Today we’d like to introduce you to Raymond Boland.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Raymond. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
We opened our Great Harvest Bread Co. in Johns Creek, Georgia in 2003. Our friends and family thought we were a little crazy at the time. I had a good corporate job as a senior National Account Executive at Coca-Cola and Erika was re-entering the workforce with a background in nutrition and medical sales. Why in the world would we leave those sought-after positions to bake bread for a living?
We also had a 5 and 7-year old at home, making opening a small business that much more complicated. My business friends asked me how I had culled through all of the small business opportunities in the market and made my financial comparisons to pick Great Harvest. The simple and naïve truth is that I didn’t. We wanted to open a Great Harvest Bread Co. for one reason. We loved the bread.
Not only is it the best bread we’d ever tasted, but it is made by grinding Montana grain on a mill in our bakery and using that fresh, whole grain flour every day. We use honey, not corn syrup. We don’t use dough softeners, chemicals or anything artificial. And we bake the bread using an old-fashioned, slow fermentation process. This means that the bread is not only delicious, but it is really good for your body. We loved the idea of making a living by baking healthy products that people would love.
The first couple of years were tough. The build-out was more expensive than we hoped. And when we opened, we soon discovered that customers don’t flood into your business just because you open the doors. We had to get out into the marketplace to let people know who we were and why our bread was special. We did slicing events at races, festivals, and school events. Erika started a great program giving tours in the bakery to school groups of all ages discussing bread making and nutrition.
And all the while, we had to continuously train our new team to make our bread phenomenal and make our customers happy. It was tough and stressful at times. At the 6 month point, we were running out of money and sources of credit to stay afloat. We even had to go to our parents for a couple of short-term loans, which was humbling, to say the least. Fortunately, we were able to juggle it all in order to survive the first year.
As that first year came to an end, I did our numbers, then gave Erika the great news. We had worked our fingers to the bone, missed our kids’ special events at school, slept little and worried a lot. And for all of that, we had only LOST $40 thousand dollars that year. I tell that story to my employees all the time. What if two of you worked a whole year, then got paid nothing and had to give away $40 thousand dollars at the end of the year? Who would do that?
But, that is the story of most small businesses. It is hard at first. It is tough to do something you love but also be able to make a living doing it. As the months ticked by, however, we got better and better. We learned more about hiring, training, ingredient buying, taxes and so many other areas of the business. And by the end of the second year, we were making a small profit.
As I look back, I’m amazed we were able to do what we did. We’ve been in business almost 15 years and we love what we do. We’re not rich, but we make a living doing something different and special. Erika and I both agree that we are happy we traded corporate America for something that is ours and something we are proud of doing.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I hit this in the previous section. There were tough times at first. We had to learn to be efficient. We had to learn about managing people. We had to learn about all the various taxes and regulations that affect a small business. And we had to manage raising 2 kids through all of it.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Great Harvest Bread Co. – what should we know?
We bake bread from-scratch the old-fashioned way. We buy grain in Montana and grind it right there in the bakery every day and use that fresh, whole grain flour. We use honey as a sweetener because it tastes better and is better for your body.
We use a slow fermentation process which makes the bread easier to digest, thus we have customers that have issues eating bread from the grocery store or commercial bakeries, but can eat our bread. We don’t use any chemicals or artificial ingredients. We bake the bread from-scratch every day and only hold it for a day, so it is guaranteed fresh
We also make great sandwiches and salads with the same commitment of using only the best and freshest ingredients and, of course, out great bread.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
First, a never say die attitude is critical. Times get tough and things go wrong. But, never give up trying to figure out how to do and make things better.
Second, never compromise on quality. Use the best ingredients and stick to your principles.
Finally, always take care of your customers. If you do, they will stick with you and help tell your story.
Contact Info:
- Address: 10305 Medlock Bridge Rd Johns Creek, GA 30097 (Johns Creek)
4915 Windward Pkwy Alpharetta, GA 30005 (Alpharetta) - Website: www.getfreshbread.com
- Phone: 770-622-0222
- Email: reboland@greatharvest.com
- Facebook: greatharvestjohnscreekalpharetta
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