Alright, so I got this itch, you know? Decided I was going to sell some biscuits. Sounds simple, right? Bake ’em, sell ’em, count the cash. Ha! If only it were that straightforward. Let me walk you through how it really went down, from start to finish, because man, it was a ride.
Getting the Ball Rolling
First off, I didn’t just wake up and start selling any old biscuit. No, sir. I spent a good chunk of time, probably too much time, messing around in the kitchen. My mission: the perfect biscuit. I tried a dozen recipes, tweaked ’em, messed with different flours, sugars, you name it. My family, they were my guinea pigs. Pretty sure they got sick of biscuits for a while there. But eventually, I landed on a couple of recipes that were real winners. At least, I thought so.
Then came the not-so-fun part. Sourcing ingredients. You want good biscuits, you need good stuff. And good stuff costs money. I remember staring at the price of quality butter and chocolate chips and thinking, “Okay, this is getting serious.” Had to really dig into spreadsheets, calculate costs per biscuit down to the penny. That was a headache, plain and simple. Not my favorite part, but super necessary if you don’t want to lose your shirt.
Into the Thick of It
So, recipes locked down, costs sort of figured out. Time to actually make the things in bulk. My little kitchen? It became a full-blown biscuit factory. I’m talking early mornings, late nights, flour everywhere. I was dreaming of dough, I swear. It’s one thing to bake a dozen for fun, another to churn out hundreds. My back was killing me, my hands were raw. But, gotta do what you gotta do.
And packaging! Oh boy, don’t get me started on packaging. Couldn’t just chuck them in a plastic bag, could I? Wanted them to look nice, something people would actually want to buy. So, I researched bags, boxes, labels. Spent hours designing a simple sticker. It’s all these little things that eat up your time and money.
For selling, I decided to brave the local farmers market. Seemed like a good starting point. First day, setting up that little table, arranging the biscuits just so. Felt a bit silly, to be honest. But then people started stopping by. That was a buzz, I tell you.
The Ups, The Downs, and The Weird Bits
Selling biscuits is a rollercoaster, let me tell you.
- Some days were amazing. Sold out in a couple of hours. Felt like a genius. People saying how much they loved them – best feeling ever.
- Then there were the bad days. Stood there for hours, hardly sold a thing. Maybe the weather was bad, maybe there was another biscuit stall, who knows? It’s tough not to take it personally.
- And customers. Most were lovely, absolutely great. But you get the odd ones. The hagglers, the ones who critique your biscuit like it’s a Michelin star dish. You learn to smile, nod, and develop a thick skin, fast.
Pro tip: Always have change. Lots of it. And a smile, even when you don’t feel like it.
So, What Did I Actually Learn?
Looking back, it was quite the education. More than just baking, that’s for sure.
Here’s the real takeaway, if you’re ever thinking of doing something similar:
Making a good product? That’s just the entry fee. The real work is everything else. The planning, the marketing (even if it’s just a market stall), the selling, dealing with the money. It’s a proper little business, even if it’s just biscuits.
I learned a lot about perseverance. There were days I wanted to pack it all in, especially when a whole batch burned, or sales were dead. But you push through. You also learn to be organized. You have to be, otherwise, it’s chaos.
And honestly, you learn what you’re good at, and what you’re not. I’m pretty decent at the baking. The constant smiling and selling? Took some getting used to.
Would I do it all over again? Hmm, that’s a tough one. Maybe. But I’d definitely plan a few things differently, especially around managing my time and energy. It’s a lot more work than it looks from the outside. But hey, no regrets. Got some good stories out of it, and I can make a mean biscuit now. That’s something, right?
