Sarah Rose

I attribute my success to my parents because they raised me and my siblings – some of whom work in the family business with me - to have a really strong work ethic. When we were younger, our parents let us come into the office to work. My dad paid us for doing paperwork and cleaning around the warehouse. They always told us that if we wanted something, we had to work for it. They never bought our cell phones for us - we couldn't have a cell phone until we could afford it. They gave us the ability to do it on our own and build it ourselves. That way we had a lot more pride in something that we earned or something that we did because we put in the work and we did it ourselves. That work ethic combined with not being afraid to take initiative has been key. I'm the one who got us into social media because my dad's generation doesn't understand the power of what social media can do online. He just said do what you want, and I dove in headfirst. That really paid off for us - we've nearly tripled our Instagram following and half the orders on our board right now are because of our social media presence.

I would tell my younger self and any young woman starting out to keep at it and don't be afraid to dive in headfirst even if you don't see other people doing it. You don't have to follow the mainstream. You can hop off, do your own thing, and be just as successful as if not more so than the next person. Just because you're the first one doing it doesn't mean it's the wrong thing to do. Even if you're scared, go after it. Don't let fear hold you back from trying something new or different.

One of the biggest challenges I face is adapting a traditional industry like bakery equipment to modern digital platforms. At the same time, this challenge creates an exciting opportunity to leverage social media and e-commerce to reach new audiences, strengthen customer engagement, and drive sustainable growth. I view these changes as a chance to merge the craftsmanship and legacy of a family business with innovative marketing strategies, ensuring continued expansion while also building my own entrepreneurial ventures.

The most important values to me are hard work, pride in ownership, and doing things myself. I'm also built to be a mama, and I don't complain about that whatsoever. My kids love to bake with me. If they see me whip out my mixer, my son who’s two and my daughter who's four get out their aprons & stools and they're ready to bake. I can't bring out my mixer without them joining in to help me. Family is everything to me - it's a family business that my grandpa started, and we're constantly working together. We're always working hard and staying busy, and we like it that way.