We were lucky to catch up with Bonnie Davis recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Bonnie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?
The name of my business is Baker Addiction LLC. Originally when I decided I was going to create a baking business I thought I wanted it to be B’s Sweet’s. But honestly I didn’t feel like I was that sweet. So I thought on it some more. I came up with Baker Addiction as when I get baking it more of an addiction. I love to bake and loose track of time and want to create things people find unique and different that they too love.
Bonnie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
About me: I’m a wife, a mom of 3 children, a business owner, and care giving. Baking is not my first career. I was in corporate America for 20 years raising mice and rats for big Pharma and academia. I left corporate life in late fall of 2019, was unemployed for 3 days, and worked on a horse farm that I volunteered at for a several months. Working on the horse farm doing as much as I did took a toll on my body (along with having 3 children) I had to have surgery. During recovery I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t lift or do much. I could however bake and bake I did. I had always loved baking ever since childhood. I baked all sort of Christmas cookies every year growing up with my mom. My mom loved reading and finding all sorts of cool recipes. She passed this onto me.
Next, I decided I wanted to open a business and bake out of my house. So, after some weeks went by I summoned the courage to talk to a friend that owned a restaurant and ask her how I could open a business baking out of my house. She offered me a job baking in her restaurant instead. I didn’t want a job but to bake out of my house. Well I took the job and baked for the restaurant. I started creating cookies with the different ingredients that were in the restaurant pantry and other baked goods for the restaurant and the local co-op. The local co-op was my first account as a wholesale baker. I did this all through Covid and beyond for 4 years growing my business and gaining confidence. Covid happening made me pivot from wanting to create desserts for restaurants into being a wholesale baker supplying shops with fresh delicious baked good. I wanted to create all sorts of baked goods so that everyone could find something regardless of their dietary restrictions. I offed vegan items, gluten-free items, items without refined sugar, and without dairy. However, they all have flavor and great ingredients.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
The best source of new clients for me has been word of mouth. People that have had something I’ve baked or seen pictures on social media and told someone else about it. This recently has been amazing and the inquiries and orders keep coming.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I don’t exactly remember the time it was but I had a big order for cupcakes I had to make for a customer. I was working in the restaurant too and I could only be at the restaurant for just so long and I had to leave so the rest of the staff could do their tasks in the space. I was rushing to get the cupcakes done and I made mistakes. The frosting was awful. It wouldn’t come together I had decorated some of the cupcakes and they looked terrible too. I was getting so upset and knew it wasn’t going to work out at that moment. So, I decided to pack up the cupcakes and and the frosting and leave for home. I needed to get my head back together and try again. I went to the store grabbed more ingredients and returned home. I brought the cupcakes and supplies into the house and set to fix the mess I had gotten into. I know I could decorate the cupcakes better but I needed to regroup and start again. I scraped off the frosting that was on some of the cupcakes and remade the frosting more calmly and got them done beautifully. It sucked but I believed in myself enough to know that I knew how to do it, I just needed to get it done for myself and for the customer.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bakeraddiction.com
- Instagram: @bakeraddiction518
- Facebook: @bakeraddiction518
- Linkedin: Bonine Davis
Image Credits
Bonnie Davis