Finding a Business Coach as a Backstop Against Failure at Victor and Mika's Bakery
The Savory Taste of Failure: Victor & Mika’s Bakery Friday Fail
In this season 3 Friday Fails episode of Back of the Napkin, Mika Altidor and Victor Munoz, owners of Victor & Mika’s Bakery, chew on the joy eating your mistakes. Plus, they dish on how they learned to slow down and still achieve their business objectives. Listen to the episode.
Dusty Weis:
Greetings, innovators, and welcome to Back of the Napkin, where we explore big journeys in the world of small business with the personalities who make it happen. And welcome back to another one of these bonus segments that we like to call Friday Fails. I'm Dusty Weis.
Karen Stoychoff:
And I'm Karen Stoychoff. Dusty, inquiring minds. Have you tried any whole food plant-based meals since we last talked with vegan bakery owners, Mika Altidor and Victor Munoz from Polk County, Florida?
Dusty:
Karen, I took down a soy chorizo at Milwaukee's Hacienda Brewing Company the other week. That was pretty good. And I got to say, my garden is almost literally exploding with kale right now, so a lot of kale smoothies lately.
Karen:
That's good. I'm glad to hear that. I so could relate to Victor when he talked about being in the kitchen with the elders in his family. My Baba, or grandmother, she used to wake up every morning and make fresh phyllo dough for spanakopita, or spinach pie. She'd use this full-sized broom handle to help roll and stretch the dough across this massive family dining room table until it was nearly transparent. It was absolutely painstaking work, but she did it with so much love.
Dusty:
It's really cool to hear, Karen. And again, just the way that these family traditions are so deeply rooted for these folks. But loving what they do is what I heard from the owners of Victor & Mika's Bakery. Like so many small business owners, they pursued their passion. But it's not always easy or without risks to do that. But before we get to Victor and Mika's Friday Fail, let's take a moment to get reacquainted with them, and a little thing we like to call the Fast Five. These are five quick questions to learn more about our small business owner guests.
Karen:
The Fast Five is like tasty tidbits of information. So Dusty, ready to dish?
Dusty:
All right, Victor and Mika. First thing, what is the most interesting thing in your refrigerator right now?
Victor:
Cake, I guess.
Mika:
Cheesecake. There's cheesecake.
Dusty:
What about the most famous person you've ever met?
Mika:
I did meet Donald Trump.
Karen:
What would you say to someone who says vegan food is gross?
Victor:
You have to try Victor & Mika's Bakery.
Dusty:
Mika, you used to be a jewelry designer. What gem most reminds you of Victor?
Mika:
I think a ruby stone.
Karen:
And Victor, you used to own a produce market. What fruit reminds you of Mika?
Victor:
Pear.
Dusty:
We're talking with Mika Altidor and Victor Munoz, of Victor & Mika's Bakery in Polk County, Florida, and you guys have been in business since 2017. What is the toughest challenge that you've faced, and what did you learn from it?
Mika:
Being able to think with a corporate business mindset with running a bakery. That was the toughest challenge. No guidance, no mentors, no nothing. And what I did learn from that was that we had to learn, we had to adapt, so we learned quick. There are still things that we're learning, and as technology changes, as the world of baking changes, and as the world changes period, we're always going to be forever learning. My biggest regret is not getting a mentor or business coach in the beginning. I have one now. She's amazing. Julie Loken. Hi, Jules.
Dusty:
Tell me more about your business coach. What made you realize that you needed a business coach, and having Julie to mentor you along the line, how has that changed the trajectory of your business?
Mika:
Great question, Dusty. I realized I needed a business coach when I felt like everything's becoming way too much, and I need help. Maybe I felt like I needed saving. I don't know what it is, but I needed tools to be able to manage things better and to take our bakery to the next level. This was November of 2019, so before COVID. Someone to help me organize my thoughts, ideas, and offer suggestions and hold me accountable. She's amazing. She connected with me. I felt like she understood me, and she was sympathetic to just everything that was on my shoulders. And so-
Dusty:
How did you find her?
Mika:
Oh, Thumbtack.
Dusty:
Thumbtack. Is that like an app actually for tracking down business mentors?
Mika:
Yes. It's a website, and it's an app where if you're looking to hire an artist, a muralist, or a contractor or caterer, whatever, every professional is on there. Victor & Mika's Bakery is on there also if you want to hire us for catering. Keep that in mind.
Mika:
I found Julie through there, and she lives in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Anyway, she's been here in Florida, and so we've spent time together in Florida. She's amazing. She's also my cohost on the Obsessed podcast. For any listeners, check out our Obsessed podcast also. She's helped me to actually see that I was on almost like a downward spiral because I was working too many hours. I became vegan to be healthy, but Victor and I were working way too many hours, which is not healthy, so she helped me to see that. And the pandemic was a blessing in disguise because it helped us to slow down.
Karen:
Cooking is far more forgiving than baking. For those of us who have spent any time in the kitchen whatsoever can attest. Baking is so much more like a science. How many times does a recipe fail before you master a pleasing taste and texture for something out of Victor & Mika's Bakery?
Victor:
Croissants and ciabatta breads is one of those I consider like a little difficult to work, especially if you never do it before. But if you try to do a croissant, that's a challenge. The vegan butter is different than the regular butter. The normal butter is like it holds the shape more, and the vegan butter melts really quick, so you have to get an environment what is super cold in order to work with the croissants, vegan, yeah.
Dusty:
I've always said that one of the worst and one of the best things about failing in the kitchen is you have to eat your mistakes, and so hopefully that hasn't been too painful of a process for you.
Victor:
Actually, we're always willing to get people to come and try our items every time. Like yesterday, for example, I made extra donuts, and I finished eating the rest. Like what, six donuts I ate all of them.
Dusty:
There are a lot more painful ways to fail than that, so I'm glad to hear that you guys have found your sweet spot and that you're continuing to see failure as opportunity in disguise, as I understand. Is that right, Mika?
Mika:
That is 100% true. A lot of the things that we make, even if it didn't turn out exactly the way we wanted, you learn. You get an inch closer or maybe you get a yard closer to what the end product is going to be. I look at failure totally different now than I did years ago or even two years ago, so failure for me is an opportunity in disguise.
Dusty:
It's a great attitude to take. Mika Altidor and Victor Munoz of Victor & Mika's Bakery in Polk County, Florida. Thank you again so much for joining us on Back of the Napkin with this Friday Fail.
Victor:
Thank you guys for inviting us. It's an honor to be in this amazing podcast.
Mika:
Yes, thank you so much.
Dusty:
Karen, I'm glad that for Victor and Mika, when they screw up in the kitchen, it's an enjoyable experience because I've got to say, when I've messed up in the kitchen in the past, it's been pretty inedible.
Karen:
There is never really a fail in the kitchen, Dusty. There's just another time to try with the same ingredients and maybe do things just slightly differently, and you'll end up with a successful entree. That's what cooking is all about. Cooking is fun. And as we heard from Mika and Victor, it is all about love. That's going to wrap it up for this Friday Fail. Make sure you've subscribed to your favorite podcast app. And we'd appreciate it if you dropped us a review and a five star rating.
Dusty:
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Karen:
Thanks to the head of SurePayroll Marketing, Jenna Shklyar, and our production partners, Podcamp Media.
Dusty:
Where we provide branded podcast production services for businesses. Our editor and producer is Larry Kilgore III. Thanks for tuning in to Back of the Napkin. I'm Dusty Weis.
Karen:
And I'm Karen Stoychoff.
