A couple of days ago I had a message on Facebook from a woman I knew of. And I didn’t know her name specifically but I heard last year about a new small business called Swedish Cottage Bakery in Dallas. I knew that the owner was Swedish but had never tasted any of her products, yet the pictures on her Facebook looked absolutely delicious.
Maria, the owner reached out to me asking if I was willing to give her some guidance as a small business person and maybe interested in doing something together. ABSOLUTELY! I was all on it! So we decided to meet up in a park in Forney today and brainstorm.
Maria started her little side business last year and like all of us feels a little lost. It is a huge world out there. And as in her case, she bakes different goods than Americans are used to eat and taste. That is both a good and a challenging thing. On top of that, something that I have had to struggle with the last 15 years is the cultural difference.
You see, as a Swede, you are not really allowed to be proud of your products and accomplishments. It is always about “fitting in the box”, “being normal” and “not stick out”. You often apologize for trying to offer a really good product. As American’s you say “this is what I have to offer, this is what it costs, take it or leave it”. You are proud of your little business and almost expects friends and family to support me. A Swede says “why would they pick me?”.
So for me, sitting down and brainstorming with Maria about both what she can do for her next step as well as team working up together was beyond awesome. It made me think back of a year ago, where I was, the journey throughout this year with Harlequin Tea. What worked so far, what went straight in the drain? What is my next step etc. Having someone to bounce ideas with is so great. You don’t have to be in the same business or even close. In our case it helps as we have so much in common. And I think we both realized the challenges of cultural differences being a foreigner running a business. But that also makes us special and the best on what we are doing.
I truly had a great time. Don’t ask me where 3.5 hours went. But did we come up with ideas. Many! I think both of us are just completely exhausted in our brains. Maria was absolutely smarter than me and took notes… I have to write it down now so I remember…
Then of course… she brought Fika… Fika is a Swedish thing we do twice a day… it’s like your “meeting at the watercooler” but with something to snack on, such as a cinnamon bun, sandwich or just a cup of tea (coffee). I can write an entire blog about this phenomenon so why don’t you just google this word Fika and look at all the delicious pictures… you may understand why I miss Swedish baked goods so much…
Maria and I have now been mixing and brewing ideas. No clue where this will take us but it will be fun and good. Epic simply. We both have a lot to think about and figure out details. But it was absolutely the beginning of something very interesting and probably eye opening for many here in the area… unless you’re Swedish of course!
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