received an order, my desire grew to have this business grow.

My chance came when I went on maternity leave. For two years, I stayed home with my daughter. During this time, I entered the farmers’ market world. As an introvert, the thought of joining this world was scary. However, I mentally prepared myself and registered for a market. I LOVED IT! Meeting the other makers was a great source of information on how to get my name out there more. The best part was getting to know my customers. This connection helped me hone my own focus. It reminded me of my own joy and my roots.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

My best source of new clients was branching out into the farmers’ markets. I have always been stronger meeting people one on one. This provided me with this opportunity. Speaking with my customers in this type of setting allowed me to open up and get to know them more informally. It took away the stress.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sarasgenius.weebly.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarasgenius/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarasgenius

Image Credits
Wedding cake photo: Memories for Life Photography