We had the good fortune of connecting with Betty Diaz and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Betty, how do you think about risk?
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” – Muhammad Ali
We are firm believers in risk-taking (we opened up in the midst of a looming pandemic). Risk-taking is what pushed us into starting Wicked Bread. We sat on the Cinnamon Bread recipe for years before realizing what we had. Inevitably, it was roughly 3 months from our friends telling us, “this is really good, you guys should sell it.” to the day we opened our booth at the Yellow Green Farmers Market. Our vision, definitiveness of purpose, and betting it all on us, have helped us persevere through the ups and downs that the past year has thrown at us. Once the market closed, we could have easily said, “the timing just wasn’t right.” and called it a day. Instead, we began our e-commerce site and started shipping and delivering our loaves. It kept us busy during the pandemic and, in the long run, it saved our business.
Our mindset for risk-taking in life and our career are the same, we avoid making excuses or allowing external factors to hold us back from pursuing an idea or goal.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
As full-time educators, our business model had to be flexible enough for it to not interfere with our main jobs. I think the product itself is what sets us apart from others. We combined the universal appeal of bread and cinnamon rolls into one fantastic treat.
We are most excited about the future of Wicked Bread and the endless possibilities we foresee in the coming months.
Nothing worth pursuing is ever easy. There are never enough hours in the day to accomplish everything we’d like. We’ve approached our business’s growth in baby steps. As much as we would love to be an overnight success, we understand the process of growing organically and have not become obsessed with followers or likes on social media.
Being in control of our own destiny has been our biggest lesson learned. While multiple exponential growth opportunities have come our way, we’ve vowed from the very beginning to not “sell out” for a quick buck. We refuse to compromise the integrity of the product for someone else’s interest.
As crazy as this sounds, the best part of our business is watching the faces of our customers try our product for the first time. Good food has a unique way of making people feel happy. So whether it’s a cheat meal, a guilty pleasure, comfort food, or just your go-to delicious option for dessert or breakfast accompaniment, we want people to look for us as the elixir of joy.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are so many places to choose from. While we really don’t have a go-to spot, it would definitely involve the beaches, Brickell, Wynwood, and the Hollywood Broadwalk.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We are the epitome of a Mom and Pop shop. Wicked Bread was born out of a passion for baking and a desire to create something we can call our own. My husband/business partner is the ballon to my string. He is my biggest fan and supporter and pushes me to continuously do better. Our daughters keep us centered and focused and a special shout to my mom and dad for their lifelong mentorship.
Website: https://www.wickedbread.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wickedbreadco/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddie-diaz-a661051a/
Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/wickedbreadco
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wickedbreadco/
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/wicked-bread-co-hollywood