From Home Kitchen to Pie Shop in Under 2 Years with Diana Shockley

The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food Businesses

Have you ever dreamed of opening a brick and mortar bakery someday?

So did Diana, the owner of I Love Pie in Carmichael, CA. But she never thought her dream would come true so soon!

After selling at the farmers market for a year and a half, her pie business grew so much that she expanded into her own commercial kitchen and storefront. And now, just 6 months later, she is planning to open a second location!

On paper, it looked like a recipe for failure: selling a common food item (regular fruit pies) in a highly competitive and health-conscious market, all while juggling a full-time job.

So how did she do it? Why was she so successful? Ultimately, you will see that it wasn’t the product or the market, but rather, Diana herself, that made all the difference.

What You’ll Learn

• How to transition from a full-time job to a full-time pie business
• What it means to be obsessed with pie, including pie-themed parties and pie hats
• Why small pies sold better at the farmers market
• Why you need consistency and dependability to stand out
• How to have an extreme level of commitment and dedication for customers
• How to turn a dining room into a mini commercial kitchen
• How Diana used a Kickstarter campaign to fund her pie shop
• What launching a brick and mortar bakery looks like on Day #1
• Hiring employees, building a team, and managing it
• How to get bridesmaids involved in your cottage food business when you’re the maid of honor!

Resources

I Love Pie Bakeshop

Diana’s Kickstarter Campaign

Flux, by Peggy Orenstein

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/4