When I first started my micro-bakery, I was trying to be a tiny version of a traditional bakery.
Cakes. Cupcakes. Cake pops. Macarons.
A dozen of this. A dozen of that.
Every custom order completely different from the last.

It looked impressive on Instagram…
but behind the scenes, it was exhausting.

And not “I’m tired but it’s worth it” exhausting.
It was “I can spend 12 hours baking and still not make a real profit” exhausting.

Eventually, I realized something that completely changed my business:

My bakery was too small to operate like a traditional bakery — but it was the perfect size to become a product-based bakery.

This is the story of how I made that shift, what I learned, and how it set the foundation for everything I’m building today.

Why the Traditional Bakery Model Wasn’t Working

For a one-woman bakery in a tiny kitchen, the custom-order lifestyle was a recipe for burnout:

• Every order required a different setup
• Every product had its own ingredients
• Every design required a different skillset
• Every week felt inconsistent
• And the margins were way too small for the hours involved

Even though I loved the creativity, I couldn’t grow like that.

Custom orders are beautiful…
but they’re also time-consuming, labor-intensive, and unpredictable. (And don’t get me started on the time consumed on the emails back and forth to finalize the vision of the order)

And unpredictability is the enemy of growth.

I knew something had to change.

The First Big Shift: Raising My Custom Order Minimum

At the start of 2025, I made a decision that terrified me:

I made a custom order minimum.

Why?

Because if I was going to stay on the custom-order path, I needed to be paid for the time, labor, and space it actually took.

If someone didn’t truly need me, they wouldn’t book me — and that was the point.

This was the moment I started choosing clarity over chaos.

And raising the minimum gave me the space to think.

The Second Shift: Eliminating Most of My Menu

After adding the minimum, I took an even bigger step:

I removed almost everything from my menu.

I reduced my menu down to macarons. Only macarons.
Because that’s what I was known for.
That’s what I won an award for.
And that’s what people trusted me to do well.

This shift felt like a deep exhale.

For the first time, I wasn’t buried under seven different product categories.

I was focused.

The Third Shift: Becoming a Product-Based Bakery

Once I eliminated the chaos, I started creating products — not projects.

Instead of making:

• one dozen of this
• one dozen of that
• fifteen custom designs

…I began producing items in batches.

This is where everything changed.

A product-based bakery is built on:

• repetition
• efficiency
• scalability
• consistent offerings
• predictable workload
• streamlined packaging
• easy labeling
• simplified shopping experience

Instead of reinventing the wheel for every order, I standardized my offerings.

How My Product Line Evolved (Organically and Through Trial & Error)

1. Preset Macaron Boxes (5 and 10 count)

These immediately became my staple product.

Consistent. Beautiful. Easy to produce in batches.
And the crowd at the farmers market loved them.

What I didn’t expect was this lesson:

Not all flavors belong in preset boxes
Some flavors are too polarizing.
(Example: pumpkin spice. People either love it or avoid the entire box because of it.)

So I created a “best seller” box with only crowd-pleasers.

Game changer.

2. Seasonal Boxes of 3

This allowed me to keep creativity alive without disrupting the main product line.

People started pairing a box of 10 + a seasonal box of 3.
Perfect upsell.
Perfect impulse purchase.

3. Fatcarons

These became my place to experiment.

Fun flavors, seasonal flavors, niche flavors — all without risking the main menu.

And they were individually wrapped → PERFECT for farmers market crowds.

4. Mookierons → 6oz Cookies

The evolution of these deserves its own storyline.

Mookierons started as a way to use imperfect macaron shells…
…but quickly became time-consuming because I needed to make macarons just to stuff the cookies.

That defeated the purpose.

So I shifted.
I created giant 6oz cookies instead — and people LOST THEIR MINDS.

A whole new crowd started noticing my booth.

Cookies brought attention in a way macarons couldn’t, simply because more people understand cookies.

Another win.

5. Cinnamon Rolls

This was my wild card.

I didn’t think they belonged.
I didn’t want to confuse people.
I didn’t want to “become a bakery offering everything” again.

But once I listened to my customers, to my family, and to the crowd…

…I realized cinnamon rolls were the missing piece.

Not only did they diversify my offerings —
they became something I’m known for.

People literally come to the booth asking:
“Are you the cinnamon roll girl?”

Between macarons, cookies, and rolls…
I unintentionally built a trio that people are obsessed with.

And for the first time ever, I could feel a new identity forming for my bakery.

Why This Streamlining Worked

Here’s the truth:

My micro-bakery couldn’t grow when I was offering everything.

But when I offered less?

I produced more.
Sold more.
Earned more.
Grew more.
And built more brand recognition.

This is why streamlining works:

✔️ You become known for something

Not hidden behind 20 products.

✔️ You produce faster

Batch production > custom production.

✔️ You waste less

Ingredients overlap.
Egg whites go to macarons.
Egg yolks go to cookies + cinnamon rolls.

✔️ You make more money

More efficiency = more profit.

✔️ Customers understand what you sell

Clear is powerful. Confusing is expensive.

✔️ You build a foundation for scaling

This is how Crumbl, Milk Bar, and successful product-based bakeries do it.

And it all started because I simplified.

Streamlining My Product Line Became the Launchpad for My Entire Future Plan

Without realizing it at the time, simplifying my menu:

• made the farmers market possible
• helped me build predictable weekly production
• allowed me to see real patterns in demand
• gave me a clear niche
• connected me to my future storefront concept
• inspired the name Fatté
• laid the groundwork for drops + shipping
• freed my time to build Hey Modern Baker
• helped me see myself as a real business owner, not a custom-order machine

This wasn’t just a business decision —
it was a clarity decision.

And it completely transformed the direction of my bakery.