Hello, everyone!
We are fast approaching the final quarter of the year... where has the time gone? With just five months remaining, it's time to keep showing up, stay focused, and continue building toward the goals we've set.
July has been full steam ahead in all of the best ways. Looking back, the month was filled with back-to-back weekends of markets, bake days, content shoots, bookkeeping meetings and, of course, working full-time alongside it all.
It was a month that demanded a lot from me. In many ways, it felt like a test—not just of endurance, but of how well I could continue making good decisions and moving the business forward, even when I was tired. Those are often the moments where the strongest systems are built.
Bake Days
My bakery weekends continue to be one of my favourite parts of the business.
This month I made some adjustments to recipe volumes, increasing batch sizes slightly to maximise the capacity of each bake tray. Alongside this, I updated all of my recipe templates and costing spreadsheets to reflect these changes.
Every production day is an opportunity to refine the process. Small improvements compound over time, making each bake day more efficient while also improving consistency across the finished product and production costs.
For now, I still transport ingredients, equipment and finished products to and from the bakery each production day. It's all part of the journey. As Kacie Jae's continues to grow and production increases, investing in our own baking space will become a realistic next step.
Until then... we have work to do.
Finders Keepers
This month I also exhibited at the Finders Keepers Autumn/Winter Market, held over three days at Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building. My mum flew over from Adelaide to help again, and having her there always makes such a difference.
Markets continue to be one of the most valuable learning experiences for the business. Beyond the sales, they're an opportunity to connect with customers, chat with fellow makers and observe how people interact with the brand in person.
Every event leaves me with pages of ideas. This time, my focus is on continuing to elevate the customer experience through product line expansion, grab-and-go options that can be enjoyed at the market, custom carry bags, printed brand materials, and refining my market display and overall presentation.
There's always something to improve, and that's one of the things I enjoy most.
Content Shoot
The most recent weekend was spent creating our next round of content.
I hired a beautiful cottage in the hills of Warrandyte, and the day itself was everything I had hoped for. I left feeling incredibly inspired and excited to see the final images and videos.
Once the content is delivered, I'll be launching a new round of Meta advertising and returning to weekly ad reviews. The goal is simple: continue analysing performance and creating more of what resonates.
One area I'm especially excited to explore is food styling and recipe creation—showcasing different ways our granola can be enjoyed and helping customers see it as more than just a breakfast product.
Content days are always rewarding, but they also involve weeks of preparation. From developing creative concepts and planning reels, to sourcing props, booking venues, coordinating videography, organising makeup, styling recipes and purchasing ingredients, there's a lot that happens behind the scenes before the cameras even start rolling.
The more organised I am beforehand, the smoother the entire day becomes.
Behind the Scenes
Outside of the visible parts of the business, I've continued investing a significant amount of time into improving our bookkeeping systems and financial workflows.
I've been working closely with an incredible bookkeeper through regular Zoom sessions, learning how to build processes that are both accurate and sustainable as the business grows.
I'm happy to say we've now reached a point where everything is flowing as it should. Going forward, our meetings will simply be regular check-ins to review anything new or troubleshoot as needed.
This has been one of the biggest wins of the month for me personally. Bookkeeping has always been an area that felt overwhelming, so building confidence in this part of the business has been incredibly rewarding. I'm very grateful for the support and guidance I've received along the way.
Looking Ahead
As we move into August, my focus is already shifting toward planning our next content shoot, continuing product development, and spending more time analysing business performance so I can make stronger decisions as we continue to grow.
I'm feeling incredibly grateful for the people around me and more motivated than ever to continue building Kacie Jae's into the business I know it can become.
Thank you, as always, for following along and supporting this journey.
Until next time,
Kacie ♡