Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rebekah Teo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Rebekah , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.
In our business, we pride ourselves on meeting customers’ individual needs and going above and beyond in delivering a truly valuable, meaningful product. More often than not, the orders our customers place revolve around a particular celebration, be it a birthday, a wedding or a holiday gathering. We get to offer incredible baked goods that help to make that celebration extra special! Some of our customers have very specific dietary restrictions and will place a special request. For one such customer, they inquired about a dairy-free Oreo cake for their mother’s birthday, and we were able to make something better than they could’ve imagined! Their review was that the cake was the best they’ve ever had, and you couldn’t even tell it was lacking any dairy components. They were very grateful, and were happy they invested in the quality product as well as the delivery fee, since they were 40 miles away.
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?
I began this company as a stay-at-home-mom, looking to make some extra income for my family. In the early days, I started out baking sourdough bread and slowly branched out into all sorts of different areas of expertise. Completely self-taught, I have grown to acquire both a passion for baking as well as an arsenal of technique, knowledge and skill, and have married the practical know-how to my own innate creative voice. In January of 2022, my husband jumped on board to take a burgeoning little cottage-food enterprise into a far-reaching business that boasts a variety of arms of service, including wholesale, direct retail, catering and vendor markets. Acting as CEO, CFO, Operations, etc,, Thomas has elevated our marketing and branding, built a deep-rooted community of customers, partners, wholesalers, etc., and in general, has vastly increased our reach.
We get the immense pleasure of being a part of our customers most special occasions in the form of flour and sugar, flavor and texture, color and theme. We create one-of-a-kind showstoppers like wedding and birthday cakes, as well as a wide variety of individual treats like lemon bars, chocolate chip cookies, muffins and shortbread bars. We also provide fresh-baked bread like sourdough, brioche and babka.
In a world of mass-produced and impersonal retail options, we stand out as the personal touch, customizable, community-driven option many people are looking for. Without a store-front, we are able to keep our prices relatively low for our industry standard, which is a blessing in this economic climate.
Our heart is for our local community, bringing people together in the love of Christ, serving people right where they’re at, all while providing delicious baked goods!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
In any business, communication is absolutely essential to take it from surviving to thriving. I have never been very good at communicating what’s going on inside my head and heart to others for a variety of reasons and in addition, I have always resisted “team” assignments, working with a partner to accomplish tasks. Tending to be a lone-wolf, my resistance is rooted in a need to control as a means to feel secure. So in growing this business, as I communicate with my husband on all the inner workings, the scheduling, the finances and general operations, I have had to unlearn my habits of keeping a tight grasp on the way I want to do things as well as my poor communication skills and instead, learn to let go, depend on others, and develop my abilities to communicate, delegate, manage, etc.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
The major elements of building a strong reputation in any industry are communication, consistency, a joyful attitude, a desire to grow, and an openness to criticism. We make sure our customers are satisfied and try to rectify every situation in which they are not. We ensure we are producing the same quality product each and every time we make it. We like to be on time for our deliveries and pickups, as well as offer flexibility and understanding for when things come up for our customers, In the end, we are building relationships, built on respect, kindness and accountability.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.bethlehembakingco.com
- Instagram: @bethlehembakingco
- Facebook: @bethlehembakingco
- Other: Gab: https://gab.com/business/630