Rachel Wiley | Application Preview
Rachel Wiley is seeking government grants to address various financial challenges her business is facing. The funds will primarily be used to pay off credit card debt, maintain employee payroll, sustain inventory for continued production of baked goods, invest in advertising to attract new customers, and cover personal grocery expenses.
In her business plan, Rachel aims to expand her reach by participating in more farmers markets and pop-up events, increasing visibility among potential customers. She plans to take on more custom orders, diversify her product offerings by including cakes, and host community events like trivia nights, sip and paint sessions, and decorating classes to drive traffic to her shop. Additionally, she recognizes the need to provide more delivery options in response to changes in customer behaviors during the pandemic.
Rachel expresses a deep passion for her business and a desire to create a lasting legacy for her family. She emphasizes the support she receives from her community and her commitment to providing quality sweets to local customers, hoping for a chance to grow and stabilize her business.
In terms of competition, she identifies several local bakeries that offer similar products, including The Confectionary Cupboard, Cakes by Maria and Joe, and The Pink Bandana. While these competitors have established customer bases, Rachel believes her commitment to baking from scratch, using fresh ingredients without artificial additives, and her earlier opening hours give her a competitive edge. She is particularly well positioned since Cakes by Maria and Joe will be retiring soon, potentially allowing her to capture their customer base.
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General Information
Business Registration Number: 85-4068881
Location: Painesville, OH, United States
Length of Operation: 1
Number of Employees:
Annual Gross Income:
Annual Gross Expense:
Open to Loans: YES
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Funding Usage
To pay off some credit cards so I stop getting so much in interest debt, keep my employees on payroll, be able to keep supply inventory so we can keep producing treats to make more money to dig myself out of this hole, advertising so I can try to get more customers in the door, money to buy myself groceries and my puppy food
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Business Plan
I plan to grow my business by joining more farmers markets and pop up events, getting myself seen by more fo a customer base, advertising to people who I wouldn’t usually get in the door. Taking more custom orders, filling the display cases with more sweets that people can walk in and get, adding cakes to my cases. I also plan on starting trivia nights, sip and paint nights, decorating classes and having events here so I can get more traffic in the door. I think it would grow my business emensly. We just have to get through the pandemic first before I can start that. I think currently I need to offer more delivery options for people who are choosing not to go out also. I would hope you would invest in me because I have a dream I want to live on for years to come, that I can pass down to my children. I’m very young and it was a huge step for me to take, my family is so proud of me and I just want to show them and the world that I can do this and make it work. I want to keep showing the community love by supplying them with the sweets they would otherwise have to go towns over for. I have amazing community support and I would hope I can have yours too. I don’t know what I would do without my employees and this business. I wish I can hold on for forever. I just need a little help and this would definitely push me to where I need to be and allow me the chance to grow my business.
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Self Identified Competition
The confectionary cupboard, they used to mainly offer cupcakes, candy and custom cakes when I worked there. As I’ve been out in the area they’ve been steadily adding in cookies and other treats like me. I wish to one day have more decorators so I can compete highly with their custom orders they produce. Cakes by Maria and Joe, they are a big wedding cake bakery but they also have breads, cupcakes and strudel. They’re an older couple who have been in the community the longest. The Pink Bandana, they’re a small bakery and custom order shop just like me, they’re a couple cities away and I actually went to pastry school with her. She has some very different things on her menu but has a good customer base. I know for a fact that most of the bakeries in the area do not bake completely from scratch like I do, I think that greatly gives me a leg up in the competition. My treats are fresh, don’t sit in a case for weeks and can brighten anyone’s day. I take great pride in not using fake extracts and mixes to make our products. We use fresh ingredients, fruits and such in our sweets instead of relying on mixes and imitation extracts. I’m open earlier than them and supply the biggest cinnamon rolls you’ve ever seen, warm and fresh every morning. We also offer delivery on 3rd party sites which they do not. So it allows us to reach a whole other market. Cakes by Maria and Joe is the closest bakery and they’re retiring at the end of the year.
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Contact Applicant
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