Cindy Kienzle, Founder of Hungry Monkey Baking
Name: Cindy Kienzle
Founder: Hungry Monkey Baking
Who is Cindy Kienzle?
It is never too late to live your dream! I started my business at 51! Everything good in my life happened later. I got married at 47, then I lost my beloved marketing and communications position at 48, when I was 7 months pregnant with my first child. Fate intervened, and someone asked me to bake for a charity event with kids with special needs. Since my daughter has special needs, I said YES! Now,13 years later, we are known nationally for our banana bread! Howie Mandel loves our banana bread, and we have built a nice online & wholesale business. Owning my own business has given me the flexibility to be the Mom I always wanted to be, and to own my own baking business.
In less than three sentences tell us about your company and what you do.
Hungry Monkey, an all-natural baking company, started in local farmers markets in 2010 with our signature chocolate chip banana bread and our triple chocolate brownies. We do small batch, all-natural treats. After our first summer, we were asked to sell in Sunset Foods. We are still there, 13 years later, their top-selling product in their bakery! We now do corporate gifting, online, wholesale and events!
What does BEING a FoundHer mean to you?
It means inspiring other women, helping other women, and LEARNING from other women.
How do you support other female founders and women in business?
I have helped many women with resources, help (always gratis) when they are starting out in the baking business. I have shared my contacts in grocery, or given guidance to do -- and often things NOT TO DO, mistakes I MADE, along the way!!
At what point did you make your company a full time gig? How did you know the time was right?
It became my full-time gig after starting it when my daughter was 2 years old. I realized I could not go back to the grind of a high stress, high paying, high maintenance job like I had...I needed the flexibility to take my daughter to doctors, therapy, and also I wanted to be that mom that could be the Girl Scout leader, be at every concert, every school function, etc. And for the most part, I have succeeded in that. Not always, but mostly. I could never have been present had I stayed in my former career and position.
What lesson or skill did you take with you from a prior job to help you succeed in your role today?
To be resourceful, to get best practices. To learn from others.
Let’s talk social media—who handles it for your company (you, an internal team member, an outsourced solution?) and what is the secret to making it successful? What is the biggest challenge?
Well, that is MY BIGGEST struggle. I do it mostly, though I have had agencies in the past...three. The challenge is finding someone amazing that I can afford. The biggest plus is Henie, whom I hired for my IG engagement. She has been a blessing. However, content creation and consistent posting has been hard -- hard to find an agency that actually delivers.
How did you land your first client?
Sunset Foods -- they came to us!! They read about us in a local newspaper. They have been amazing to us and truly support local women. Now I have gotten other women into their stores.
What is something you do differently from the industry standard?
I communicate myself with each and every single customer.
Have you sold a business? If so, how did you know when it was time to sell? What were the steps you took to make it happen? What advice would you give to someone looking to sell?
No, but at 64, I pray that is in my future. It is my wish to leave something for my now 15-year-old daughter so that she has something to help her through life.
What would you do differently if you were starting your business today?
OMG....I would do so many things differently. I would have raised capital, would have hired a consultant, would have interviewed potential marketing firms better.
What are three strategies you use to market your business, grow brand awareness and generate bottom line growth?
Social media, newsletters are so helpful. But mostly building a brand grass roots in a farmers market the first couple of years -- and being PERSONALLY present with each and every customer -- giving them the best ever customer experience. We have all 5 star ratings on Google, Yelp, and on our website.
What was an obstacle you overcame to get your business where it is today? Please share the story behind it.
My daughter being diagnosed with mitochondrial disease, ADHD and Autism 2 months into starting. But with great doctors, therapists, and my husband, and other friends and family -- mostly WOMEN who helped me wrap cakes at midnight, helped me deliver, etc., we overcame a lot and now my daughter is HEALTHY and doing great. She still has some special needs, but she is a straight-A student, sings like an angel, and she is social, empathic, sweet and kind. But through all of this I never gave up, because she never gave up. And I want to show her it is because of her, because of hard work, that we are still in business, and now finally thriving because we held on...we kept on going. It hasn't always been perfect, but we keep on going.
Is there anything else that you would like for us to know about you and your business to share with our community?
My business would not be here if it wasn't for other women -- a local mom asked me to bake, which took off from her event. Another offered a commercial kitchen, her catering business kitchen when she wasn't using it to start, another helped me in my kitchen, and many helped me when I needed it to deliver cakes, wrap cakes at midnight, so many women helped me and gave me advice, like Carol from Carol's Cookies. We baked next door to each other. So many women...shared my story, told others about our banana bread, promoted us!!
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