Alanna T’ia lives in Columbia, MO and sells semi-custom decorated cakes and other treats with her cottage food business, Sugar, Butter & Flour.

Alanna always made her kids’ birthday cakes as they were growing up, but after making her daughter’s wedding cake in 2019, she decided to turn her longtime hobby into a home bakery.

It wasn’t long before Alanna became the go-to cake maker in her area, and she has now made over $100,000 per year in sales multiple times!

In this episode, Alanna shares how she became a 6-figure baker by creating a professional setup with streamlined systems, exceptional customer service, and consistent high-quality products.

• Treat It Like a Business from Day One: Alanna didn’t just bake. She set up a professional website, used a CRM for orders, and streamlined her systems. She says, “I run my bakery, my home bakery, like I would a shop.” This mindset helped her hit $100K+ in sales multiple times!
• Be Transparent & Set Boundaries: On her website, Alanna lays out all options, prices, and policies upfront. No guesswork for customers. She’s clear about what she does (and doesn’t) offer, which saves time and attracts the right clients. She even has strict business hours and a contract to protect her time. Take it from her: “Just because I work out of my home doesn’t mean I’m less professional.”
• Adapt, Innovate, and Know Your Why: From shifting her menu to match trends (hello, dessert spreads and sourdough!) to advocating for better cottage food laws, Alanna is always evolving. She reminds us: “Find your why, and once you’ve found it, figure out your backend and start selling legitimately.” Her passion for supporting her family keeps her motivated, even through those 16-hour days!

Sugar, Butter & Flour website (Instagram | Facebook)

Dubsado (Customer Relationship Management tool)

Missouri Cottage Food Law

Do you spend too much time juggling spreadsheets, managing DMs, and trying to keep track of custom orders?

If so, you absolutely should check out My Custom Bakes. It’s an order-management platform built by cottage bakers, for cottage bakers. It’s an easy way to market, manage, and monetize custom orders — all in one place.

Your shop comes with a semi-customizable website, automated quote-to-order workflows, and a built-in chat feature. You can manage availability, scheduling, presales, and custom product options without the hassle.

Best of all? It’s community-funded and has no hidden fees or percentage cuts. Join the 1,000+ bakers who rely on My Custom Bakes to stay focused on baking, not busywork.

To learn more, go to mycustombakes.com.

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/149