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

Alright, Charis thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents were always fostering my interests. They let me explore the things that I wanted to do rather than trying to force me into the things they thought would be good for me. If I wanted to swim, I was on the swim team. If I wanted to do theater, I would be in the next play at school. It taught me to always be curious and to try new things without hesitation. That fundamental trait they instilled in me was the reason why I fell into bagels. An interest turned into a hobby, and grew into Bears Bagels

Charis, 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?

So we are Bears Bagels. As you can assume we offer bagels, but also offer schmears and bialys (an openfaced bagel sandwich of sorts). Being in the food industry for over 15 years, my dream has always been to have a concept of my own. During the pandemic, I tried several different things out of shear boredom as I was furloughed like much of the industry. Bagels were one of the items I attempted, and an attempt is what it was. They turned out miserably, so much so my wife got me a bagel cook book as a gag gift for Christmas in 2021. I took it as a challenge to perfect a bagel recipe, and down the rabbit hole I went.

Fast-forward to the summer of 2022, we had been selling our bagels when we could find time between my wife and my full time jobs. The interest was palpable and traction was building. It seemed that this hobby was quickly turning into a promising venture. I made the tough but most rewarding decision to leave my position and focus full time into the business. And there I was, owner of my own concept, a scary, but thrilling notion.

Bears Bagels came to existence in the right time and place. Columbus, Ohio has very limited options for good bagels, and mom and pop options even more so. We came into the market offering not only an alternative to the chains like Brueggers and Einsteins, but also an iteration of the bagel that is complete unique to our city. We blended the features of Montreal and New York style bagels to create a bagel that has a developed and blistered crust like a, with a sense and chewy crumb. Not to mention we are one of the pioneers of the bialy here in central Ohio.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Our approach was to be as organic as possible. We created content and were consistent with our activity. Creating daily or weekly things for your followers to engage in creates a reliable feature that people can look forward to. We had a lot of fun with “This or That” on Thursdays, which was asking people to poll on several different things they would rather have. Some were silly random questions, but we also put in questions about our products to see what the people wanted, not only did this help with participation, but it was good R&D. Engagement back to those who interacted with us was a huge element as well. Since we are a consumable product, we partnered with several influencers in our area to have a greater reach in the beginning. That really helped us jump start our following base.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I am proud that we have built this from nothing and have grown to where we are. We continue to push our limits and have more and more opportunities and potential on the horizon. To a starting business owner or entrepreneur, I would encourage you to adopt the mantra of “being comfortable with being uncomfortable”. As we have grown there has always been the “next step” that feels daunting or too much to handle. But we press on and persevere and in a month that problem that towered over us just seems like a formality. If you rest in complacency, you’ll never reach your potential.

Contact Info:

• Website: bearsbagels614.com
• Instagram: bearsbagels614
• Facebook: bearsbagels614
• Linkedin: Charis Yost

Image Credits
Tyler Jamison @theplatedcreative