Today we’d like to introduce you to Chana Wood.
Hi Chana, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was raised in the beautiful town of Cumberland, in the Midwestern state of Wisconsin. My childhood days were spent on my grandparents’ farm, watching my Grandpa Ricci harvest his crops and milk the dairy cows.
Experiencing this gift of baking with my grandmother is how the love for baking was ignited in my soul. I don’t have a single memory of my grandma’s meals without some sort of delicious cookie, cake, or treat. It was a signature of being in Donna’s kitchen. I was her flour sifter, her sugar shaker, and her taste tester. She and I would flip through her recipe cards, choosing new and exciting things to bake. It was how we bonded, and how we became so deeply connected.
In the summer of 2013, after living in the Twin Cities for 15 years, my husband was let go from his full time job. We had two young daughters at the time. Our lives were turned upside down and we were now faced with the fact that I was a stay-at-home mom whose hobby provided hardly enough income. We were terrified and torn as we had two little girls to provide for. We were asked to move from our apartment (we lived on site as my husband was a property manager) in just 14 days. After many tears and painful moments, we decided to take the biggest risk of our lives. We decided to sell nearly everything we owned on Craigs List, pack up our lives and move back to Wisconsin near the very farm where all my baking was born. We didn’t have any ideas where or if Jon could find work. We just knew that Sugar Wood was our chance to really have the dream business we’d always wanted for ourselves. We were going to give it to God and walk through the fear. And I’m proud to say, that we now live 3 miles from my Grandparent’s farm in Cumberland Wisconsin. We took a risk and decided to live off our faith and intuition; I feel God has guided us right where we are supposed to be.
Sugar Wood has grown and our products are featured in many retail locations! We’ve got big dreams for our business as we continue to be embraced by the incredible community who supports us! Moving back home to Cumberland Wisconsin was the best decision we could have ever made. A network of loving friends has supported our products from day one.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road in any way, shape or form. There have been many struggles along the way. Building our commercial kitchen in our renovated garage was a huge accomplishment. My husband had to study for weeks to make sure every detail was up to code. We also had to find out how to market our product and get our foot in the door with large retailers. We had no experience with marketing but we KNEW how to sell so we used those skills to help create a brand.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Last summer we opened our first retail location in downtown Cumberland, Wisconsin! This has been a wild ride! Our shop is a mixture of our Sugar Wood brand as well as my clothing line: Sugar Wear.
The shop allows customers to come in and shop for one of a kind goods, many created by me.
And we are the only shop in our area that lets you make your own screen-printed apparel on SITE! We offer blank shirts, sweatshirts and trucker hats and allow customers to choose from pre-printed screen prints and decals to adorn their apparel.
There is also a wide selection of bleach-dyed, pre-printed and ready-to-buy apparel as well.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Trust your gut. I can not emphasize this enough. Sharpen your intuition skills and trust that you know your brand and business better than anyone else.
When I first started out, I spent way too much time gathering the opinions of others. Many of these people did not own businesses and do not have the creative eyes I did. I didn’t trust myself and I was looking for validation. I wish I would’ve spent more time listening to what I knew was right in my heart rather than hoping others could guide me.
Mentors are wonderful. Reaching out to people who have been where you are is vital for success. But when you are picking the brain of people who have never been in your situation, that is not good. Trust yourself, trust your talent, and never give up.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.sugarwoodshop.com
- Instagram: Sugar Wood
- Facebook: Sugar Wood
- Youtube: Sugar Wood
Image Credits
Chana Wood
Rachael Nadau
Alice Fayhey
