We were lucky to catch up with Jennifer Kobasic recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jennifer, appreciate you joining us today. The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.
Being a mom of four I had spent many hours in the kitchen cooking meals and whipping up treats for the kiddos and there friends. Every birthday and holiday i would make the kids favorite cinnamon rolls. We always had extra and the girls would each get to take turns picking a family on our street to share them with. So when a resident posted on our neighborhood Facebook page they were looking for cinnamon rolls my neighbor Andy, recommended me. From that point on I was delivering cinnamon rolls, muffins and other baked goods to people all over our neighborhood. I was so excited. It was an answer to a prayer to be able to work from home and make my schedule around my kids.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Jennifer Kobasic and I am the Owner and Baker at Wonderfully Made by Jen, LLC. I bake all kinds of deliciousness but my passion is my cinnamon rolls. I offer different flavors and am always creating more. I focus on using high quality ingredients and providing soft, moist baked goods. I truly love providing my customers with a quality product that are free from of preservatives. We most recently have started offering organic options of our popular baked goods for those that prefer all Organic as well.
My baking journey began years ago at home with my mother. She always baked and cooked our meals from scratch. In high school I got the opportunity to work as a cook in the kitchen of a family restaurant. I really helped me learn how to cook in a fast paced environment. I went from cook to waitress which I loved even more visiting with all my customers was a highlight of my day. So after being a stay at home mom to my four daughters I really was excited about the opportunity to share my love of baking with my community. It was something i was able to do from home in the wee hours of the morning before they awoke.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
The most effective strategies for growing my clientele has been my existing customers and social media. Customers who purchase my baked goods tell there friends and that has been a great blessing. I do use Facebook and Instagram to post photos of my baked goods and what I’m baking. I also like to drop sample boxes of my baked goods off at businesses with my business cards.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Being a business owner has been a wonderful blessing but can have its challenges as well. Each week I am juggling many plates. Running my business and being the a wife, and mom to my four girls at times it can get overwhelming. I do my markets and much of my work on the weekends, which is when my girls all have their soccer games.
Each weekend I set up my stand for the farmers market then hop back in my truck to get to the different soccer games we have that day then run back to the market to pack up. Sometimes is exhausting trying to balance it all but, I love showing my girls that with a little planning and perseverance one day at a time I reach closer and closer to my dreams. I hope to own a cafe where I can serve wonderful people my homemade creations.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wonderfullymadebyjen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wonderfullymadebyjen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wonderfullybakedbyjen
Image Credits
Inspired Photography by Sara