We recently connected with David Huffman and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, David thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the toughest things about entrepreneurship is that there is almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

When I started my business I was naive to think that all of the ingredients I’d need would always be readily available. I’d perfect a recipe using a specific kind of cocoa or vegan margarine only to have the cost go through the roof or a supplier go out of business. This meant having to find an acceptable alternative which wasn’t always easy as recipes may have needed to be adapted on the fly.

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.

Bitchy Vegan Homo started as a YouTube cooking show but quickly morphed into side-hustle bakery business, and then into my full-time job. My business name draws attention and tends to lure new customers in. Once they try my products they are quickly hooked and want more of my treats. I am very proud of the way I built up a strong customer base through a consistent presence at regional events.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Like many of us, the pandemic disrupted my career. I was working in film marketing and programming when the pandemic started and my business was a growing side-hustle. I was lucky to have revenue stream to fall back on as movie theaters were shut down. I quickly ramped up the number of events I was doing and was able to grow BVH into a new full-time job.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

My business was fully self-funded. Since it started as a side-hustle I had income from another job that I was able to use to help cover initial start up expenses. Because I had this other income, I was able to pour the business revenues back into the business itself to help grow it. This was important to help get stronger, branded marketing materials and pay for some social media advertisements.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bvhbakery.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bitchyveganhomo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bvhbakery
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/bitchyveganhomo

Image Credits

Photos by Rosie Hileman