Be The Bread Maker
One thing good that came out of this pandemic, is it created small businesses and business opportunities in abundance. People begin sewing, crafting, baking, counseling, consulting, building etc. Sure, there is enough bread to go around for everyone. But the question is are you really a bread maker, sewer, crafter, etc. or are you doing it because you see others doing it? Everyone can make that dough but is that really your passion? Is that really your talent? Are you cut out for the process?
Making bread is a process and cannot be rushed and neither can your business. Skipping any of the steps or looking for a fast track could leave you with some stiff unusable dough. First you must gather all the ingredients! If you want a simple loaf you gather basic ingredients (flour, water, yeast and salt). If you want bread that stands out it will require a little more creativity and work. Yes, you could easily get a recipe off the internet or even take a few ideas from a current bread company but what could you do to make the process yours? You could try unique ingredients, you could find ingredients that preserve your bread longer, offer different packaging etc. Your choices are limitless, but you must put in the work yourself to find the ingredients for your recipe. The next step is to mix all your ingredients together. During this process you learn which is the best method to mix all ingredients. Either by hand, mixer, spoon or electric mixer.
Kneading your dough is the next step in the bread making process. This process allows your bread or business to strengthen, so pull up your sleeves and begin the work! Just like any good and successful business, bread needs a strong foundation.
Next, is one of the most important steps and that is allowing your dough to rest! The longer the dough has to rest, the more flavorful it will be. Most bread makers (and entrepreneurs) get impatient during this time and look for short cuts. Based on the type of bread or business you are creating it is important to know your environment and temperature. Because temperature is so important most experienced bakers have a thermometer. For entrepreneurs they have a coach or mentor. Remember the thermometer, mentor or coach is a tool used to gauge your temperature and ensure things don’t get too heated. This helps you make necessary adjustments. Now it is time to rise to the occasion. Once your bread has risen you are ready to shape it and put into a greased pan for baking.
When your bread is finished baking it is time to enjoy your product. Of course, you will want to have bread tasters as part of your process. Bread tasters are those that give you feedback, encouragement and have no interested in competing with you. They are strictly bread connoisseurs that love the taste of bread. They are simply there to enjoy the taste and help you succeed. Trust me there are really true bread tasters out there.
During your bread making journey (entrepreneurship) it is okay to give a few nuggets of information to others in a similar industry, but be really careful of those crumb snatchers. Crumb snatchers are only there to get information from you and not give anything in return. They will ask you a few questions about your business and they fall off the face of the earth only to wait in the back to snatch up any other crumbs you leave.
Whether your business started out as an hobby or an interest ---it is what you make it. You have to do the work. You have to do the networking and you have to give back. So, go ahead, make that dough but remember your bread and foundation is what you make it. Be the Bread Maker!
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