Fresh Baked Business
Jullia Stolworthy moved to Cedar City five years ago with no intentions of starting her own business. She had been a hairdresser for fifteen years. She has always baked as a hobby for her family and friends. When she first moved to Cedar City she started to bake for her friends at the Women’s Clinic. Her friends enjoyed her baked goods so much that they started asking her if they could pay her to bake for them. This became the bud that blossomed into a business.
Julia acquired an account baking cookies for a local business called Soda Run. Family and friends started to ask her if this was something she could do as her own business. Julia has always been very motivated and driven and she believes others asking her if she could do this was the spark that got her going.
Although opening and running a bakery wasn’t something she originally envisioned for herself, she is a fourth generation baker. Her aunt runs a bakery in upstate New York that was previously owned by her grandfather and was originally started by her great grandparents. The only regret she has is that she wishes she had spent more time in a bakery learning the ropes.
Take Your Time
When asked what advice she could give to women just starting out she replied, “Take your time, take your time”. Julia also gave this advice, “Before you jump in, take a look at your life and see if you have three key things: time, energy and drive. If those aren’t there don’t do it”. She believes she has been successful because she has those three qualities. She also has a very supportive spouse and children that have made a lot of sacrifices to help her succeed. Another thing that helped her has been having an outside support system. She has a couple of friends that are in business that have mentored her and she knows they are there to bounce ideas off of or give advice. She hopes to be the same type of mentor to other women just starting out in business.
Before starting her business she spent months doing research on bakeries and the industry she was going into. After that, she said, you just have to jump in and do it. Her religious faith has helped to inspire and guide her decisions. She feels this has given her the guidance she needs to make this happen. Julia would go through all of it again to be where she is now. She said all the hard work, experiences, tears and laughter have all been worth it.
So what makes her bakery different? Julia didn’t go into business thinking she was going to be rich and famous. She just wants people to enjoy her products and learn new things as she goes. Her children work for her part time and this is helping them gain confidence and self esteem.
Where to Find Her Sweets
You can find Julia at Sweet and Knotty Bakery, 755 S. Main Street in Cedar City, UT. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram. Julia’s bakery is down the street from our Cedar City office, and she provided sweets for our Grand Opening celebration. If you attend an event at our Cedar City office, you could see her sweets again!