The Reality of Running a One-Person Bakery

The Romantic Idea vs The Reality

The dream vs the reality of running a bakery

Running a bakery alone sounds romantic.

Fresh trays of brownies and cookies coming out of the oven.

The smell of freshly baked goods filling the kitchen.

People enjoying something you created with your hands.

But the reality?

Some days it’s just you — standing over a sink full of baking trays drenched in butter, wondering how you’re going to wake up tomorrow and do it all again.

And somewhere in the middle of it all, I found myself reflecting on what it actually means to run a baking business alone.

I always knew owning a business wasn’t for the faint of heart.

But let’s be real. I didn’t realise how many times I would contemplate quitting.

After a difficult bake sale.

After a failed batch.

After a setback.

I care deeply about my craft and about how I want to run this bakery — from the visuals you see on my socials to constantly fine-tuning the originals. I’m also someone who tends to overthink — that’s just the easiest way to put it.

I’m an emotional bean.

Running a small baking business can feel like a constant love–hate relationship. There are seasons of highs and lows. Some days feel incredibly fulfilling, while other days (most) come with doubts and constant comparison — especially when your bank account doesn’t look quite as “sexy” as some of your peers.

Another thing I’ve never really shared before is that I used to be extremely introverted. This business has forced me to open up in ways that sometimes feel uncomfortable.

But despite that, I genuinely love meeting the people who support FedwithMatcha and getting to connect with new people through this business.

Some of my favourite moments are when someone collects their bakes and shares their story with me — or tells me how long they’ve waited just to try them. Sometimes it’s the way their eyes light up, the excitement in their voice, or the little cues in the conversation that mean more than they probably realise.

Those moments mean a lot to me.

But behind those interactions is a side of running a bakery that most people don’t see.

And sometimes, that reality looks like spending hours cleaning baking trays soaked in butter — while also feeling the quiet pressure to keep thriving in a messy world that’s often filled with comparison. It’s really not something I particularly enjoy, but it’s part of the reality of building a business.

A Quick Note Before We Continue

Before I dive deeper into this reflection, I just want to say thank you to everyone who’s here reading this. It really means a lot to know that this little space resonates with you and that you’re interested in following along.

It still surprises me that people take the time to read what I write and support what I bake.

Truly, thank you.

I recalled the past few weeks leading up to Chinese New Year have been intense. I was baking consecutively for nearly three weeks, running errands, attending events, preparing for my recent CNA938 interview, and life has just been moving at full speed.

I’m someone who wears her heart on her sleeve and I’ve always believed in being honest about this journey.

I also see this space as something I can return to years from now — maybe when I’m 40 — and remember what this season of my life felt like.

I’m sure many home bakers and small business owners have shared their experiences before, but these are some of the things I personally face behind-the-scenes.

There’s honestly so much more I want to talk about, so this will probably turn into a small series. For now, these are just a few thoughts that have been sitting at the top of my mind.

When You Wear Every Hat

The reality of running a one-person baking business

Ironically, one of the best things about running a small business is also one of the hardest.

Being your own boss means having complete freedom. No one tells you what to do, how to do it, or when to do it. You decide the menu, the direction of the brand, and how everything runs.

But that freedom can quickly become overwhelming.

When you run it solo, you are responsible for everything.

And I mean everything.

You’re not just the baker.

You are also the packer, the dishwasher, the menu planner, the recipe tester, the content creator, the marketer, the ingredient buyer, the website developer, the customer service, the one replying to messages, and also the one folding pastry boxes late at night.

Yes, you can get help. But part of me has always wanted to stay independent, and there are also the constraints that come with running a home bakery — though perhaps that’s a conversation for another post.

It was only after starting this journey that I realised how nice it can be to simply have someone tell you what needs to be done. But at the same time, there is also so much beauty in it — especially in the personal growth it brings. This journey has taught me so much — realising strengths within myself I never noticed before, along with learning endurance, patience, and the importance of remaining humble and resilient.

Back when I had my full-time job, life felt simpler — at least work-wise. I would just work my shift, go home, and sleep.

At the start, this whole journey was fuelled purely by passion.

But running a bakery means there’s always so much to think about. As much as I wish it could be purely about passion, the truth is that building a business also means learning to navigate the realities that come with it — especially now that I’m doing this solo.

And that’s something I’m still figuring out.

Sometimes that uncertainty scares me.

There are moments when the thoughts creep in.

What if this fails? I can’t just walk away when I’ve poured so much thought and heart into this, right?

Or even the quieter worries that come with building a brand online.

