Imagining My Own Business | Introduction

I’m going to take you on a little journey in this post – which is mostly a self-therapy session and pep talk on what I might want to do once this school thing is over and Real Life: The Sequel begins, so enjoy and bear with me?

First, a little context. The final assignment for my Principles of Marketing course is to imagine myself as a business owner and marketer of said business. In a previous post, I mentioned a home baking business, so this should be easy, right? Well, before we dive into the next series of posts, I need to be honest about something.

With graduation on the horizon and the need for a solid game plan being part of my DNA, the lack of clarity is a bit terrifying. In fact, I was sitting in the stands at Husky Stadium a few weeks ago for the final home game of the season (sigh) and realized my post-graduation ‘new life’ should be in full swing when I return to those seats next September – and yet I have no idea what that life looks like. [insert panic gulp here]

Here’s my challenge. I love to make people happy by filling their bellies with baked goodness. I equally miss the problem solving, making miracles happen part of my former big city corporate life and feel I could bring value to local small businesses by helping with efficiency – whether it be through consulting on project management or print procurement, bookkeeping, or even designing marketing materials to help promote their business. Basically, I’m here to make your life easier (and opening the doors to various clientele vs. putting myself into a specific box, which could be a smart move business-wise). Oh – and I’d totally want to make snarky letterpressed cards since everyone loves a little snark and my vintage letterpress is just plain cool . . . but, let’s try to focus, shall we?

Coming from a creative background, I realize bookkeeping seems like it’s far out of left field. I agree with you, hence my hesitation. But, here’s why I think it’d be good for me (slash you). Raise your hand if you love spreadsheets and playing with numbers and the creativity of making sure the pretty little figures are in their pretty little places. A handful of you? Now . . . who does the happy dance (which is more of a chair wiggle) when you’ve cracked the case on a slew of numbers that refused to mesh with the bottom line . . . all in an intentionally colorful, uber organized, easy on the eyes format that’s worth framing? Oh, just me? (If you raised your hand, then I’m pretty sure we just became best friends. Or competition?) THAT is why I know I’d be good at bookkeeping. I could do it from home (or from anywhere), I could make someone else’s life easier by making their numbers line up and their books look lovely, and I could have immediate clientele thanks to my mother-in-law’s business in Seattle and my connection locally. But, here’s the thing. My heart isn’t in it. My heart is in sugary treats. So, for the sake of simplicity, following my heart, and washing away that look of confusion off your face, we’re going to stick with baking. For now.

Phew! I feel better now. Thanks for walking through that with me.

In the next series of posts, I’m going to share my journey in exploring the feasibility of a home baking business. What would I need to kick it off? Can I do it from home or do I need a commercial kitchen (which would boot me right back to the bookkeeping world). What would I need capital-wise? Who would my customer be and would they even be interested in a delicious cupcake? Who’s my competition and how can I differentiate myself? And, after all the research required to answer those questions, what would a bare bones marketing plan look like to ensure I get my name out there effectively?

I know I’ve written about some of this stuff already, but this could be for real life, so I’m excited to see where I land by the final post. So, grab some coffee, kick back somewhere cozy, and enjoy my little journey to figuring out what Nikki’s baking business might look like if I took that leap of faith.