Why Is It Called “Black Friday”? Black Friday Deals

Busy Day I have always wondered where the term “Black Friday” originated. It seems   like a sort  of morbid term for the beginning of the Christmas Season. Today, as I saw Black Friday posted everywhere, I decided to find out the answer to that question. So, I am going to share that info with you so you won’t have to go and research it.

There seems to be some debate, but for brevity purposes, basically in today’s world, it is the benchmark when most retailers can change their financial status from in the red to in the black. Yep, it is the day when the registers are filled with cash and they are rollin in the green.

Okay, I admit that maybe I should be out getting great deals on my Christmas gifts, but the fact is, that sounds like too much work.There you have it, the truth is out.

As a matter of fact, I am planning on cashing in on some great deals, but I am going to do that on Cyber Monday. Hey, it is cold outside, the cost of gas is up, and I can just turn on the Christmas toons, grab my cup of java, and cruise the net for all those great deals.

The best part is that I don’t have to lug all that stuff around, worry about my car getting broken into, fight crowds AND they deliver it to my door! Most places even throw in free delivery, it just doesn’t get much better than that.

Well, I want to make reading this worth while for you. I came across a great deal for anyone who is wanting to add content to their website. I know that you probably won’t put this on your Christmas list, but you can do your business a favor and get a great deal on great content that can make your work easier during this busy Christmas Season.

Here is a link with great prices on valuable  business building tools. After all, it is Black Friday, and getting your business in the black would be an awesome way to end the year, and get a great start on 2011! Here is the link, check it out and see what you think. https://www.doughraisingmom.com/helpusell

So, here is to Black Friday and making your business more profitable in the season that helps so many businesses achieve that goal. The link I provided helps my business be more profitable as well, so if you would rather, you can go to DIYplr.com

photo creCreative Commons Licensedit: Justin Marty

Recipe For Favorite Dinner Rolls

Family Favorite Recipe for Dinner Rolls

I want to take a break here and share my favorite recipe for dinner rolls. I only make these a few times a year, so when we have them, the kids are crowded around waiting to grab one hot out of the oven.

These are a crowd pleaser, and I often had requests from friends to make a batch and freeze them. That is one of the reasons this is a recipe that gets a gold star in my book. You can make them ahead of time, form the dough and freeze them unbaked.

That way all the work is done and you just have to let them rise, bake and butter them, and you are an instant celebrity, you your house smells almost heavenly.

Well, I have given enough of an advertisement on this particular roll, I wish I had planned ahead enough and I would have taught Judy how to make these rolls and we could have made a video, I am sure that would have been entertaining. So, here is the recipe, I hope you enjoy.

Click here to print

Have fun, your family will thank you. If you have questions feel free to contact me.

Build a Solid Foundation for Your Business

57_Olander_foundation 10-__-_10 (6)
Count the Costs and Build Wisely

Rather than jump into a huge expense to get your baking business off the ground, I would advise you test the water by dipping your toe in first. I have recommended that you start slowly and not go into huge debt to start your business, “been there, done that, got the t-shirt.”

If you love to bake and hope to make money doing that, there are ways to wade into the business before you begin to throw huge amounts of money into it. Believe me, brick & mortar stores, lease hold improvements, fancy build-outs, leases, commercial kitchens, etc are a big investment.

For many of us, our goal in wanting to start a baking business is to help our families finances, but borrowing money to do the things I just mentioned could greatly jeopardize the financial welfare of our families.

I know I am repeating myself, but I am passionate about helping others avoid the mistakes I made. Many of us have the illusion that if we open the doors of a business, bags of money instantly appear in our bank accounts.
In reality, making bad decisions will do just the opposite, we could see our assets drained.

Okay, I am talking to people who are regular everyday folks who simply want to build a little business that will fulfill their dreams. If you are striving  to be the next McDonalds, and you have the funding to do that, you obviously  don’t need my advice.

I have been thinking about a baby step that can serve as the first step in building a solid foundation. I know that you are anxious to start selling your products, but perhaps a way to start slowly would be to start a “sinking fund” (another name for a savings account). Even little businesses usually require some start up money, so it is a good idea to get some money trickling into an account whose sole purpose is to fund your business.

One way to do that would be to start a blog that talks about your expertise in baking or cooking. You know a lot, sharing some of that knowledge with others could be a way to start funding your dream business.

Blogging is easy and fun. You don’t have to know all sorts of technology to be able to create a successful blog. There are very user friendly ways to get started doing that today, and they can be low cost or even free.

If you are reading this blog, you can see how easy it is. You simply write about what you are passionate about or just enjoy doing. All of us have plenty of experience that we can share with others. Don’t be shy about sharing.

Take a look, we are talking about baking here. If you are reading this, you are interested in baking or cooking, and are considering the possibilities of starting a business doing that. That is the content for your blog.

