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Sweet Hart Kitchen is putting a sweet spin on baked goods

By Wave
By Wave
Reviewed by
February 10, 2020
5 minutes read

Alexandra is the founder of Sweet Hart Kitchen, a Toronto-based bakery with a wholesome philosophy on treats. These homemade goods come from a deep love of creating in the kitchen that she shares with her community–and they can't get enough.

Can you tell us a little bit about your business?

Sweet Hart Kitchen is a vegan, gluten-free, and naturally sweetened bakery located in Kensington market. It started out as a small wholesale and custom-order based business operating out of a shared commercial kitchen space in Leslieville. I saw that there was this growing demand for healthy alternative eats and treats, so with the help of a super supportive community I was able to scale the business into what it has become today.

How did you know you wanted to work for yourself?

I've been experimenting in the kitchen since I was really young and hoped with all my heart that one day I would be able to share some of my creations with others. I think I've always gone against-the-grain in the way that I operate. I loved to learn, but I couldn’t stay seated or focused in a classroom. After I graduated with a Business degree inMarketing, I knew I couldn’t ignore my passion to dream and create for much longer. Through a bit of networking and exploration, things kind of fell into place after that. The puzzle pieces just came together over time!

What is one piece of advice you'd give to somebody starting a new business?

There’s support! Be it business grants, loans, meeting with other entrepreneurs within the same industry. Companies like BizLaunch, Futurpreneur & Ignite Capital helped made my dream possible, so don't be afraid to get out there and talk to your community. It's also important to set systems in place so that you can limit surprises. There’s so much that goes into daily operations that you will always be learning and putting out fires constantly.

What do you love most about your job?

The business isn’t just a bakery for me. It has become a safe haven. It's a place to work, but also to create and find freedom. Each day is a gift and no matter how stressful it can get, I wouldn’t trade it for anything else. The most rewarding part has been building a team of like minded individuals who believe in it as much as I do. I love seeing how much joy it brings to other people, and how many lovely people I get to meet along the way. This level of support truly brings up so much emotion, especially when I am in need of some light (or a hug).

What do you find most challenging?

I think because I’m still very involved in the day-to-day operations the biggest struggle has been the work-life balance. You cannot pour from an empty cup and I think the hardest part is putting as much care back into myself as I do the business. That’s part of the experience though! I know that with time and practice things will balance out. You gotta take care of yourself!

Have you experienced any unexpected turns as a business owner?

I’d be lying if I said it didn’t, but the most important part is to just focus on maintaining a solid foundation that can support you as you navigate those changes. Life is full of the unexpected and that is the same with running a business. Just keep your intuition on high & go from there. You’ll make it through.

What do you do when you're not running Sweet Hart Kitchen?

As of right now, I wish I had some more time and space for hobbies, but I will say the most important thing to me is doing anything and everything possible to reconnect with myself so that I can be a better human for my business, my loved ones and for myself. A hefty task!

Sweet Hart Kitchen is now taking Valentine's Day orders. Try some of these delicious treats today!



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Payroll
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Hire a bookkeeper
additional fee
additional fee
Option to accept online payments
Starting at
2.9% + $0.60
per credit card transaction
Starting at
2.9% + $0*
per credit card transaction
for first 10 transactions/mo
Unlimited invoices, estimates, bills
Add your logo and brand colors
Automate late payment reminders
with online payments
Wave mobile app
Unlimited bookkeeping records
Dashboard and reports
Auto-import transactions
Auto-merge transactions
Auto-categorize transactions
Add users
Live-person chat and email support
with any paid add-on
Digitally capture unlimited receipts
additional fee
Payroll
additional fee
additional fee
Hire a bookkeeper
additional fee
additional fee
starter
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$0
Legacy businesses
New businesses
pro
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$16USD or
$20CAD/mo
starter
Plan
$0
Legacy businesses
New businesses
pro
Plan
$16USD or
$20CAD/mo
Invoicing + payments
Option to accept online payments
(and create unique links with checkouts)
Starting at
2.9% + $0.60
per credit card transaction
Starting at
2.9% + $0.60
per credit card transaction
Starting at
2.9% + $0*
per credit card transaction
for first 10 transactions/mo

Send invoices, estimates, and other docs:

  • via links or PDFs
  • automatically, via Wave
with online payments
with online payments
Automate late payment reminders
with online payments
with online payments
Add your logo and brand colors
Remove Wave branding from footers
Add attachments to invoices and estimates (NEW!)
Create reusable message templates (NEW!)
Invoice and estimate in the mobile app
Accounting
Unlimited bookkeeping records
Auto-import bank transactions
Auto-merge and categorize transactions
Add users to your business
businesses already auto-importing bank transactions and/or that already have users added to their businesses as of May 1, 2024
Digitally capture unlimited receipts
with receipts add-on
with receipts add-on
Manage accounting transactions in the mobile app and sync with desktop (NEW!)
with receipts add-on
with receipts add-on
Other Wave features
Dashboard and reports
Live-person chat + email support
with any optional add-on
with any optional add-on
Optional add-ons
Receipts
nothing changes
additional fee
included
Payroll
nothing changes
additional fee
additional fee
Advisors
nothing changes
additional fee
additional fee
Invoicing + payments
Option to accept online payments
(and create unique links with checkouts)
Starting at
2.9% + $0.60
per credit card transaction
Starting at
2.9% + $0.60
per credit card transaction
Starting at
2.9% + $0*
per credit card transaction for first 10 transactions/mo
Send invoices, estimates, and other docs via links or PDFs
Send invoices, estimates, and other docs automatically, via Wave
with online payments
with online payments
Automate late payment reminders
with online payments
with online payments
Add your logo and brand colors
Remove Wave branding from footers
Add attachments to invoices and estimates (NEW!)
Create reusable message templates (coming NEW!)
Invoice and estimate in the mobile app
Accounting
Unlimited bookkeeping records
Auto-import, -merge, and -categorize bank transactions
businesses already auto-importing bank transactions and/or that already have users added to their businesses as of May 1, 2024
Add users to your business
businesses already auto-importing bank transactions and/or that already have users added to their businesses as of May 1, 2024
Digitally capture unlimited receipts
with receipts add-on
with receipts add-on
Manage accounting transactions in the mobile app and sync with desktop (NEW!)
with receipts add-on
with receipts add-on
Other Wave features
Dashboard and reports
Live-person chat + email support
with any optional add-on
with any optional add-on
Optional add-ons
Receipts
nothing changes
additional fee
included
Payroll
nothing changes
additional fee
additional fee
Advisors
nothing changes
additional fee
additional fee

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