We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tara Coley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tara below.

Alright, Tara thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

My friends had always pushed me to start my own business and one day my friend who owns her own business reached out to me and was inquiring if i could do a pop up in front of her store! I was nervous but also excited. What should I make? Will people even show up? These were the thoughts flooding my head but fortunately i pushed through and persevered. At the time my friend had been promoting the pop on her business page to gain customers! The day of the pop up, my first ever customer had said “omg i saw your stuff online and my pregnant wife made me get up and be the first in line!!” Happiness was truly an understatement for how I felt in that moment, I finally felt that I was following my own path and that was the first time I sold out of pastries as well! All in all it was a great experience

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?

Howdy Yall! My name is Tara and I am the owner/baker of BE Bakery which stands for bright & early bakery. I am located in the RTP Area of North Carolina. The name of my business comes from the fact that I am always awake before 3am pumping out amazing vegan pastries.
I specialize in vegan artisanal pastries that are french and italian influenced. Throughout my career I have worked in fine dining restaurants and bakeries to hone my skills! I went to pastry school at 19 and have always had an interest in baking.
I came to north carolina after researching best places to start a business and have never looked back.
I started my business to showcase that vegan pastries can be delicious and that people with allergies are able to enjoy the same things they ate as a child! Everyone deserves to eat desserts that brings them back to a place of comfort and I hope that my business does that for future and current customers.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

As of right now I fund my business 100%. In the beginning that is usually the case for small business and its just a reminder that everyone has to start somewhere! In the future I am looking into grants and possibly start a crowdfunding from the community to continue to support a business that they love

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

My most effective strategy is word of mouth!! and flyers. When I say that sometimes less is more people are going to trust a friend who tells them that they had gotten a delicious pastry versus possibly seeing it on instagram. Yes the eyes eat first but customers who tell others about your business are the ones who help your clientele grow organically. I also started a newsletter that has helped my business with customers always being in the loop and getting first hand information about what is on my menu and things to look out for!

Contact Info:

• Website: thebebakery.com
• Instagram: bebakery.llc