Episode 19: It Takes a Village to Raise a Successful Business from a Side Hustle with Rachel Martindale from Milk and Honey

Can you imagine being bred to be an engineer, but decide to be an entrepreneur by opening a pop-up shop because baking cakes brings you joy?

Today’s guest is Rachel Martindale, founder of Milk and Honey. It’s a custom bakery based out of Ann Arbor. Besides making delicious treats and cakes, a portion of profits are donated to the Ozone House, which supports homeless youth in the community.

Episode Highlights:

2:05 Education and Employment: Bred to be an engineer, but decided to open a bakery.
4:04 Joy of Baking: Do what you love, and quit your day job.
4:40 Word of Mouth: Milk and Honey started and spread by baking creative cakes.
6:14 Food Science: Make savory foods and understand the science behind recipes.
8:16 Story Behind Name: Milk and Honey evokes comfort, joy, and celebration.
12:05 Purpose-driven Pop-Ups: Why, how, and which local nonprofits to support?
15:59 Networking Tips: Reach out, connect with, and ask other businesses to partner up.
20:22 Side Hustle: What you do in the evenings after getting home from your day job.
21:52 Full-time Switch: Can’t sustain always working without enough sleep or time off.
23:09 Life/Work Balance: Make time to spend together, but stay busy.
29:55 Pop-up vs. Storefront: Why choose one over the other? Space and money.
34:00 Pop-up Pro Tips: Food entrepreneurs, it’s a great low-risk opportunity to do.
35:29 Company Culture: Seek supportive boss for flexible schedule and freedom.
39:58 Milk and Honey: Metrics/milestones focused on breaking even, don’t lose money.
43:16 Definition of Success: Do what you love and do it well.
44:45 Perfectionist Tendencies: Be proud of yourself and accept positive feedback.
46:53 Moments of Doubt: Nothing to fall back on financially by switching to full-time.
49:22 Failures: Learn how to interact with people/customers and communicate clearly.
53:05 Easy and Hard Parts: Marketing is easier than expected, but the administrative backend of running a business is tougher.