10/11/2026
Owning a small business is HARD. Owning a small business in the food industry is even harder. 💔🍰
You pay vendor fees to attend events. You spend money on ingredients, packaging, supplies, and displays. You spend countless hours preparing products, often late into the night, hoping all that hard work will pay off.
Then comes the weather. 🌧️
The forecast says an 80% chance of rain all week, so you prepare less than you normally would because you’re trying to protect yourself from losing money. The day of the event, the forecast drops to 20%, and suddenly you’re wishing you had made more.
But you know why you didn’t.
Because when an event ends, you can be left with trays of product that you’ve already invested money, time, and love into making. Now you’re faced with giving it away, trying to sell it at a discount, or sometimes throwing it away. People see the leftover treats, but they don’t see the money and hours of work that are literally going to waste.
Then you look over and see your friends working inside a 135° food trailer, sweating through the day and doing everything they can to make their business successful. And even when your own day hasn’t gone the way you hoped, you still celebrate their wins because you genuinely want to see them succeed. ❤️
But one thing this industry has taught us is that not everyone you call a friend is genuinely rooting for you. And that’s okay. It doesn’t change who I am or how I choose to show up for others.
I will forever celebrate someone else’s wins, even on the days when I don’t get one of my own. ❤️
This year has been especially tough for so many of us in this industry. I know there have been countless moments when we’ve all sat back and wondered, “Why do we keep doing this?”
We sit for hours in the blazing Florida heat. We watch the radar, pray the rain holds off, and sometimes lose products, tents, displays, and supplies in a sudden downpour. We invest our money, our time, our energy, and our hearts into something we love, never knowing what the day will bring.
But we keep showing up.
We do it because we love what we create. We love connecting with our communities. We love seeing familiar faces, meeting new customers, and being part of the local events that bring people together.
So please, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES, FOOD TRUCKS, AND VENDORS. ❤️
When you see us set up at an event, remember that there is so much more behind that table or window than what meets the eye. Every purchase helps pay for ingredients, supplies, utilities, mortgages, car payments, kids’ sports, and all the everyday expenses that don’t stop just because an event was slow or the weather didn’t cooperate.
Stop by. Say hello. Buy a treat. Grab lunch from a food truck. Share a post. Tell a friend. Leave a review. Every little bit matters more than you may ever realize.
We aren’t just selling cookies, cakes, meals, or handmade goods. We’re working hard to support our families while bringing something special to our communities.
Small businesses aren’t just businesses. They’re families, dreams, sacrifices, and people who keep showing up even when it’s hard.
Please remember that the next time you pass a local vendor. You never know how much that one purchase, kind word, or shared post might mean to someone who is doing everything they can to keep their dream alive. ❤️
And to my fellow small business owners: I see you. I know how hard you’re working. Keep going, keep supporting one another, and keep celebrating each other’s wins. There is room for all of us to succeed. ❤️🫶🏻