You love to bake/cook. There are great stories you can tell about your triumphs as well as disasters you have had with cooking. We all have those, and people interested in cooking/baking will enjoy reading about those. There is a lot of interest in baking/cooking these days. If you doubt that, take a look at the number of cooking shows you can watch each and every day.

You may agree with all of that, but still be intimidated by the thought of starting a foodie blog. I found a resource that offers great tips on how to not only start a foodie blog, but also make money with it. It not only gives valuable information about a starting a foodie blog, it give good information about blogging in general, and how to start finding good traffic for your blog.

Here is a link to an ebook that will tell you:

  • how a blog can make you money
  • how to set it up and design it using free tools
  • how to generate traffic to your blog
  • what content you can include in your blog
  • and a lot more……

There is a small investment, just $14.95 and you will have the information you need to start blogging. Once you start, you won’t want to stop! The ebook is called “How to Start A Recipe Blog for Fun & Profit”. You can get it by clicking here:

https://www.doughraisingmom.com/foodblog“>

Once you purchase that ebook, it will give you an immediate download, so you can get busy. It will take awhile to get good consistent traffic, but it is so  important to post often so the search engines visit your site often. If you can post something everyday, you will begin to see results much faster.

If you have questions, please contact me and I will try and help. You have your work cut out for you, enjoy. I want to be honest with you & let you know that the link I provided is an affiliate link that will be a blessing to my family. If you prefer, you can go to Just Add Sweat.com.
Creative Commons License photo credit: wfeiden

What is Your Specialty-Define Your Niche

cheesecake con salsa de blueberries
The most logical place to start is with your favorite recipe.You need to establish yourself as the expert in one thing to start. You can surely expand your repertoire as you grow.It is better to be known for making the best pies, banana breads, cheesecakes, etc, you name your one thing.

For the sake of simplicity, let’s pretend that your favorite thing to make is pie. Every time you are taking food to a place where other people are going to have the chance to taste what you make, take pie, at least at first. That way you will begin to become known for your awesome pie!

Let it be known that you love to make pie, and that it is no imposition to make it for any occasion. If you are going to a meeting, take your pie. If there is a dinner at your church, you guessed it, take pie.

Soon everyone will know you for your pie, and you may even become the “pie lady”. Once that reputation begins to take hold, you probably will have others begin to ask you to make pie for them.

That is the beginning. Once you have made a pie for someone else, the word begins to spread. You are at the beginning of building a loyal following, and that is an important part of the foundation of a good business.

So, if you are a pie lady, or a cake lady, or a barbeque guy, your oven is waiting. Get busy and start building your reputation. This is what is called defining your niche. It is a critical foundational piece in building a solid business. It is what makes you the expert instead of a “Jack of all trades.”

We are talking about building the foundation, and the food is only one part of a successful business. So stay tuned for next time as I will tell you about more of this foundation building.

Creative Commons License photo credit: medea_material


Do You REALLY Like to Bake?

Is it Done Yet?

Do your family and friends walk into your house and just gravitate to the kitchen? Does the aroma of your favorite recipe lure them toward the oven in eager anticipation of the moment you take your creation  out of the oven?

If you answered yes, than I would guess that you would answer the question about liking to bake with a resounding yes.  I am asking you that because baking for a business is really hard work. It requires long hours on your feet, very early hours, heavy lifting, you know what I mean.

When I had my catering company, I was often jumping out of bed at 2:00 in the morning to start baking the bread and breakfast items. During the busy holiday season, it was not unusual for me to get four hours or less of sleep a day.

The point I am making here, is that if you don’t have a great love of baking, you may soon grow to hate your business. If you love baking, but that scenario is not for you, perhaps you need to tweak your idea for a baking business to fit your desires. It goes along with determining if this particular bushiness is a good fit for you and the life you want to live.

When I started my home based catering company, I loved walking out into my kitchen. I still do, and I still enjoy baking as much now as when I started, probably more.

For the most part, I enjoyed the early hours. I got so much work done before most people even started their day. I totally enjoyed having my kids pop into the kitchen in the morning to see if I had made extra for them. (They were the self appointed product testers.)

I was energized by the fact that we could make breakfast for 75 people, and have it delivered in time for their 7:00 am meeting. It was fun to race the clock to get a big lunch delivered before 10:45am.

As we gained more experience, we constantly increased our capacity to get things done,  & work more efficiently. It was awesome to accept the challenges and figure out how to overcome them. We developed shortcuts to make the work go faster. Then we would  access if we wanted to incorporate those shortcuts into our system.

I could go on, but I will wrap this up by answering my own question. I REALLY do like to bake, and if you do too, I will l continue to try and help you figure out the best way for you to build your business around that love.

Please feel free to ask questions or leave comments. I will do my best to answer, and I hope that others will join the conversation as well.

