Baking Business with the BAKERY girls

I'm sure you've heard of BAKERY by now, a new business run by Jaime Derringer of Design Milk and Erin Loechner of Design for Mankind to help you, yep you, run your indie business better! I thought it'd be nice to learn a little more about what exactly it is they're cooking up over there, to help you decide if you need some business baking services of your own. So, let's meet the dynamic duo, shall we?

 

As two girls who are used to running their own show, what made you decide to go into business together?

Jaime: Great question! We both have independent spirits, but we work fabulously as a team because we both have different strengths. For example, Erin makes everything I say sound pretty.

Erin: Ha! You are crazy, Jaime. That's totally not true. It's funny--- Jaime's the professional one, and I'm the bubbly one. Our clients will meet us on the phone and will laugh at how different we are. Anyway, I'm rambling... It was totally Jaime's idea. She twittered me one day about a project she wanted to start [she has like a million and one projects!], and I was on board from the get-go. We both get so many emails a day asking us how we do what we do, so it seemed natural that we start offering our services to everyone!

How did you come up with the name BAKERY?

Jaime: We spent a lot of time thinking about the right name, but we kept coming back to BAKERY. We wanted a name that was descriptive, yet fun and creative. We're not your average internet marketing company, so we didn't want to scare people off by using a name like "So-and-So Consulting". It also reflects our personalities fairly well: we're both kind of silly.

Erin: AMEN! Plus, I like to wear an apron when I work...
Kidding. That's a lie.

What sort of services do you offer to independent businesses?

Jaime: We offer as much as they need, mainly on a consulting level. We perform website analyses, create media kits, business plans, and marketing plans, and we assist Etsy sellers promote their businesses.

Erin: See? She's the smart one!

So far, what would you say the majority of your clients seem to need help with the most?

Jaime: We have found marketing to be the biggest challenge our clients face. We have been creating lots of marketing and advertising plans.

Erin: So true. Marketing and promotions are HUGE right now, especially with the economy. People are becoming really choosy about what they spend their money on, which results in a tiny decrease in sales for the average Joe. [Get it-- Joe? Coffee? Bakery? Ha!]

Do you split responsibilities on a project? Or will a client be working with just one of you most likely?

Jaime: We like to connect with our clients together, so we usually start with a conference call. Once we both determine what the client needs, we divvy up the work based on our strengths. We always review each other's work.

Erin: I like to do the marketing/ad plans and creative stuff, and Jaime does the business/programming side of things, like designing a Wordpress blog or talking finances. She's brilliant!

{get more business tips from the BAKERY blog!}

Have you two ever met in person?

Jaime: NO! We're so sad. Someone send Erin to Philadelphia.

Erin: DITTO! We're hoping for a summer fling. :)

Do either of you like to bake goods? As in cookies?

Jaime: Heck, no. That's the irony of our name.

Erin: It's true. It's sort of sad, actually-- we'll be conference-calling with each other at like 8pm, and our husbands will knock on our office doors and peek in with a plate for dinner. Without our chef husbands, we'd be a very undernourished bakery.

What's one quick recipe for building your business that you can share as a tip to readers?

Jaime: Take risks. You will probably fail 5 times, out of 6, but it is that 6th try that makes it all worthwhile.

Erin: Hmm. I'd say to take in as much information as you can. Read, read, read. Collect all of the info that's out there. We're such a lucky generation to be able to feed off of so much information. It's really a wonderful thing. Once you've researched like a crazy lady [or gent], grab someone and bounce ideas off of them. Jaime's my "someone", and it's nice to be able to filter out the info I don't need with someone else who's going through the same stuff.

If you'd like these girls help you bake up some business of your own, head to thinkbakery.com. You can also get more business advice over on the BAKERY blog and visit their brand new BAKERY Etsy shop to pick up their guide to Etsy success.

Thanks for stopping by ladies!