Tell us the story of your business. How did you come up with the idea?
I learned to bake at an early age from my mother. Some of my earliest memories are of sitting on the sink drainer watching my mother bake. I had free reign of her numerous cookbooks and she was unfailingly positive - even in times of failure.
It was when my partner presented me with a KitchenAid that I really launched into baking. After adopting our children, I took a year off work and start to bake… And bake… And bake! I chose the name “Mr. Mom’s” to acknowledge the American style of my cupcakes I work with and my (then) role as a stay-at-home dad.
What was your motivation for starting your own business?
Global domination! *cue maniacal laughter* okay, I’m just kidding…
Cupcakes are very much seen as a “girly” side of baking [and] I want to even the playing field a bit. Let’s face it - real men eat cupcakes too! I’d like show that it’s not about whether it’s a male/female thing - it’s just all about the cake. And good cake at that.
It’s a pet hate of mine to have a really interesting sounding cupcake and take a bite, only to realise it’s a mundane tasting sponge, frosted in cloying buttercream and bedazzled in sugar-paste decorations. As well as sounding interesting, I genuinely believe a cupcake should be interesting to your taste-buds too. I love pushing flavour boundaries - pretzels & beer; hot buttered rum; dark chocolate & wasabi.
I [also] just want to do something that I love. I love baking, and making people happy, and who doesn’t want to wake up every day doing something they love? The smile on someone’s face as they’re tucking into something you’ve made is quite a rush - nobody leaves my table hungry!
I’d be kidding if I also didn’t say that I’d like Mr. Mom’s be profitable enough so as I could step back and quit my office job and still be able to provide for my family.
What's the most exciting thing about being an entrepreneur?
Being able to stand back and think “I did that”. From initial sketch to final crumb that feeling of creating something that can bring even a few minutes of pleasure to people is quite something. Don’t get me wrong - there are risks and bad judgments to be made but I think these are all part and parcel of owning something. Without the bad things you don’t really get the true value of the good things, do you?
What challenges have you come across?
Looking to make that “break” into the marketplace can be quite disheartening at times. Having little or no response to your efforts can sometimes leave you wondering “Is what I’m doing really good enough?”.
The question that always crops up is “Where do I start?”. For me it was a question of do I go set up at markets? Do I go to local cafes and restaurants, or larger retail names? The work of building up a name and getting that name out there is, let’s be honest, is more draining than the actual act of baking itself! And sometimes your progress at times can feel REALLY slow.
The side that sometimes can get overlooked is the effect on your relationship if you’re in one. There have been long hours, late nights, and mad dashes between school runs and my day job for sample drops. All of these added to the stress of possible rejection has sometimes made me not the easiest of people to be around. My husband jokingly now refers to himself as a “cupcake widower”.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting their own business?
Believe in what you do. There will be times when you question what the hell you’re doing and if it’s worth it all- and that’s only natural. But if you have belief and faith in what your business and product then you’ll weather it through. In the words of Julia Child, “Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.”
On a less philosophical note, make use of social media - you have no excuse in this day and age! If you have a foodie product I’d [also] suggest making use of Instagram. I once heard it referred to as “Twitter for people who can’t read” but in my opinion it really is a case of “A picture paints a thousand words”. As appealing as a “Peanut Caramel” cupcake sounds, if you were to see it you’d want to order a dozen! Remember - you eat with your eyes too.
What kind of business support do you want to receive or wished you had received?
A direct link to interested parties would be fantastic. I’ve followed up quite a few sample drops only to be told, “We do our baking in-house”. “Well why did you take the samples then?”, is my first thought. So much time and effort could be saved if there was a pool of interested parties involved, looking for a definitive end product.
[With branding,] I came up with a lot of the concept sketches and ideas myself and I was very lucky that through my husband, I had access to a someone who could work these sketches into a more polished end piece. However some people aren’t in such a position either by means or inclination so accessible and affordable support agencies would also be a support avenue worth investigating.
What do you think about our big ideas and what we are trying to achieve?
I think it’s an excellent idea. There’s a real buzz about interesting good quality food and the internet and social media has meant that people are lot more savvy about what’s out there. However as a start-up/ emerging business it’s often quite hard to get word of it further than your current audience and to make it available to them.
KTP’s aim of acting as that connection point on the map is a really fantastic approach to me so far. I’m very much looking forward to hearing more.
We love what Mr Mom's story- it's just a bonus that his cupcakes taste so amazing, too! If we've got you craving some of his amazing cupcakes, or just fancy finding out some more about what he's all about, then head over to his website here, or find him tweeting away here.
Are you an Amazing Artisan with a great story to tell? We'd love to hear from you- drop us a Tweet @KitchTablePro with the hashtag #AmazingArtisan, or send us a message to hello@kitchentableprojects.com
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