Changing the World-One Cinnamon Roll at a Time!

Arrogant Claim-You Decide.

You may have read the title of this blog today and thought that I might be a little out of touch with reality. Changing the world through cinnamon rolls may seem to be an exaggeration.

If you watched the video from my first class, I hope you were able to detect the enthusiasm in their voices. Sure, they were excited with the fact that they had just made over 100 pans of cinnamon rolls in just a day.

What you may not know is that they have already been working with a school group that is raising money to do a mission trip to Guatemala next summer. They will  build stoves in people’s homes, to greatly improve the quality of their lives.

They are also in the process of helping a church raise needed funds. The best part is they have only been working on this business for less than three weeks. I get so excited to imagine how much their efforts will impact the world down the road.

It inspires me to expand the effort, to train more stay at home moms who want to work part time, generate money for their family, and make an impact on the world around them. If this sounds interesting to you, please contact me via Google voice, sign up for my newsletter,or simply leave a comment to this blog.

I Can Teach You to Make Money Baking!

asdkfjtI want to share my report card with you.

Well, remember when you were a kid. When it came time for the report cards to be issued, you either felt fairly confident, or perhaps a little nervous.

As I developed my program to teach moms to make money helping non profits with fund raising, I have had frustrations with my lack of technology knowledge, but the thought of teaching others to bake has excited me.

Well, I have to be honest, I was nervous as I prepared all the written materials, but teaching the actual class was awesome. I loved working with these amazing women, and so I want to share this with you.

First Class

Many Thanks


I am so blessed and honored to be able to work with them. If you share the dream of making money baking, I would love to talk to you.

Will Your Dream Business be a Good Fit for Your Family?

What Do I Mean by a Good Fit?

Well, when considering a good fit, you have to take an honest look at your life and what you want to get out of it. It means choosing a business that fits not only you and your special gifts and talents, but one that fits you all the way around! It also falls in line with your priorities.

If you are choosing a good fit, it won’t rob your family of the time they desperately need and wantto spend with you. Sure, most business owners do spend more time working on their business than employees do. That is understandable, your business is your baby.

The thing is, you have to be careful not to confuse your babies. Just as a parent must work on spending equal amounts of their time individually with each child, this new kid on the block, (your business) can’t be allowed to consume inordinate amounts of your time.

That is why, as you take an honest look at your business idea or dream, you need to accurately consider the amount of time you will need to invest. If you neglect that important aspect, your family may soon grow to resent your business, and trust me, you don’t want that to happen.

In my experience, in the beginning of a business life, you have to nurture it, spend countless hours developing it and doing what it takes to make it grow. It is so easy out of desperation to jump at anyone who waves a dollar bill in your face. It happens to most business owner in the early stages of a business.

That is where it is important to take the time to develop a strategic plan for your business. What do you really want your business to be when it grow up. More importantly, what will your life be like when it grows? By that I want you to include all aspects of your life, and certainly how it will affect your family.

You see, business is a strange animal. In the beginning, it is like pushing a huge ball up hill. At a certain point, you reach the pinnacle point, and then it begins to roll down hill and pick up speed, and you are chasing it. It is then that it can take control of you instead of the other way around.

You are right, I am speaking from experience. In the beginning of my business, I had only planned to provide corporate breakfast, that was my chosen niche because it fit my family needs. I started out on the right path, but reached the pinnacle point, and things got out of whack.

One of my customers asked if I would possibly consider providing lunch for them. I stood my ground at first and said I only did breakfast. They begged, flattered, and promised never to tell anyone that I was providing lunch for them. Long story made short, I caved, they blabbed, other customers got wind of my new lunch offerings and the business took a new directions I had never intended.

I have to confess, that was the beginning of a long road. I kept taking turns that were not on the original road map I had planned, and over time, the business I had dreamed about, was not a good fit for my family, or me.

In closing, to be sure, as any business grows, opportunities appear that you did not imagine. I am not saying you should walk away from those. What I am saying is that you need to evaluate each opportunity to see if it aligns well with you and your dream. Stay focused on your goal.

We Started a Home Bakery

I have a licensed commercial kitchen that we added to our home. I can’t tell you what an absolute blessing it has been. I am often asked just how we did that. For ten years I ran my home based catering company from home, and did it legally.

I wanted to stay at home with my kids, and investigated all sorts of ways to help generate income. One of the things I was pretty good at, was baking, and many friends suggested I start a business selling some of the great homemade baked goods I made regularly. After investigating the possibilities, I decided to give it a try.

I started my business working out of our churches kitchen. It was a true gift, however, proved to be a lot of work since I had to work in the middle of the night, clean the kitchen and be out by 7:00am in order to get the deliveries made for the corporate breakfast meetings that I baked for. I used that kitchen for about nine months, and then decided I needed my own space.