Am I still relevant? Will I still be relevant 5 to 10 years from now? Will people forget about FedwithMatcha if I stop posting for a while? What if matcha stops being popular? If I start selling bakes beyond matcha and tea, will people still buy them?

Running a business can sometimes feel like carrying a hundred questions in your head at the same time, especially when your brand is built around such a niche.

When the Business Never Really Leaves Your Mind

When your business lives online, work never really leaves your mind

Because I’m the brain behind everything, work never really leaves my mind.

A big contributor to this is Instagram.

I’m not sure if I’ve shared this before, but I’m a girl who isn’t very good at social media — mostly because I’m not really a social media person. Yes, I know, coming from someone who’s Gen Z. But when your business revolves around it, you can’t really avoid it, can you? Don’t get me wrong — I love documenting moments and taking photos and videos. It’s just the social media part that doesn’t always come naturally to me.

Since I don’t have a physical storefront, Instagram acts as my storefront. It’s where I showcase what I bake and where people discover and order from me.

For a long time, I carried this fear that if I didn’t post enough, I would lose momentum and people would forget about the brand entirely. Sometimes I would feel like I had failed when I didn’t manage to capture a “perfect” photo after baking. There was a period where I found myself baking just for the sake of taking photos because I couldn’t get a shot I liked. And it wasn’t just one bake. There were backup batches — just in case the content didn’t turn out well.

Looking back, this also ties into the hidden costs of running a business, especially when it comes to recipe testing and content creation — something I’ll probably talk more about in another post.

On top of that, I also felt the pressure to constantly change the menu. I worried that no one would purchase if I offered the same items again. Even though people often love the classics, there was always this thought at the back of my mind — what if they get bored? But with the constraints of being a small-batch home bakery, and my own mindset of wanting to cater to everyone’s preferences, it simply wasn’t sustainable.

There were weeks where I worked day and night, and slowly the business started to wear me down — both mentally and physically. Back when I had a full-time job, work would stay at work. Even when I’m out with friends and family, there’s this lingering voice in my head quietly reminding me:

You should probably head home and plan the next bake.

It’s like my mind is always running in the background.

At one point, I caught myself thinking:

The more I pour into the business, the less I’m able to enjoy the rest of my life. What does it matter if I’m not able to take the time to rest or spend time with the people I love?

That reflection changed the way I started approaching this journey. Instead, I’ve started focusing on creating bakes that I genuinely love, personally enjoy eating, and truly believe in.

Because one thing I’ve slowly learned along the way is that it’s impossible to satisfy everyone. And that’s something I’m learning to accept.

But finding a healthy balance between the business and the rest of life is still something I’m figuring out.

Learning to Slow Down and Find Balance Again

When the business became everything

For the first few months of doing this full time, I prioritised the business over my health, my relationships with family and friends, and even simple joys like cooking for myself or going for a walk.

Some mornings I would wake up with this constant urge to do something — even when all I really wanted was to lie in bed and do nothing, with no devices and no distractions.

There were moments when I genuinely considered stopping altogether, and seasons where the weight of it all often brought me to tears.

Running a small baking business alone can be extremely tough mentally.

I’ve had to remind myself again and again that the business can only thrive if I’m also taking care of myself.

Running FedwithMatcha has taught me many lessons — most of them the hard way.

One of the biggest lessons is that not everything needs to happen all at once.

In the beginning, I felt like every bake sale needed a completely new menu, every photo had to be perfect, and every post needed to perform well including the likes and engagement. But I’m slowly learning that pace matters more than speed. It’s okay if the numbers don’t always look impressive and what matters more is the progress and that I’m still trying.

Another lesson is that you cannot please everyone. Everyone has different preferences — sweeter, less sweet, stronger matcha, lighter matcha, stronger tea flavours, milder ones — the list goes on.

But in the end, I’ve realised I have to focus on creating bakes that I genuinely love, personally enjoy eating, and truly believe in.

And finally, I’m learning that rest is part of the process too.

Running a one-person baking business can easily consume every hour of the day if you let it. But creativity, joy, and clarity only return when you allow yourself space to breathe.

I’m still figuring things out.

But I’m learning.

Lessons I’m Learning Along the Way

Running FedwithMatcha has taught me far more than I ever expected — not just about baking, but about creativity, resilience, and learning to navigate the realities of building something entirely from scratch.

There are still so many parts of this journey that I haven’t even begun to talk about yet.

The hidden costs of recipe testing.

The behind-the-scenes of creating new bakes.

The quiet struggles that come with running a one-person bakery.

And the small moments that remind me why I started all of this in the first place.

But I suppose those are stories for another day.

Janka
Founder of FedwithMatcha