Starting a business can be one of the most empowering, stressful, and joyful moments for any entrepreneur. Will people come to your business? Will customers return? These are common worries that every business owner has. Rachel Rakes experienced an even bigger challenge than expected within 8 months of opening her business -- the pandemic.
With high hopes, Rachel opened Aspen by Rachel Rakes, a bakery and coffee shop, in the summer of 2019 in the heart of Wentworth, NC. Business looked good till businesses were forced to close in March 2020 for the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. With businesses struggling to remain open, Rockingham Community College (RCC) Small Business Center teamed up with Zibster to help businesses that were affected by COVID-19 closures pivot to online.
It was a great opportunity for Rachel to be able to get her business online. Now she can showcase her menu of baked goods and deli sandwiches and allow people to place orders online with pick-up and curbside options for hungry patrons. We were fortunate enough to catch up with Rachel to discuss her business and her website.
Thank you for taking time to talk to us, Rachel. Can you tell us about your business?
We are a small bakery and coffee shop. We also recently started carrying a few deli-style sandwiches.
What do you specialize in?
All of the coffee! But really, we have a huge variety of flavors for lattes, frappes, and iced coffee. We carry pound cakes and a few other sweets in our display case daily. However, we also make specialty cakes and cupcakes for birthdays, weddings, and all types of events in between.
What is the location of your business? Is it near places the community might be familiar with?
We are on Highway 87 out in Wentworth. Right across from Rockingham County High School and Middle School. Rockingham Community College and Rockingham County Courthouse are also close by.
What made you want to start your own business? Why did you go the culinary route?
I have always enjoyed baking and cooking in general. Food brings people together and some of the best memories involve being around family and cooking. I have always made my daughter’s birthday cakes and her requests kept getting more and more detailed. She wanted French Macarons one year and after her birthday I started getting a lot of requests for them.
[I] made a Facebook business page and did online orders for a while. The previous owners of my current location were selling their business and leaving all of the equipment and willing to train me on all things coffee. Everything fell right into place and so I went for it!
What did opening your business feel like for you?
The most exciting but terrifying thing all at the same time. There is so much optimism paired with the realism of what it takes to run a small business.
When COVID-19 appeared, how did that affect your business?
It definitely has caused sales to drop. For a variety of reasons. A huge portion of our business comes from parents, teachers, and some students going to work and school in the mornings. Sweets after school, a place to get drinks while waiting for games after school. With gathering restrictions there have not been as many parties and get-togethers.
Over the holidays, many either had very small family events or nothing at all out of the ordinary. Weddings for the most part rescheduled or downsized what they were planning on. We did change our hours from 6:30-5:30 to 9:30-5:30 as well for about 8 months.
On the positive side, while trying to come up with things to add to the business to keep it going (because we totally understand everyone was struggling with the loss of income and the unknown), we got our Health Department permit and grade.
With that, we were able to start selling lunch! We paired up with a great vendor out of Winston-Salem who is a Boar's Head proprietor who brings us the best meats and cheeses. It has been awesome to be able to expand our menu and bring a different lunch option to the area.
How did COVID-19 affect you personally?
I can't say that it is easy to try to figure out how to meet the needs of a business when 8 months in a pandemic hits and closes life. While it's definitely been stressful, it has also allowed me to get creative and utilize my resources.
They say the first year of business is the hardest, but this has also given me the outlook that if I can make it past the pandemic and get used to our new "normal," I can get past anything.
How did the community respond?
The community has been amazing. I think if not for them we just would not have been able to stay open. There were many who purchased gift cards for either later use or for teachers. There were a few different groups, usually on Facebook, who would pick 2 or 3 small businesses to visit that week. It definitely helped out when they did.
Rockingham Community College also started purchasing gift cards to give out to students for different things. Not only was it helping bring in revenue, but it helped generate business for those who maybe had not heard of us before.
Wow, that’s awesome! You reached out to the RCC Small Business Center, how did they help you?
They have sent many emails with a variety of resources. Quite a few of them I have been able to utilize. Like the grant that paired me with Zibster to create our awesome website! They really do want all of the small businesses in the area to stay open and have been trying to do whatever they can to help.
You recently took your business online to build awareness, what was that like?
I think a fault of my generation is that we are so used to social media, we almost assume everyone uses it as well. The fact of it is, for many reasons, they don't. However, most are familiar with websites and how to access them.
It also gives a much more professional feel to the business. Especially when it comes to things like weddings, people are looking for professional businesses to partner with. Having a website that is easy to navigate as well as aesthetically appealing only sets our business above others.
What was it like working with Zibster’s Pro Services team?
It was great. They have so much patience and are really great at what they do. With COVID decreasing our sales, when I had someone else working at the shop, I would pick up hours in the pharmacy as a second job. I've been employed with them since high school, it's good to have in the back pocket. They needed extra help giving COVID vaccines to long-term health care facilities, and now in-store even. That took me out of the bakery quite a bit.
So even though it would take me a while to sometimes get my ducks in a row, everyone I worked with at Zibster was more than patient and accommodating. We had a Zoom meeting where I used my camera to kind of show how we have the shop set up and what I had in mind. They really took the small pieces I gave them and made the website exactly, if not better than, what I had in mind.
How has it been using Zibster?
It's been great. They take what pieces of information I have given them and turned it into a professional, functioning website. I regularly get emails as a result of people being on the site and using the contact us option.
Would you refer other businesses to use Zibster?
Definitely! There have been a number of people I know with small businesses who I have talked to about how easy it was to work with Zibster. I've had multiple compliments on the website and always make sure to tell them who designed it.
How has 2021 been so far for your business?
So far 2021 is leading us towards the light at the end of the tunnel. While things are still slower than what I can say is optimal, it has definitely stopped getting worse. Kids in the area will be going back to school 5 days a week soon, gatherings are resuming, we are getting there.
What are your goals for the future?
I really just want to be able to not only keep the business open but get back to the special events we used to host. Back to doing more weddings and special events. I would love to start having enough business to hire at least one or two more part time people so I can have more time to bake some of the "fun" smaller pastries that sometimes take more time.
Anything else you’d like to say?
While the last year has definitely been trying, it has taught me a lot. I have seen some of the stress of owning your own business and how you never really can tell what will happen in the economy or in the world.
I have also seen how great of a community I have here. Even when everyone is facing uncertainty and coffee and cakes are somewhat of an "extra," they have still made sure to support their local business and keep our doors open.
For that, I could never even begin to explain how grateful my little Aspen family is. We definitely look forward to feeding and caffeinating the area for years to come!
Thank you so much, Rachel!
Rachel’s optimism and entrepreneurial spirit will continue to lead to great ways to market her business and connect to the community, and what brings people together closer than delicious food?
Zibster’s and the RCC Small Business Center’s efforts to help businesses during the pandemic have been gratifying. We want our local businesses to thrive even in a labored economic situation. If you’re a Rockingham County business and are seeking support, reach out to the RCC Small Business Center team to see what resources are available.
If you are looking for an online presence for your new or established business, Zibster’s platform and team are here to make it easy to get online. Give us a call at 844.353.3412 or sign up to get started. Choose the plan that is best for you and your business.
2 Comments
Apr 23, 2021, 6:42:25 AM
Zibster Growth Hub - We do too!
Apr 22, 2021, 8:58:39 PM
Barry I Siegel - I like sandwiches and coffee!