Meet Amy Hobb

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Sed ut perspiciatis unde.

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Amy Hobb. Amy was introduced to us by the brilliant and talented Kirstin Protsman.

Hi Amy, we’re so thrilled to have you sharing your story with us today. Maybe we can kick things off by having you introduce yourself to our readers? We’d love to have you go into your story and how you got to where you are today.
My name is Amy Hobb, and I am the owner of the Blue Umbrella Bakery located in Keokuk, Iowa. We specialize in custom desserts for all occasions while offering a variety of homemade desserts and baked goods. I started and ran the Blue Umbrella in my home kitchen back in 2018 while working a full-time job. A few years later, a storefront became available in our neighboring town, and we made the big leap and opened the doors to the bakery in February 2023.

If you were to go back and ask 13-year-old me what she wanted to be when she grew up, entrepreneur was not on that list. It was not even in the book. And baking for a living? Not a chance. I did not grow up in the kitchen, baking for my family and friends like many bakers do. When people ask how my baking career started, I tell them by accident. I started my career in the bakery field as a cake decorator with the only baking experience being making box brownie mix in my friends’ parents’ kitchen. After a few years working as a decorator, I was asked to work in a restaurant closer to home running their bakery. After repeatedly telling the owner I do not bake, and him encouraging me more and more, I decided to give it a shot. I started out with your basic cupcakes and cookies, but soon fell in love with baking and knew I wanted to do more. Two years later, I decided to branch out on my own and the Blue Umbrella was created.

Please tell us more about your brand, Blue Umbrella Bakery
The Blue Umbrella Bakery located in Keokuk, Iowa, specializing in custom desserts for all occasions while offering a variety of homemade desserts and baked goods. We offer the experience of creating your own Cakeality through our creative process and clear communication. From tiered wedding cakes to on-your-way-to-work muffins, we love to create a vareity of delicious desserts all made-from-scratch. While always striving to present the best desserts, we also strive for great customer service and attention to detail. A big part of our brand is community. We want everyone to walk in the doors and feel like they are walking into their best friends’ grandmas kitchen. A place to feel comfortable and welcome while enjoying a cup of coffee and a delicious dessert. While we are operating soly as a carry-out location at this time, our next big step will be opening up our cafe portion where we will offer counterservice breakfast and lunch options. A big part of this plan is to host community events including classes, game nights, fundraisers, and more.

Kirstin Protsman and Rae Design have been great to us and I know you’ve got a great relationship with them as well. Maybe you can tell our audience a bit about Kirstin Protsman and Rae Design and your experience with them.
I think my journey with Rae Design started before I even met Kirstin. I had a meeting with our local Small Business Development Center who advised me to work on my branding, because that would help set me apart from other in-home bakeries. Then, by fate or by accident, Kirstin happened to stop by the office I was working at. After a quick conversation about the bakery and what she was working on for her business, Kirstin reached out to me to see if I was interested in being her client for brand strategy. Up until that point, I had no idea what a brand was besides a pretty logo. Kirstin has a real passion for not just for helping her clients create a brand, but to help them understand the meaning behind it which (as I learned from her) is really what your brand should be all about.

The brand strategy gave me direction on how I presented my business both to my customers and to the public, giving me a cohesive look, feeling, and purpose. For me, I noticed just how important the brand was when I created my own website and realized I had everything I needed at my fingertips in my branding booklet. Not just the colors to use and the fonts, but the wording and story of my business. The brand strategy process looks at what is important to me, the message I want my business to say, as well as the fun stuff like colors, fonts, and logos. All these things make your brand which not only helps a business create a cohesive look that is recognizable, but helps give them a direction for communication and an understanding of their audience.

Recently, I made the decision to work with Rae Design again to revamp my brand to better align with the direction the bakery is going. Before we even got started, Kirstin helped make sure I was choosing the right service of hers for what I was wanting to accomplish by asking me questions and explaining each service point by point. And even though her business has changed and evolved, her dedication to the craft and to her clients has not. What stands out about Rae Design and her brand strategy is that she does not just want to present you with a brand, but to help her clients understand their brand and how it can be used. After implementing the brand, she created and the strategies she helped me understand, my customer base increased along with my sales. Brand strategy is a big commitment for a small business like mine and it is important that you trust and can easily communicate with the business you hire. Kirstin creates an open environment for her clients to feel comfortable discussing the likes and dislikes and can take what the client is saying and turn it into an understandable and marketable brand.