Today we’d like to introduce you to Bailey Morris.
Hi Bailey, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in a family that loved cooking and I always enjoyed helping my parents cook or bake. As I grew a little older, I started to cook and bake more on my own. It started with simple cakes and breads, and over time I had many friends and family tell me that I could sell what I made because it was so good. Around age 13 I started my business, The Tasty Fox, selling cookies and breads to friends and family. When I was in middle school, I was obsessed with foxes so I included it in my business name and it stuck. I took a break from baking during my first years of high school to focus on sports and friends. In 2018 I got into a baking groove, wanting to try new things and possibly start selling again. My business took off and I started selling what I baked through social media. I participated in the 2018 Landrum Famers Market and would sell out every week. I came back to the farmers market again in 2019 but only for a few weeks as I was plenty busy with my job and baking orders throughout the week. As my love of baking grew so did my desire to try new things and experiment more, which sometimes didn’t turn out how I wanted it to but always taught me a lesson of what not to do next time. I now offered way more than I did when I first started. I made scones, different types of breads and rolls, full-sized cakes, pastries, and cupcakes. When the pandemic hit, I was certain my business would start to fall away like so many others, but it was almost the opposite. Graduation season for 2020 was a very busy one because everyone wanted to give their graduate something extra special after the year they had. It’s only continued to grow since. I’ve been invited and have participated in so many local events selling my baked goods to get my business name out there more. I’m currently in one of my most busy seasons yet getting orders left and right while transitioning into new seasons of life. I am so excited to see how my business grows in the future!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Starting your own business at any age is difficult, but especially when you are young and don’t have a lot of money or a lot of credibility. My mom would come with me every week to the farmers market to help me set up and people assumed it was her business. They were always so shocked that someone so young, at the time 15, was baking for 9-10 hours straight every Friday to wake up at 5 am to go to the Saturday market. Many people just couldn’t take me seriously. They’d go to a store bakery or somewhere else because they saw my business as a lemonade stand at a yard sale, not a business that I poured so much time and energy into. The slow seasons can also be very discouraging. There were times where I wouldn’t get a single order for weeks or a month, especially the months following Christmas where people were spending less money. Not every farmers’ market was successful either. There was one week, in particular, I had so much unsold come breakdown time I had to sell everything for $1 to get rid of it. Unlike working for someone else when there’s a guaranteed paycheck each week, when you run your own business you never know. Some weeks you make a great profit and others you struggle to break even. The important thing is that I have continued on through the rough patches and have thrived during other seasons because of it. It can be difficult and overwhelming juggling running a business at 19 while also going to college full-time, being an assistant manager at my other job, and just trying to be a teenager and have fun sometimes. Most people my age are out on the weekends while I’m at home baking or at work. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I love having responsibilities and being busy. That’s where I thrive.
As you know, we’re big fans of The Tasty Fox. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
The Tasty Fox is a home bakery located in Inman, SC that specialized in 100% homemade baked goods, utilizing local and organic ingredients. Supporting local businesses and farms is very important to me. During the summer months, my family and I will go and pick strawberries and blueberries from small patches to use in what I bake. My dad is awesome and he works year-round to make our summer garden amazing so I can use fresh herbs and tomatoes in what I bake. I don’t think many bakeries can say what they bake with comes from their backyard, literally. I believe where your food comes from is so important, both for economic reasons and for quality. I am so proud that I pour into my local community, and they pour into me. Supporting local is so vital. I also believe using better ingredients results in a better product. I strive to use as much organic as possible. You will never find artificial flavorings or ingredients in my kitchen, ever. Every recipe is as simple as it can get, letting the high-quality ingredients shine through and produce something better than anything you would get from a commercial bakery.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
If I could use one word, endurance. There’s been so many times I wondered if it would even work out. My very first farmers market I was so nervous because I was just a 15-year-old girl, selling cupcakes and scones under a red tent among so many amazing vendors. I didn’t know if anyone would buy from me. I was so wrong. Every person has been so supportive of me doing this, especially my family who have always believed in me. I kept going, even when I wasn’t sure if things would work out. I had to teach myself everything. I haven’t gone to culinary school and didn’t have someone to teach me. I had to figure it out myself. I am a very stubborn person in nature, so if I am determined to do something, I will do it, even if it takes lots of trial and error. Going back to my supportive family, I couldn’t have done it without them. My mom is always there, doing the dishes and cleaning up after me because the kitchen kind of turns upside down on some baking days (sorry m0m!). She’s also so emotionally supportive too. I can get down easily if I go to an event and I didn’t get the turnout I wanted or if I bake something and it completely fails and I have to start over again, she’s there. My family has put the entrepreneur spirit in me for sure. Even as a very young girl, I always imagined myself as the owner of something, never working for someone else but being my own boss, and I know I get that from my parents. I will never be able to show how much gratitude I have for all they have done.
Contact Info:
- Email: baileybakes2@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/thetastyfox?utm_medium=copy_link
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetastyfox/
