Kaitlyn Reeck is on Side Checks Podcast talking about how she grew her cottage baking side hustle into multiple streams of income.

How Kaitlyn Reeck Transformed Her Cottage Baking Side Hustle Into Multiple Business Models

On today’s episode of Side Checks Podcast, I am talking with Kaitlyn Reeck. Kaitlyn is a talented baker that’s taken her cookie business to new heights. She’s naturally evolved her business by utilizing her community and beyond. Through cookie decorating, selling her cookies in local shops, and exploring the drop-ship side of her business; Kaitlyn has truly optimized multiple streams of income through her baking side hustle.

Kaitlyn is an operations manager by day and more importantly, runs her baking side hustle by night. Kaitlyn owns and operates her cottage-style bakery business Bigfoot Bakery in Okanogan WA. When she’s not making amazing cookies, she teaches fellow bakers how to grow and operate their businesses through her online course, Cookie Lady Academy.

Establishing Multiple Streams of Income

I believe every business model should have multiple streams of income built in. So when I see businesses like Kaitlyn’s, I get so excited to share them. Although Kaitlyn has gone through evolutions of her business, she has proven that the skillset of baking can be applied to multiple business models. Today, her online course, Cookie Lady Academy, teaches others how to use their baking skillset to start their in-home baking business in 6 weeks or less.

Through her online course and active baking side hustle, Kaitlyn has created multiple streams of income for herself. All while side-hustling! Not only is Kaitlyn providing multiple streams of income through side hustling alone, but she’s gone further to create multiple streams of income within her side hustle.

Natural Nexts Steps Within Business

Kaitlyn talks openly about how her business has naturally evolved with time. And that this was not a race. In fact, Kaitlyn started her baking side hustle with only one recipe.

I think many of us can relate to our businesses adding things or shifting as we grow. Kaitlyn mentions adding different areas or business models to her cookie business, like cookie decorating classes in her local community. And drop-shipping her cookies to various parts of Washington.

When Kaitlyn mentions these evolutions, I can’t help but think of side hustlers today. I believe so many of us have multiple interests. So when starting our businesses, we want to dive into everything! One thing I love hearing from Kaitlyn is how additions to her business came with time. And how each addition was strategic in a way to earn more income and spread brand exposure further.

Side Hustling While Working Full Time

Kaitlyn works full-time as an operations manager. This is something I can relate to, as I come from the supply chain manufacturing world. Kaitlyn and I speak about running a business around a demanding role and how it affects our side hustles.

Kaitlyn mentions that her full-time job has become a leadership tool that she’s utilized within her own business. As an operations manager, Kaitlyn feels comfortable examining the strengths of others and utilizing those strengths in order to complete tasks at hand.

Kaitlyn and I also discuss how the structure of your full-time job can help provide max efficiency and structure for side hustling.

Growing Your Business Through Your Community

One thing I love about this conversation so much is Kaitlyn’s emphasis on working with her local community. She mentions that the goal of running a local bakery business; isn’t to become Instagram famous; but to make sales. And how her cookie-obsessed audience wasn’t just online, but in her backyard.

Being a cottage baker, Kaitlyn connects with local business owners for distribution. Kaitlyn creates baked goods inside her home and then is able to sell them through her business, local shops and vendors. This allows her business to establish local connections and grow through collaborations. And as a local, product-based business, this strategy is effective and extremely effective.

Notes & Resources

If you are looking to connect with Kaitlyn and her delicious cookies, you can explore Big Foot Bakery right here. And if you are a fellow baker and you’re interested in starting your very own at home bakery business, you can explore Cookie Lady Academy here. This course walks you through finding your niche, what permits and labels you may need for your area, where to sell your goods, and how to build out your tool kit.

Kaitlyn also has free resources to share! Explore her free Supplier Guide for bakers here. This guide gives you Kaitlyn’s personal top 5 favorite Cookier suppliers. You can also snag her Famous Sugar Cookie Recipe here. This freebie can be enjoyed by all of us!

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Want to start making more of your time when it comes to your business? Take my free workshop Life-Proof Your Side Hustle to put a forever end to not knowing what to work on, and when.