Hit 1,000 loaves sold this week and I honestly didn't think I'd make it there

I've been running a small sourdough operation out of my home kitchen for about two years now, and last Saturday I crossed the 1,000 loaf mark. It wasn't a big celebration or anything, just me tallying up my order book after a farmers market shift and realizing the number. What hit me was how that first batch of 12 loaves felt like climbing a mountain, and now 1,000 feels like I finally turned a corner. I had a lot of failures early on, like that time I forgot the starter in a cold garage and killed it, or when I sold underproofed bread that turned into hockey pucks. But I kept tweaking my hydration and scoring technique, and it started to click. Has anyone else hit a random milestone like this and felt weirdly emotional about it, or is it just me?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_ben6d ago

Is getting emotional over bread really that deep though? Not trying to downplay your hustle, but it's still just flour and water at the end of the day. You celebrate when you hit a real business milestone like hiring your first employee or something, right?

davidshah6d ago

Hey @the_ben, have you ever put months of work into something small that most people don't get? I used to feel the same way about my first few projects until I finally nailed something I'd been struggling with for weeks. In my experience, celebrating those little wins keeps you going when the big milestones feel far away. Like, I remember when I finally got my first recipe right after a dozen failures - that feeling was more real than any business award I've got since. Sure, hiring someone is a big deal, but those everyday victories are what actually build the hustle. Take this with a grain of salt, but for me, getting emotional over the small stuff is what makes the big stuff possible.