Okay, this is a long story!

Let’s face it, the story spans ten years, so it will take awhile to tell the whole story. I have decided to break it into bite size pieces, I will include a “To Do” list for you if this sounds like something that fits your dream. Rome was not built in a day, and neither are most successful businesses.

I am an impatient person, you may be too. I can’t stress enough that a fatal mistake too many small business owners make, is lack of complete planning.

I know you may need to start making money now, most of us do. You might not like what I am going to tell you, but realistically, if you are at the very beginning, you could be 2-3 years away from running a profitable business. Please don’t get discouraged right off the bat, if I can do it, chances are really good you can too!

Well, I don’t want to overwhelm you here, so I will end on this note. If you have not read a book in awhile, today is the first day of the rest of you life. The library, bookstores, Amazon, the internet, podcasts, online classes, audio books are about to become a BIG part of your life from now on.

The first thing on my suggested “TO DO” list is to go to the library and checkout “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. It is available on audio, you can listen while you work, drive, walk etc. If you would like to add this book to your personal library, below is a link to Amazon. I must tell you that using this link is a blessing to my family because it is an affiliate link, however there is no additional charge for you. If you prefer, you can simply go to Amazon and search for it by name.

I know that you probably are thinking, what does that have to do with baking.You are right, I don’t think he was known for his baking skills. He does however, provide a critical foundational piece to the success of any business, it is his recipe for success, in business and in life. Enjoy, I’ll talk to you soon.

Please leave a comment or question, I would love to get some great dialog going here as you embark on the path to your specialty baking , and hopefully starting your home bakery business. We can all help each other.

Market Research Really is Your Friend

I would like to tell you a true story.

I had been working with a woman’s business center. One day the director asked me if I would talk to a customer of hers in another state. I told her I would be happy to offer her any help I could.

The next day, the woman called me and we had a long conversation. Basically, she was considering opening a store selling her baked goods, because all her friends were encouraging her to start a retail business. She was convinced that since everyone LOVED her baking, she could open a shop and the customers would simply flock through the doors.

Boy, I have to tell you, she reminded me of me. I had heard the same thing from friends I had. When I started asking my friends opinion about opening the coffee shop, encouragement was coming in from every direction.

I asked her who her target market was, and her answer was “Everyone”. She had never heard of anyone who did not like what she baked. I cringed at her answer, but I totally could identify with it as well. I felt like I was hearing a recording of conversations I may have had years earlier.

I thoughtI had done my market research. In my mind, coffee shops had a great profit margin, and it was a no brain er that “Everyone” loved what I baked. I went to the library, took a look at the business section. There were tons of articles about how coffee shops raked in huge profits.

In addition to that, many friends and acquaintances assured me that “If you build it, they will come.” How could I possibly go wrong? I took the numbers about coffee shops to my class advisers, they took a brief look at it, nodded, and said it looked promising. That was it, market research – done.

The reality of the matter is, most often, people don’t go out of their way to do business with you. They may truly love what you do, however, the majority of us are busy, and even though people may love what you bake, if it takes much time to do business with you, they quite likely won’t.

The problem, is that to be convenient, you have to be in the right spot. We have all heard it, in real estate all that matters is location, location, location. The problem with that reality, is that location usually means big bucks.

If you are just starting out, unless you are independently wealthy, investing big bucks is a huge risk. My point here is that it is prudent to really have more than a hope and a prayer that your business will flourish. Please keep in mind that all those friends who are offering encouragement will not be putting their names on the dotted line, you will.

I guess you think that I am raining on your parade. Believe me, I am all about encouragement, as I have said earlier, if I can do it, just about anyone can. My point here is to follow the steps that help you avoid the pitfalls, and yes, signing a contact that will cost a small fortune is a big pitfall!

From my experience, I would want to advise you to truly take the time to identify your niche market. Being the best at something, is way better than trying to be all things to all people. That just makes you mediocre, and that is not the path to a successful business.

So……the “To Do” this time around is to realistically start your market research. The good news is that you probably don’t have to go to the library and start by looking us SIC codes, you can simply start by searching Google for keywords and the numbers associated with them. For example, if you are wanting to sell pound cake, using your Grandma’s favorite recipe, take a look at the interest in homemade pound cake.

There are a number of research tools you can use for that, Google “keyword research tools”. There are some free ones there and they will give you at least a good place to start.

If you have not yet signed up for my newsletter and top ten favorite ideas to make money baking, I would love you to do that now. In my newsletter, I will go into more details about starting and running your business. Please leave you comments and questions so we can get to
know one another.

There are ways to get around the problem of location, and in the future, I will talk more about that. After making an almost fatal mistake, I was able to regroup, work like crazy to clean up the financial mess I had made, and live to sell another day, another way.