We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Hannah Bryson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Hannah , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
I started Hannmade Baked Goods out of our apartment kitchen when my husband got offered a job that would allow me to stay at home with our son, Liam. I originally started by doing bakery sample boxes and cinnamon rolls. I always SWORE I would never go anywhere near royal icing sugar cookies, yet here I am, doing mostly that. I am so grateful for the opportunities that have come my way from cookies. I’ve gotten to work with some pretty awesome brands, and have some really great return clients. I am honored to be a part of all of their special moments. I’ve been doing some familys cookies since their baby showers, and they now have 3-4 year olds! That is so cool to me. Over the past 5 years, we’ve grown our family by 2 more kiddos, so 3 in total 5 & under, and have gotten our first home, all while doing cookies to help a little financially. I have loved getting to do this as my job. As my 3 year old says, “Moms job is to make cookies!” and I think that is just the neatest.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I have always been a crafty and creative person, I have had many (failed) business attempts, but something about baking just stuck. I’ve been doing cookie decorating for almost 5 years and it’s truly fulfilled me more than I could have ever imagined. I offer custom cookie sets for birthdays, showers, graduations, anniversaries, etc. I also have an Eddie Printer and am able to do large scale orders for corporations, confrences or trade shows. I think some of my favorite sets come from the silliest ideas a client gives me, the words “I trust your vision” seriously make my day. I love getting to have a creative outlet, while also having the opportunity to benefit others in the process. I mean who doesn’t like a cookie? I pride myself on also having sugar cookies that taste good. They’re not the typical “hard” sugar cookie, and I love hearing that people were surprised that they were so moist. I also host cookie classes, where I teach others the ins and outs of cookie decorating. My goal is to have 2-3 classes a month, so make sure you’re on the lookout for that!
Have you ever had to pivot?
Oh yes, I had to pivot majorly when we moved to our new home, and I found out I was pregnant with our third child. Something about 2 kiddos 3 & under, the stress of moving and trying to scale my business just did not work. I ended up having to pull back, and really reasess things. I had to pull out of markets and stores I was in, which was really a bummer. But it was such a learning experince and now being back in those places, I know how to better manage my time, and have a much, much healthier work/life balance that was missing before.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
The best source of new clients would have to be former clients! Word of mouth really does go far, and I am forever grateful for every person who recommends me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hannmadebakedgoods.com
- Instagram: @hannmadebakedgoods
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hannmadebakedgoods/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hannmade-baked-goods
