Rising to new Challenges
A Baker's Guide to Business Writing
Why, yes, there are crumbs in my keyboard. Hazards of the job.
In an unexpected plot twist, this former baker and business owner now kneads words instead of dough.
I was sitting in a writer’s workshop the first time I heard the term “massage the language.” Writing, it turns out, is not dissimilar to baking bread. If you don’t knead the dough enough, it won’t be strong enough to support the structure of the bread, but overwork it, and the whole thing falls apart. The same can be said of great writing. The trick is in refining your instincts to know when you’re about to cross that line. Precision, timing, knowing your audience, and being adaptable are all strategies that have served me well in both industries.
Today, I’m sharing how my background in baking and business ownership has unexpectedly prepared me for a career in writing— and why it matters for your business.
Precision Matters
Any good baker will tell you that the way you measure ingredients is crucial to the success of the recipe. Why?
In baking, just like in writing, precision matters. Baking is all about ratios- too much liquid, and you’ll go from cookie to cake. Words, then, are a writer’s ingredients, and carefully choosing the right words will determine whether you end up with a buttery, layered croissant sure to satisfy the most refined palettes or a dry, crumbled biscuit with an aftertaste of regret.
I learned this lesson during my first semester of pastry school. Moving hastily to complete the task, I realized too late that I’d put the batch of double chocolate muffins in the oven without adding the sugar. From that day forward, I’d make a habit of double and triple-checking recipes to make sure I get the ratios just right.
I bring the same level of attention and intention to writing projects, making sure I nail each aspect of the brief so that the finished piece hits all the right notes and is sure to leave people asking for the recipe—your recipe.
Timing is Everything
Deadlines aren’t just important to business, they are the backbone of a production kitchen. A complex recipe will read more like an itinerary with narrow windows and benchmarks to achieve. Rarely does a production schedule allow for the narrow focus of one product at a time, so a baker is constantly measuring themselves against that itinerary to make sure each product is moving along with perfect timing. Make no mistake- bakers are experts at timing and deadlines.
In my experience, a little planning goes a long way. Deadlines for small projects work great, but for larger projects, you can be sure that there will be a breakdown of checkpoints along the way to ensure your project is on track. Businesses run on a tight schedule, and my goal is never to be the one holding up progress. If you need a weekly newsletter, you can be assured you’ll have that content well in advance so that when it’s time to share, all the hard work is already done, and it’s just a matter of pushing a button.
Know Your Audience
Taste is subjective, and so is your customer base. How well you gauge their preferences will determine whether or not they crave what you’re offering. Even if it’s perfectly executed, you can’t expect someone to be satisfied with a five-layer triple chocolate cake if what they asked for was a chocolate chip cookie.
My early enthusiasm for baking led to much heartache while I learned this lesson. One Mother’s Day, I painstakingly poured hours of my time into creating the most precise little layered petite-fours for our family gathering. When they were passed over for Swiss Cake Rolls and Russel Stover candies, I lamented the lack of refinement in my family’s taste buds. Now, I realize that the error was mine. I was baking for myself, and blaming the lack of appreciation on my family- but they didn’t ask for a fancy dessert!
Catering to your audience is absolutely key to ensuring that your content or cookies make a good impression. When your content resonates with your audience, it makes them feel seen and appreciated. They have a clear sense of knowing that what you’re creating is for them, and that’s the key to meaningful, lasting relationships, both in life and business.
Adaptability
Sure, baking is a science, and precision is important, but the skill I found most valuable in the kitchen was how adaptable I could be when things got off track.
This easily set me apart in my baking career. Working with teams of bakers, I would often be the one to come in, assess the relative success of a recipe, and then offer a few tweaks to make the item shine. Sometimes, it was adjusting ingredient ratios and remaking the recipe, but often, it was as simple as a careful presentation and a dusting of powdered sugar. This is the power of editing.
It’s easy to work well in perfect conditions, but when a recipe doesn’t come out as expected or a client isn’t happy with your work, how well can you pivot? To me, this is the mark of a professional. Taking feedback, making adjustments, and trusting that the process of alchemizing efforts and intentions will lead to a finished product that not only satisfies but also leaves people wanting more.
The Final Proof
From precisely measuring ingredients to adapting recipes on the fly, the skills I honed in the kitchen have proven invaluable in my writing career. Just as a baker's creations nourish and delight, well-crafted words can feed a business's growth and satisfy its audience's cravings for information.
Whether you need website copy as layered as a croissant, bite-sized social media posts as irresistible as cookies, or long-form content as substantial as a hearty loaf of bread, my unique background ensures I can deliver writing that's both precisely crafted and adaptable to your needs.
When searching for a writer to create compelling content, consider this: the most valuable skills often come from surprising sources. Though my words won't carry the scent of freshly baked goods, they'll certainly leave your audience craving more.
If you’re ready to whip something up and want a fresh perspective, I’d love to hear from you. After all, in business, as in baking, it's all about creating something that people can't wait to devour.
