The Power of Believing in Yourself

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The Power of Believing in Yourself

We’ve now had Beechworth Bakery for 27 years. In the early days the townspeople, the council, and the media all loved us. We could do no wrong. We were putting Beechworth on the map. It was an exciting time, building our brand and turning this rundown bakery into a success story. It was hard work, but I loved every minute of it.

The baking industry could not believe what we were achieving. We were out there trying new ideas, products, and marketing. We were very innovative. We won some big awards and became quite famous. But the secret is staying up there, and we have done that. Quite a few of my baker mates have dropped by the wayside, but we are still setting goals and raising the bar.

People find it hard to believe a country bakery can build such a brand. At times we’ve had both locals and the media bag us. But we don’t listen to dream takers. We don’t rent our headspace out to anyone. People have underestimated the power of our brand and our culture. It’s our staff who make the difference.

These days I don’t run the show. My business partner Marty Matassoni runs the whole business. I know people have underestimated him. Marty has made the company bigger and better than ever before. He did his apprenticeship with me, and now he is the boss. He has had to learn so much.

These days, with six bakeries, we employ about 250 people full- and part-time and turn over in excess of $14 million. Marty has a bigger job than I ever had. He has transformed the company. Our staff culture is better than it’s ever been. We have a lot more discipline in all areas of the business.

Before Marty, I had other managers and at times we got ourselves into financial difficulties and lost the plot with products and customer service. There were multiple problems. That is why some people thought we had run our race.

Marty and his team of managers reinvented Beechworth Bakery. Marty has the passion, the courage, and also the energy. He is willing to learn and keep learning. But the main thing is this: Marty has the belief in himself. He believes in his team, and he believes in the brand.

It’s the believers in this life who pick up the prizes.

 “People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. 
 
When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success.”

                                                  ~Norman Vincent Peale