We recently connected with Katie Taylor and have shared our conversation below.
Katie, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
My journey began in 2020 during the pandemic. Unfortunately my health became an issue, sudden weight loss, loss of appetite, nausea, and more. In 2019 was when I discovered I needed to be gluten free, but a few months into 2020 was when I learned I have an incurable illness called idiopathic Gastroparesis. Severe Gastroparesis can be very very restrictive. Your stomach is functioning at only a fraction of the rate that everyone else’s is. So food is a nightmare. Yet I’ve always been so drawn to cooking. Throughout the pandemic and my health journey, baking became very therapeutic. And I loved the challenge of course. So eventually when I went back to work as a cafe manager I convinced the owners to let me bake gluten free. (Funny story is that one of the owners had Gastroparesis and helped me get my diagnosis, she knew that’s what it was way before I did. This connection made us very close)
I loved working and baking, but my health started to take a decline. I just couldn’t nourish myself appropriately. I was working hard and wasting away. However I was unwilling to give up work… I had to work, there was no other option. So my doctor suggested my first feeding tube. It sucked but I was able to work, I could even wear a backpack with my pump to feed myself at work. This ended up being 1 of 5 tubes ancto the span of a few years. And eventually I had a 2 surgeries to help increase digestion.
My battle with my health is and was a source of motivation for launching my own business. I am a hard worker, but I haven’t always been brave. After experiencing the curve balls of life, it reminded me how fragile it is, and how lucky I am to be here. So why not run my own business.?
I have always given 110% to the other small businesses I worked for, so what if I gave that sort of energy and motivation to myself?
My last surgery was in 2023 and I have not had a feeding tube since. I am not cured and I still struggle but I am not afraid to fight. I am stronger now! I established my business in 2024 and have been baking and running my business full time since I moved to the NWA in June. What’s incredible is that I’m so so busy I don’t know what to do with myself. I’m baking wholesale, custom orders, and working the Bentonville farmers market.
I feel so unbelievably lucky.
Katie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I now bake special gluten free and even vegan if needed!
I love to make perfect uniform pastries, and cakes with fun designs. I am also a stickler for flavor. Some non gluten free people buy my treats simply because they love the taste! That always gives me a boost of confidence.
I love learning new techniques and am happy to be abke to feed someone dessert despite their gluten, dairy, or egg allergy.
You can find me on Instagram @katiebugbakes as well as my website Katiebugbakes.com.
I am also starting to supply or work events, and you can catch me at the Bentonville farmers market!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I am still learning that I can mistake impatience for efficiency.
I often have so many things on my plate that I want to solve a problem or do a task quickly. But I am learning that when I slow down just a bit it often saves me time because nothing will get missed and it will be done correctly. I have had to re do many of things because of a lack of time or patience. Going the methodical route has always served me best. Whether that’s training, baking, or taxes, patience is the way.
Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?
My very first farmers markets was a disaster. I messed up a bake. was scrambling to get out the door, and forgot my tables. I was frazzled. Like when you wake up and you were supposed to be at work 10 minutes ago.
I realized at the end of that market day that I was going for quantity over quality. So I took a step back and said okay money aside what do you want to serve. So I thought as a gluten-free person, my favorite thing is when I can go to an event or market or storefront and purchase something unique or something I typically do not get to eat.
So I researched pastries that could translate well to gluten-free or are naturally mostly gluten-free and then following week that’s what I made. I took my time. I organized everything well and I made higher-end baked goods.
After that market, I received many text messages and Instagram stories and comments about how delicious everything was and how happy people were to try something new. From then on I’d ask for feedback back. I am not afraid to scrap something if it’s not quite right and I am not afraid to pivot.
That tool has helped me grow so much in the culinary world and as a business owner.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Katiebugbakes.com
- Instagram: Katiebugbakes
- Facebook: Katie Bug Bakes
Image Credits
Booth Haus NWA – tan background cake photos
Cavalier Photography- front porch photos