It's all about perspective...

I looked back at old pictures from when I originally started the bakery two years ago and made a startling realization. It seems like I've been working on this bakery concept forever, but I haven't. I should probably back up and provide some context, though.

The MadBatter Bakery & Brews you see today is version 2. The first version only lived for about 3 months back in 2024 when I was in serious panic mode after being out of work for 6 months. I didn't really take it seriously. The brand and marketing were mostly just a creative outlet so I didn't lose my mind and the little bit of money I made at the farmer's market was better than nothing. I quit everything with the bakery as soon as I got a job and a couple of paychecks.

Fort Walton Beach Farmer's Market - June 2024

Reviving the bakery was not my first choice when I got laid off again last November. I did the whole panic apply for everything for about a month before getting tired of dealing with how shitty it is to look for jobs these days, and coming to the realization I seriously don't want another job in software development. Which was quite the gut punch. I love software development. The job itself, anyway. Not the politics and greedy corporate overlords that come with it. Once upon a time, I dreamed of climbing the corporate ladder. Now I'd like to burn it all down. Figuratively speaking, of course.

When I decided to revive the bakery, I wasn't happy about it. It reminded me too much of how bad things got before. How close I came to losing everything. It gave me the cold and clammies instead of the warm and fuzzies.

Then I got my mind right, started taking it seriously, and realized what a huge opportunity the bakery is. I get to do all the things I've wanted to do with a business without stupid executives getting in the way with their asinine ideas or bruised ego problems.

Which brings me to the original point of this story... I've only been serious about the bakery for a whopping 3 months. In that 3 months; I updated the whole brand identity, designed and built a custom website, refined and expanded the menu, figured out my long term goals, did a ton of marketing experiments, did a lot of social media experimenting, and tested out random street corners.

In the last month; I got my first online order which was a lady who had my fudge at a party and Googled the bakery to get more, got my first repeat customer, got my first shipping order, almost sold out my first Farmer's Market, and became the first cottage food bakery I'm aware of (at least in my area) to become a merchant on DoorDash.

None of that has translated into consistent sales yet, but I'm extremely proud of what I've managed to accomplish in such a short amount of time. ADHD for the win!? Now I just need to remember to keep things in perspective and continue siezing every opportunity I can. That doesn't alleviate the panic over dwindling funds, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the next two weeks go well.

Next weekend is the No Kings protest where I'll be handing out freebies to those of us on the right side of history. I have an amazing sign too. Pretty excited about it. Then the following weekend, I have my first festival! I feel like all I need is enough exposure to tip the scales of interest in my favor to hopefully start seeing more orders. 🤞

Fort Walton Beach Farmer's Market - March 2026