Testimonials—Inspiring Success

I am thankful to Women TIES President Tracy Higginbotham for convincing me to be the presenter at a recent Binghamton Luncheon. I was a bit concerned about the two topics she wanted me to choose from - expanding a business and niche marketing. After the expansion of my business to a storefront cafe was not successful, I wasn't sure what my niche was any longer. I had changed the whole dynamics of the original business.

It took a lot of time to gather my thoughts and retrospectively look back to my original business concept to understand what it stands for today. In preparing my speech, I cleared out the clutter and decided to bring the bakery back to how it was originally created. I transferred the storefront café to the kitchen manager so I no longer was responsible for its daily functions. It made a world of difference in my life and in the business.

I would encourage everyone to take the time to look at your business to see if you may have veered away from your original plan; perhaps you too might do a U-turn and go back to the path you originally started on. I can tell you that I feel through this challenge, I have truly found my strengths in my business and also discovered I was able to stand up in front of an audience of other entrepreneurs and talk about my own personal hurdles.

I walked away feeling even more confident in myself and the future of my business. So, if Tracy comes up to you and asks you to consider speaking, I encourage you to really give it some thought. I'm really glad I did!

— Bonni Stacconi Phelps, Baked Euphoria Cakes & Pastries