Happy Birthday Little Bread Loaf! This year has gone super quick and we can’t believe it is Christmas, let alone one year in business!

What a whirlwind of a year, but we are so proud of everything we have achieved over the past year and super excited for what we have in store.

This time last year I walked into my bakery as the new owner. Over the past 12 months I have achieved a lot. I have given every ounce of energy and strength to building my little business.

My normal workday is 12 hours, on a busy weekend I will work 18 hours a day. I brought out my original business partner and onboarded a business mentor/advisor. I have employed a full-time baker and I wonderful team of casual staff.

My children work for me, my nieces work for me. My family see my business as an extension of our collective success.  They are right. I have a team wrapped around me which are exceptional.

To own a business you must be focused and non-compromising in your vision. You need to lead from the front and support your team from behind to enable everyone to shine. You need to call out behavior that doesn’t reflect your business values and make the hard calls.

Your children never see you unless they work for you. You forget to do the grocery shopping, to put out the rubbish, to eat, to put on make-up and make the bed. Everything you do is for the business. You don’t have a social life, you don’t have a private life, let alone a personal life. There is a price for everything you do.

If I knew then what I know now, would I still have brought Little Bread Loaf? Absolutely, as hard as everything is, it has been the biggest growth year of my life. I own a piece of the Aotearoa business economy; I am responsible for a well-functioning high performing team. I have carved out the pathway for my future.

Happy Birthday Little Bread Loaf!

With Loave, Lynda xx