The Strain of Small Business Ownership

A Fire at New American Stone Mills

Last week I had the opportunity to do something I’ve always wanted to do: be on Public Radio. I was a guest on holiday cooking and baking program called Three Courses with Vermont Edition, and it was truly a dream come true. Over the course of an hour, I and two other panelists discussed our favorite baking tricks and techniques and took calls from fellow Vermonters looking to up their holiday baking game. The conversation was delightful, and while we were all a bit nervous about speaking on live air, I think we hid it well.

After the show ended, though, the real conversation began. As we snacked on some of the breads and pastries we had discussed on the show, we talked about the more serious side of professional baking. I was surprised by how much the three of us had in common and how many similar experiences we had shared. One key issue that came up over and over again was the scale of the issues we were experiencing. Rent wasn’t just expensive; it was very expensive. Paying employees well and providing them with the benefits they deserved wasn’t just a stretch; it was a big stretch, and it got harder and harder every year. We all discussed the sense of trepidation we felt when we paused to think about just how big some of the numbers we were dealing with were; small business finances seemed to give us all a sense of unease, no matter how under control things appeared.

Bakers have never baked to become wealthy. Rather, the goal is to spend one’s life doing what one loves and hope to be able to afford a decent living if at all possible. But my conversation with these fellow bakers really hit home that things have been getting harder recently, for all of us. The scale of business operations feels too big for a small business. Everything has gotten more expensive, from credit card processing fees to insurance. Yet, many customers seem to have a fixed idea of what bread and pastries should cost and don’t want to see prices go up. It’s hard to argue with that when everyone knows how many Americans are struggling to afford food.

I think the most frustrating thing, though, is the exhausting minutiae of dealing with the infiltration of corporate business structures into what is supposed to remain a hands-on, physical, almost meditative practice.

Damage from the Fire at New American Stone Mills

Last month, the baking world suffered another great loss when a fire broke out at New American Stone Mills. In the world of East Coast baking, there is no other producer of stone mills that competes with New American in terms of quality and reputation. To say this was a huge loss is an understatement. It also feels very close to home for us as their production space is only an hour away from our bakery. This fire feels like yet another setback for an industry that needs, in every way, to continue to move forward if we are to feed our neighbors during the uncertainty that lies ahead.

A few days ago, owners Andrew and Blair posted an update to their GoFundMe. They stated, “We wish we had an exciting update to share this week, but we are still waiting on insurance and answers to so many questions.” This one line sums up perfectly the experience of small business ownership. Rather than getting the resources needed to get back to work, small business owners are forced to wait. The costs are too high, and it often feels like we serve the system, rather than the other way around. Waiting for bread to rise is a meditation. Waiting for insurance to process a claim is a frustration.

The experience of small business ownership could be so much better. My hope is we’ll find ways to push back, think creatively, and work together. I think real change is possible, and I think the solution is to work proactively, rather than reactively. My real hope is we’ll start this work before many of us give up for good.

If you are able to give to the New American Stone Mills GoFundMe, please consider doing so. At the time of publishing this blog post, they are just a few thousand dollars short of their goal. And, if you have an opportunity to hug a baker, please do that too. The challenges are many, but the opportunity for connection over shared bread makes it worth it.