Meet a Jane: Misha Neidorfler

Posted on April 19, 2011 - Filed Under A Day in the Life of an Entrepreneur, Jane Dough, Jane Thoughts, Meet a Jane, Success Tips for Jane, Which Jane Are You?

Misha Neidorfler is the owner (along with her husband, Jeff) of Morsels Bite-Sized Bakery + Espresso Bar in Traverse City, Michigan. Morsels is a full service coffee, tea and bite-sized baked goods store. The shop also offers breakfast and lunch items “to go”, catering, and they ship their goodies across the country via online ordering.

We asked Misha why she started her business: “There were several reasons why we started our business. The biggest reason was that I wanted to move our family closer to our extended family and my husband and I needed to do some kind of work when we got there! We talked about various ideas. The bakery allowed my husband and I to work together, which was one of our goals.”

“Secondly, the idea for a bite-sized bakery seemed too good not to try. It seems that we are always having these great ideas that we end up seeing two or three years later, and we didn’t want to let this one get away. The bite-sized bakery idea was the most fun to think about and ultimately came together in about an hour! We had the name, the concept, and the guts of the brand figured out. It was about a year from the time we had the initial idea to when the store was open (that included moving our entire household to another state). The bakery opened in April 2008.”

“Lastly, after being in the corporate world of architecture and design where layoffs were starting to become common, I wanted to be in charge of my family’s future. Owning my business has allowed me to live closer to my family, enjoy professional freedom, and bring an idea that I’m passionate about to fruition.”

When asked what the most rewarding part of running her business is Misha offered this insight: “I love the confidence I have found from owning my own business. I love being able to control all the aspects of the business and deciding what direction I want to take the company. I enjoy the creativity involved with coming up with new products, marketing ideas, procedures, and more. I also relish the flexibility that being the owner allows me with my family’s schedule.

After taking the free Which Jane Are You? assessment at www.JaneOutoftheBox.com, Misha discovered that she is a Jane Dough. Misha concurs: “I agree that I probably work more hours in the week than I should in order to have balance between my work and family lives. But, working so much doesn’t make me unhappy because I really love what I do. And I think it’s been beneficial in growing my business because I’m very committed to the time and attention it takes to be successful.”

“I think it is just how my personality works – I like to be busy, challenged, and have a to-do list. I don’t sit down much and I get antsy when I have to sit still for too long! In my family life, I see Jane Dough showing up much the way it does at the store. I keep everyone organized, plan out meals for the week, and plan our social and cultural family events.”

On the topic of business challenges, Misha had very useful information to share with us: “There are two things that jump to my mind when I think of challenges. The first is the balance of working IN the business vs. working ON the business. As a young company still working to establish our brand, it’s important for me to be in the store every day. I am the face of Morsels and our customers expect to interact with me or at least see that I’m in the store. At the same time, in order to grow the business, many other responsibilities take me away from the store, but are equally as important – the website, social media, marketing, special events, promotions, meetings, business and networking groups. I continue to find it challenging to find enough time away from the store each week to work ON the business.”

“To manage this I’ve worked out a schedule where I am not at the store one day during the business week. That gives me time to schedule meetings, make phone calls, and do paperwork that requires no interruptions. I am SO productive on those days! I also take Sundays off to be with my family and usually end up sneaking in a little work then too.”

“I also have formed a business support group that we call “Business Anonymous”. It is a group for business owners who have been entrepreneurs for 1-7 years. We meet once a month and also have a Facebook group where we discuss issues, successes, ideas and offer each other support.”

“The second challenge is one that I imagine many women business owners struggle with – the balance between managing the business and managing the family. Since my husband and I work together and parent together, we have to be sure to have great communication. We meet once a week to talk about upcoming events for the store, new flavors, finances, and more. It is easy to become overwhelmed when trying to meet everyone’s needs – the customers, staff, children, spouse – so I try to schedule in time for myself to do things that are good for my soul. I read every night, cook dinner, organize our house, keep a garden, and do projects with our children. Building in alone time is very important for my success on both fronts.”

Misha’s advice for other Janes? “Keep your mind on the positive. Take it one day at a time and don’t try to solve every problem today. Surround yourself with people who will help you and be your champion. Don’t think of problems as limitations, just as needing a different solution. Make time for yourself and your family and then let the business go from your mind so you can be present and enjoy the time off.”

You can learn more about Misha and her yummy business by visiting www.morselsbakery.com.

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