We were lucky to catch up with Kristen Patten recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kristen, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
I think my creativity comes from my family. Both of my grandparents were artists. I don’t draw, but I think that translates through my baked goods. It also comes from around us. I’m constantly inspired by others and it fuels my creativity.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’ve been running a small Vegan bakery since 2015. When we first started there weren’t many Vegan dessert options around. What started as an idea turned into a wonderful business. We had our daughter late last year, so we stepped away from Markets currently. However, we still are creating custom cakes and taking orders. We are also looking into shipping within the state of California.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
For me, I think it was never give up. At one point I was still working, full-time and running a business. I had to decide which direction my future was going. I ended up leaving my full-time job almost 2 years ago now. I must say, I would never go back. I think running a business full-time is what I needed to do. We have grown in the last couple of years. I know this last year a lot has changed. A lot of people are struggling, and cost of things have gotten up but I’m still hopeful for the future.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
Cost. Every single ingredient that I use has gone up. It creates a problem for both me and my customers. I know eventually it will level itself back out. But it does sometimes cause a problem when discussing orders.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.7deadlyconfections.com
- Instagram: @7DeadlyConfections
- Facebook: Facebook.com/7deadlyconfections
- Yelp: 7 Deadly Confections
- Other: vKind: 7 Deadly Confections
Image Credits
Jeff Patten
