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Entrepreneur Profile

Ida McCarty

Ida’s Gourmet Breads

www.IdasGourmetBreads.com

Chicago, IL

After being downsized from her job as an IT Project Manager several times in a two-year period, Ida McCarty admits she fell into her business venture “by accident.” She used a recipe from her grandmother and zucchini from her own garden to bake bread as a way to relieve stress.

In 2003, McCarty’s then-fiancÃ© (they later parted ways) approached a grocery store bakery manager and asked her to try the zucchini bread. McCarty says, “She ordered 100 loaves that week and has been a repeat customer ever since.”

McCarty, who has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a masters in Leadership and Policy Studies, never expected she would be baking bread for a living. She admits, “The business was started before I had an opportunity to think about baking bread as a career.”

The journey into entrepreneurship meant that McCarty had a lot to learnâ€”and fast. “I had to work backwards. I had a regular client so I had to take business classes, read material, network with other entrepreneurs while baking for my clients,” says McCarty. “I had to bake out of a church kitchen until I established myself as a business six months later.”

With a startup budget of $10,000, McCarty managed to come in under budget at $8,000, which she spent on licenses, supplies, and classes. She contacted vendors that sold her supplies in bulk quantities and found a caterer to rent her commercial kitchen space on a monthly basis. To keep costs down, McCarty handles all her administrative tasks from home.

Though her mother helps her with her baking, not all of her family and friends were as supportive from the beginning. “They felt as though I was baking as a hobby, as opposed to having a real job,” says McCarty. “I had to prove to them that this was a real business venture.”

This “real” venture has McCarty working an average of 60 hours per week to produce nine varieties of breads, including the zucchini that got her business started along with apple, carrot, banana, and gingerbread. “They are all preservative-free, no trans fats, no hydrogenated oils, high in fiber, and use only natural products. I grow the organic zucchini in my garden, freeze, and use it in my breads year-round.”

To market her business, McCarty talks to retail bakery managers, gives product demonstrations, attends food fairs, participates in fundraisers, and submits articles to baking trade magazines.

Mentor Amy Hillard, the president of Comfort Cakes, provides McCarty with a tremendous amount of support. McCarty says, “She has taught me that perseverance wins out, professionalism shines through, and if you think small, you will remain small-minded.”

Marge Schneider from The Service Corp of Retired Executives (SCORE) has also been instrumental in helping McCarty with her marketing strategy and product placement. SCORE is an organization that offers free assistance to entrepreneurs by helping them develop business plans and goals.

McCarty says her mother, Ida B. McCarty, “has been a Godsend in helping me aspire to a dream, reach my goals, bake and deliver my breads through rain, sleet, sun, and snow.”

Though she had to knock on a lot of doors and take control of her future, McCarty says, “What I did not know, I found out by asking others.” She admits that her busy work schedule leaves little room for a social life at this point, but it seems the trade-off has been worth it.

McCarty plans to have a full-time staff to handle baking, deliveries, and marketing within the next five years. She would like to market her breads to Fortune 500 companies and eventually sell the rights to a major corporation.

Her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs: “Don’t think about it, just do it! Otherwise you will talk yourself out of taking a risk, languish in mediocrity, and always wonder what would have come of your dream and aspirations.”

Her favorite online business resources include The Service Corp of Retired Executives (www.score.org), Women’s Business Development Center (www.wbdc.org), The U.S. Small Business Administration (www.sba.gov), Business Matchmaking (www.businessmatchmaking.com), and Business Owners Idea Cafe (www.ideacafe.com).

As for her keys to success, McCarty says, “I never give up, never give in, and never take no for an answer.” She is quite happy with her entrepreneurial life. “I control my own destiny. Success or failure is ultimately my own doing or undoing.”

For now, McCarty is focused on getting her products into Whole Foods store locations across the mid-west region by the end of the year. The best part is that she no longer has to worry about being downsized from corporate America, while she enjoys the sweet smell of success.