bake - April 2013 - 40

10 Thoughts on 10 Years
Steady growth remains a constant for baker and entrepre-

growing. Ten years after we started, we’re selling a million

neur John Sweet, who with his wife Angela started Niedlov’s

dollars’ worth of bread annually, employing 25 people, and

Breadworks in 2002. The bakery was honored by the US Small

living above our bakery.”

Business Administration as Tennessee’s Small Business of the
Year in 2010. Last year, Niedlov’s eclipsed $1 million in sales and

Chattanooga is now becoming known for its urban revital-

now employs 25 people. Like a number of retail bakery owners

ization, public-private partnerships, green initiatives, and a

have done, the Sweets live with their two children above their

cutting-edge, citywide fiber-optic network, he says. These

bakery, on Main Street on Chattanooga’s Southside.

features, along with a central location in the Southeast, have
drawn many industries over the years, and more recently, a

Sweet points out that he is neither famous nor a cultural icon.

slew of young entrepreneurs.

“I’ve never pitched a VC firm, or signed a term sheet. I don’t
have thoughts of going public,” he says. “My business never

“As the next wave of business builders looks to steward our

experienced 1000% growth in a year. My life isn’t extravagant, or

city’s great resources in new and exciting ways,” he says, “there

very exciting.”

are a few lessons I’ve learned from a decade of bootstrapping,
business development, and commitment to a craft.”

Yet he does have an important story to share.
Don’t have partners, only lenders
“Angela and I started the business nine months before we were

Finance your business with savings. If you need more money,

actually married,” Sweet says. “She helped me set things up,

borrow it. Your growing business is always worth more to you

and then moved back to the town where we met, 600 miles

than it is to anyone else. We borrowed cash from a good friend,

away. I worked alone for nine months until we married, then the

father-in-law, aunt and uncle, a business associate, three banks

two of us lived the dream for a year and a half until our son was

and a local alternative financing institution. But we never sold

born, and Angela cut her bakery hours back.”

shares of the business.

At that point, the Sweets started hiring people and bought a

120-hour weeks are good for you

building in which to locate permanently, as their bakery busi-

Once or twice. There is great value in looking back at how

ness began to grow a lot. “Two years later we almost went

rough things used to be. It keeps your perspective positive.

out of business,” he says. “Then we recovered, and continued

“At least we got one day off this week.” “At least we have air

40 < APR 2013 | bakemag.com


http://www.bakemag.com

bake - April 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of bake - April 2013

bake - April 2013
Editor's Note - The Pricing Paradigm
Table of Contents
News Bites - CSM sponsors baking contest
Caravan names fortification director
FDA rules against NJ bakery
Management - Information Sharing
Tax Tips - Maximizing Interest Deductions
Labor Front - Pinning down incentives
Legislation - California Fosters Cottage Food Operations
Ingredients - Strawberry Season
Paying Up for Premium
Penniless Promotion
The Sweets of San Francisco
True Value Pricing
Panera Launches Live Consciously Campaign
Niedlov's - 10 Thoughts on 10 Years
A Classic Pie Window
The Versatility of Cookies
Cafe - Popcorn on the Rise
Products
Marketplace
Classifieds
Ad Index
bake - April 2013 - bake - April 2013
bake - April 2013 - 2
bake - April 2013 - Editor's Note - The Pricing Paradigm
bake - April 2013 - 4
bake - April 2013 - Table of Contents
bake - April 2013 - 6
bake - April 2013 - 7
bake - April 2013 - FDA rules against NJ bakery
bake - April 2013 - 9
bake - April 2013 - Management - Information Sharing
bake - April 2013 - 11
bake - April 2013 - 12
bake - April 2013 - 13
bake - April 2013 - Tax Tips - Maximizing Interest Deductions
bake - April 2013 - 15
bake - April 2013 - Labor Front - Pinning down incentives
bake - April 2013 - 17
bake - April 2013 - Legislation - California Fosters Cottage Food Operations
bake - April 2013 - 19
bake - April 2013 - Ingredients - Strawberry Season
bake - April 2013 - 21
bake - April 2013 - Paying Up for Premium
bake - April 2013 - 23
bake - April 2013 - 24
bake - April 2013 - 25
bake - April 2013 - 26
bake - April 2013 - 27
bake - April 2013 - 28
bake - April 2013 - 29
bake - April 2013 - Penniless Promotion
bake - April 2013 - 31
bake - April 2013 - The Sweets of San Francisco
bake - April 2013 - 33
bake - April 2013 - 34
bake - April 2013 - 35
bake - April 2013 - True Value Pricing
bake - April 2013 - 37
bake - April 2013 - Panera Launches Live Consciously Campaign
bake - April 2013 - 39
bake - April 2013 - Niedlov's - 10 Thoughts on 10 Years
bake - April 2013 - 41
bake - April 2013 - 42
bake - April 2013 - 43
bake - April 2013 - A Classic Pie Window
bake - April 2013 - 45
bake - April 2013 - 46
bake - April 2013 - 47
bake - April 2013 - The Versatility of Cookies
bake - April 2013 - 49
bake - April 2013 - 50
bake - April 2013 - 51
bake - April 2013 - Cafe - Popcorn on the Rise
bake - April 2013 - 53
bake - April 2013 - Products
bake - April 2013 - Marketplace
bake - April 2013 - Classifieds
bake - April 2013 - 57
bake - April 2013 - Ad Index
bake - April 2013 - 59
bake - April 2013 - 60
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