We were lucky to catch up with Sarah Hanners recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sarah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?

My mom has been the biggest influence to start my own business. When my siblings and I were growing up, she always had some kind of business she was working on. I remember seeing her making phone calls to clients, fulfilling orders, and hustling to find more clients. She had amazing boundaries too, when it was time to work; she worked. When it was time for family; she spent quality time with us. I remember thinking she was a super woman. I couldn’t figure out how she juggled taking care of all of us, having her own business, landing these big contracts AND being present whenever we needed her.

She taught me to never give up on your dreams and goals and to always keep pushing forward. That’s one thing I lean on when I feel any doubt start to creep in.

Even now, she continues motivating me to keep going, finding more customers and more opportunities. If I’m stuck or curious about trying something new, I’ll call and ask her about it and see what she thinks.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Sarah Hanners and I am the owner and baker of Nibbler’s Bakery, Specialty Dog Treats. I make my treats by hand, to order. They’re free of gluten, dairy, soy and preservatives.

My business came about through my own food allergy experience. About three years ago, I developed an allergy to gluten. It was so devastating because I’m an avid baker and lover of all things wheat. I had to retrain my brain to understand what “normal” looks like; not just to what I’m consuming but to what gluten free batter looks and feels like. While going through this journey of having to pick apart food labels to make sure there wasn’t any gluten lurking around, I realized how many “ingredients” there are in dog food. I looked at their treats and it was the same thing.
I decided it wasn’t fair for me to be so careful with myself and my family and ignore my furbabies. So I started making treats for them. I told some friends and family about them and gave them some treats to try out with their dogs and they were a hit! At that point I decided to go all in and start a small business.
As of now, I am a vendor at fairs and events and sell online through social media and my website. I am also working to get my treats into local grocery and pet food stores. The dream would to have a brick and mortar barkery with not only dog treats, but specialty pup cakes for birthdays and Gotcha days.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I went all in to start my business with $200. That included my ingredients, packaging and display items for my booth. Money was tight but I was determined to make it work, so I looked for the best deals for what I needed (and some of what I thought I needed). I started with bare bones and as I brought in money, I was able to build from there. My business is under a year old and I’m so proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish with what I started with.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I’m still building my following on social media and I think that’s something that will always be a focus. I started my pages and like most people I’ve spoken to, you connect with your friends and family. From there I didn’t know what to do, I don’t have an active personal presence on social media. I don’t have tik tok, Snapchat or anything like that so this was like learning a new language. One of my best friends started following my business page on Instagram and would give me advice as she noticed things. I’d get random messages during the day “hey I saw your post- looks great! Try adding some hashtags so more people can find you!” Or “Don’t respond to those comments about sending your post to a certain page. It’s not a real person.” After following her advice for a little bit I could see more followers building up. Creating stories and videos have helped a lot too. Plus, they’re a lot of fun to make! There’s so many sound bites and music clips to use, the options are endless.
My advice to anyone trying to start a social media presence is to try different things like hashtags, follow other like minded people or businesses in your field. Cultivate those relationships and they may turn into clients/ customers one day. Also, ask your friends on what they did to gain their followers! Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.NibblersBakery.com
• Instagram: nibblers_bakery
• Facebook: Facebook.com/nibblersbakery

Image Credits
All photos taken by me; except for the one I’m in. That was taken by the woman running the St. George Greek and Mediterranean Fair.