I Am A Mom and Pop

A Business and $200

I always dreamed of starting a business but I quietly sat in my small cubicle day in and out. I was in the customer service department and had to take calls where as soon as I picked up the phone, they would yell at me for no reason. In the corporate world there are so many above you that like to walk all over you because they can. People have big egos and think that their title makes them better than the person beside them. This all finally started to wear on me.

75% of the people that worked there were working for a paycheck and didn’t care about anything else. A paycheck is great but what about doing something for yourself and challenging yourself? After 8 years of doing the same thing everyday and feeling like I was just another body in the workforce I quit my job. I wasn’t sure where I was going or what I was going to do but just the feeling I had when I walked out of that building was something I can’t even begin to describe to you (and some know what I’m talking about). A week after I quit I went to the doctor for my routinely check up and I received news that I definitely did not expect, I had breast cancer. I was absolutely broken in that moment knowing that I had just quit my job and then something like this happens. I had to go through numerous treatments and all that comes with the fun adventure of dealing with cancer. While I was in there I would always speak to the nurse that would come check on me each day. I told her about quitting my job and that I had always wanted to start something of my own. She listened to me each day and to me that was something I needed and while talking all of it out, I figured out what I what business I wanted to start - a bakery.

I’ve always been crazy about cooking and creating my own recipes. I watched Julie and Julia and I could relate so much to Amy Adams as she was at her job and constantly thought about doing other things. About two weeks after my last hospital visit, I received a letter in the mail with no return address. The letter inside had a $200 check from the nurse I spoke with and note that said, “Great things are going to come to you and I believe in you.” In that moment I knew what I needed to do, I started baking from my home to save money on rent and it’s been one amazing journey ever since.

I Am A Mom and Pop.

Heather in Seattle