Meet Dawn Vaflor

We recently connected with Dawn Vaflor and have shared our conversation below.

Dawn, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
As a college graduate from Ohio State University with a Zoology degree in 1991, I was developing my purpose in my career field, and that would be to help educate the public on Animal Conservation, but ended up in research instead. While this was fulfilling at the time, it wasn’t like I was incredibly passionate about it, except that I was helping scientists develop medications to help people with illnesse and disease management- all very worthwhile and noteworthy work.

In the year that I was working in a pharmaceutical lab, I became ill as a result of severe endometriosis and had to undergo surgery and treatment that eventually resulted in an immune dysfunction syndrome that changed my quality of life for many years. In those years, I developed food allergies, drug allergies/sensitivities, environmental allergies, Epstein Barr Virus, Post Orthostatic Hypotension, vertigo, to name a few complications, which made it very difficult to have any normal kind of life. They were hard years, but my strong faith in God kept me hopeful that I wouldn’t be ill forever. I researched treatments, traveled many cities in pursuit of those treatments, spent a lot of money to feel better- some of which worked for a while, but the costs of treatments were too much to keep up with for the long term.

Through many answered prayers, I finally went into remission with my health in 2011 and I felt like I was getting my life back. All of my severe lung issues/asthma/sensitivities and neurological issues were abating and I could enjoy life in so many ways again. This is when I was starting to bake for family/friends/school functions again, after spending a lot of years not doing as much as I would have loved to do since I had a passion and love for baking since I was a little girl. I took my science knowledge of trial and error and experimentation, and started creating recipes that I could still enjoy while maintaining a healthier eating lifestyle, namely a gluten free, mostly low sugar, and somewhat dairy free diet- a more plant-based diet. My talent was starting to get noticed from others and seemed to be meeting a much welcomed need, so I opened a booth at a local farmers market. After months of selling out each weekend, I knew I found my purpose and passion- helping others like myself with dietary needs, and creating recipes that tasted as good, if not better, than other items that were out in the market. I was quickly becoming noticed by Dorothy Lane Market stores, a nationally award winning gourmet grocery chain in the Dayton area, Jungle Jim’s in Cincinnati, and other coffee shops, and markets in the greater Dayton area, and even the Columbus area. I knew I was doing what I was meant to do in life in this season I was in. There is nothing more fulfilling than to know one’s purpose in life. I was blessed to find this through what began as a very difficult health path that allowed me to use that time of hardship to discover my purpose in the service industry of helping others.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
We are very excited that a new aspect of our business was just launched over the summer. We have added an online store to our website where people all across the U.S. will be able to order from us and ship fresh baked goods as soon as we receive their orders. We are locally doing so well that we thought it was time to launch this online platform to reach more fans across the miles. Since we are a specialty baking in gluten free, vegan, Paleo, and Keto, we know it’s not always easy to find good quality ingredients and great tasting gluten free options, and being an award-winning bakery, we feel it was time to let others out in the US know where we are and how they can have items shipped directly to their doorstep with our easy online ordering.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I have a strong work ethic and even when things were tough, I learned to keep moving forward. I didn’t have a business background, so I had to learn as I kept moving forward and surrounded myself with good mentors that helped me navigate aspects of business I didn’t have much experience with, and this helped me be a constant learner in the process of growth.

I’m frugal to some degree, so I didn’t want to get a loan for thousands of dollars to keep me in debt. I started slow, without incurring a lot of debt upfront and this allowed me to build my customer base without a lot of flashy bells and whistles with a cool storefront, initially, but to put really good products out there and focus on excellent customer service. Ten years into our business, we have little debt and remained an upward steady trajectory of growth and have a large customer base that spans the miles across surrounding states and beyond.

I would say I’m most creative in product/recipe development. I am happiest when I am creating and giving excitement to my community of gluten free vegan people. I love creating baked goods that remind them of something special from their past that maybe they hadn’t had in years because of their dietary needs. It’s so rewarding to hear how happy people are with food I create for them, especially moms who want their children to feel “normal” at their birthday parties with special cakes that are safe for them, or supplying cupcakes for school parties that look just as special as any others that come in from regular bakeries. It’s so fulfilling!

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
My parents modeled great customer service by putting other first. My dad was in banking and was well liked in the community, so he knew how to “put the customer first”. My mom as a department manager at a local grocery store, so also learned how to have great customer service skills that taught me what it looks like to put others first. They both also worked really hard in their careers, so I grew up seeing that and this was just woven into my DNA. They also taught me to tough out the rough times, because it’s part of life, but there will always be a way out-not to get caught up in the ruts, but keep moving forward. I think this determination helped me overcome obstacles when they would come and not give up.

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