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

Hi Kristel, thanks for joining us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

I love being a business owner! It’s a lot of hard work, but meeting my customers and hearing how much they love my teembun (teembun is the cantonese word for desserts) makes it all worth it. I graduated college in the peak of the pandemic (May 2020). It was a really uncertain time for everybody and it was definitely not easy to find a job. But, I followed the path that I was always taught to follow. I found a corporate job and have been working in various HR/Recruiting roles for the past 4-5 years. If anybody has ever been in a corporate environment, you know how some can be. Some workplaces are filled with amazing talent and people that empower you to grow while other places treat you like a machine rather than a human. I’ve seen it all. Despite all that, I am still working at my corporate job to this day. From 8am-4pm, I work my corporate job. Then, from 4pm until whenever I go to bed I am usually thinking about Teembun, planning for Teembun, or baking for an upcoming market. I may have just recently started my journey as a business owner, but I have learned so much since starting in June 2024. The community of small business owners that have welcomed me with open arms has been life changing. Any moment that I start to doubt myself, they are there to encourage me and remind me that I am capable of being more than just another cog in the corporate machine. I think all small business owners can agree that sometimes it’s the smallest interactions that keep us going. When somebody says they’ll be back later and actually come back, when somebody takes a business card, when somebody follows us on social media, when you get great feedback on your items, or when you get your first order from somebody who isn’t a family member or friend, every single interaction is encouragement that I’m doing something right. I love sharing my teembun with everybody and I hope it brings people together too. Teembun has been more rewarding than I could have ever imagined and I am just getting started!

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?

Teembun is a small home bakery that is AAPI & Woman owned. I sell a variety of baked goods and am always trying to share how yummy Asian flavors can be. A lot of the flavors I sell are influenced by my life as a Chinese American in the US. There are so many cultures and influences around to draw from! I have always had a big interest in baking. The earliest spark I can remember is actually from watching Barney as a kid. There was a specific VHS tape (yes, VHS) episode where they were all cowboys/cowgirls and they were making biscuits. Watching them cut out the biscuits and going through that process was so intriguing to me. As I grew older, my dad helped to cultivate that interest by enrolling me in a cooking class and teaching me some tips and tricks from his time as a chef. I started baking more and more throughout the years, learning from blogs and Youtube videos mostly. I found that I much preferred the process of baking more than eating the final product. There has always been something about the process that has been very peaceful and relaxing to me. Since I was never that interested in eating my bakes, I would often gift them to family or friends. I kept getting good feedback over the years and eventually was encouraged to take the leap and get my cottage food license to start selling at farmers markets. It was a scary leap, but it has all been worth it. I have been able to introduce so many people to new flavors and foods! Sharing what black sesame, ube, matcha, and mochi are and seeing people’s faces light up after tasting these new flavors just can’t help but bring a smile to my face. I hope to keep experimenting to bring new flavors and creations to the greater Chicago area. For the most part, I’m a one woman show, so that is definitely something I am super proud of.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients for me has been farmers markets! Pop up events can be good too, but if there are other fellow bakers out there wondering where to get started, I would recommend farmers markets first.

How did you build your audience on social media?

While I am definitely not an expert by any means, I would say posting as consistently as you can is really helpful. Also, check out your insights to see what form of content gives you the best reach! For me, that’s Instagram reels. It can feel overwhelming at times to manage the business, the baking, and the social media. Social media really does seem like another full time job at times. But, it’s all about trying things out and seeing what works. Remember that even if you get 10 or 50 or 100 views on something, that’s still a lot of people that you’ve captured their attention! Imagine that many people in a room listening/watching what you’re doing to help put it in perspective. Also, everything is content. So, record as much as you can because you never know if you’ll be able to include a clip of something to make a quick video!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @teembunchicago

Image Credits

All images are my own, Kristel To (Teembun Owner/Baker)