Baking up Success with Kat Gordon

The Muddy’s Bake Shop owner shared some sweet tips

The Collierville Chamber resumed their Women’s Network Luncheon (WLN) program on Wednesday with their April meeting, featuring Kat Gordon of Muddy’s Bake Shop. Taylor Scott, the Chamber’s Special Program and Events Coordinator kicked things off by recognizing new members and premier partners. She also highlighted a Chamber ribbon cutting that occurred earlier that week at Oh Grate! Amy Bingham, co-owner of the meal prep company, was in the crowd for her first WLN meeting. Taylor then turned the microphone over to Pansy Hall of Patriot Bank Mortgage, sponsor of all WLNs, to introduce the meeting’s featured guest.

Kat started out by briefly recapping her fifteen-year journey, from a “26-year-old tornado of anxiety and depression” to owning and running one of the most successful and loved bakeries in the city. This naturally developed into Kat sharing two of the most helpful advice pieces she’s received: “say yes to almost everything” and “say no to almost everything.” The first part stems from one not knowing what opportunities are out there while the second part is all about putting one’s self first and setting necessary boundaries. While they are literally opposites, “context is everything.” So, how can one find a balance between the two?  A concise way of deciding, Kat says, is “if it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no.” That got laughs from the audience. She encouraged the audience to share their own experiences with this way of thinking. The interactive and introspective activities were a hit with the members.

Kat explained that these two ways of thinking are huge for the success of Muddy’s today in a few distinct ways: consolidating three locations of over 6,000 sq. feet into one 3,000 sq. ft. location (now off Broad Avenue), and the team size, from over 60 at its peak to now 15 amazing members. This allows for better staff wages, staff expertise of product (“they excel at their craft), and longevity among the team. She credits her awesome team for the world-class experience created in the bake shop. “Setting people up for success is my favorite part of the management aspect of owning a business,” explains Kat. As the Muddy’s owner puts it: “we are growing… smaller.” Again, opposites at work.  The latter half of her presentation was filled with awesome tidbits about Muddy’s past, present, and future, including a wide array of professional workshops and baking classes. The bake shop looks to meet its customers where they are.

Taylor returned to round out the program. She highlighted multiple upcoming events, including the sold-out golf tournament happening on May 15^th and the newly scheduled August Monthly Meeting, with speaker Judge Lee Ann Pafford Dobson, who was in attendance for this event.