We’re looking forward to introducing you to Hayley Walsh. Check out our conversation below.
Hayley, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Who are you learning from right now?
It is true when people say we should be life long learners! Also that you don’t learn everything by sitting down at a desk in school, although that is important. I have been learning so much recently from other local business owners and people on social media. This is one of the positive aspects of the world being at our finger tips these days. It is very inspiring to see how other small businesses operate and what their daily lives look like via social media. I learn a lot from hearing their experiences, and am able to take away things I like, and sometimes see things that I don’t wish to do for my business. I also get to see and talk to other local small business owners out in the community and at vendor events! I learn so much from chatting about experiences and bouncing ideas off each other!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Hayley Walsh, I am 24 and from Minnesota! I own a small baking and wholesale business, called Heylulubakes. As well as a food truck called Lulu’s Crepes & Croissants, which is turning two years old this october! I love to bake and I am honored to do this as my job and be my own boss. I attended french pastry school in 2020 and have continued to learn and grow my pastry skills over the last 5 years. My goal is to own a brick and mortar bakery and my two businesses have been great stepping stones to help me get there.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
I felt very powerful when I moved away from home to attend pastry school. I lived alone in Chicago while I attended school. There were a lot of curveballs thrown my way when I was going through that time period. I thought my program was going to be canceled the first week, learned to take public transportation everywhere, figured out how to live on my own, and even ended up living in a convent for a little bit! It was a crazy time but it made me feel empowered as I navigated many changes and challenges.
When you were sad or scared as a child, what helped?
I was a very scared and anxious child, I had trouble sleeping and used to watch the movie Bedtime Stories with Adam Sandler to go to sleep every night! I had to learn what gave me comfort and peace to start to feel less anxious and live a happier life. I learned that being in nature, with family and friends, and exploring creative outlets really helped bring me peace and calmed me down. Even as an adult I still deal with anxiety, Not only have I leaned heavily on those same things that brought me peace, but I also started going to therapy and that has helped me immensley. All of these things used together keep me sane while running multiple businesses and living through the turbulence of life.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
Being kind and genuine will pay off for you in big ways in the long run. I really do believe in the idea of “what goes around comes around”. If I treat everybody with kindness and try to make their days better, it will effect me positively in the future. It sometimes drives me nuts these days how easily people turn to being rude instead of practicing patience and kindness. Especially in the service industry, people are doing a service for you and the least you can do is treat them with kindness!
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I truly feel like I am doing what I was born to do. I absolutely love my job. Not every day is pretty or easy, building a business takes hard work and grit. But I fight through the hard days because I also get to spend time doing what I love. Hours rolling out croissants, talking to customers about my favorite menu items, decorating peoples wedding cakes, watching someone eat one of my croissants in a coffee shop… It makes my heart so happy. Building this brand is like watching my dreams come to life and my pisces soul is overjoyed.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://luluscrepesandcroissants.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/luluscrepesandcroissants
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/luluscrepesandcroissants
- Other: Tiktok: tiktok.com/@luluscrepesandcroissants
Image Credits
Photos By @lex.eix.jpg & @greenbrookphotoanddesign
