Rachel Crampsey has 3 kids, 3 degrees, a husband and a background in history. Today, she's expanding her business and shares her 4 simple secrets to success.
By Paul Brubaker | The Backgrounder
It wasn't long ago that Rachel Crampsey was giving away the bread she made in her apartment. Today, she is the owner of Montclair Bread Company, a thriving small business and a bakery where people line up down the block to buy doughnuts.
A turning point in Crampsey's success came in 2012, when she bought a 600-square-foot bakery on Montclair's Walnut Street, while raising three kids with her husband in the midst of a market gripped by gluten-free mania.
Rachel Crampsey "My family is not wealthy, by any means, and it wasn't a situation that I had parents there to bail me out or support me in any way. I just lived on a shoestring," said Crampsey on the latest edition of The Backgrounder podcast.
Now Crampsey's business, Montclair Bread Company is in expansion mode. A second retail location opened last week at the Montclair Public Library's main branch. The bakery operations are moving to Label Street at a site being redeveloped by Steven Plofker, which will allow the main location on Walnut Street to expand into a cafe.
Just as bread in all of its varieties is made of only four ingredients, Crampsey says her small success has been made of only four simple elements. You can hear what they are on The Backgrounder podcast, as well as how a recent Kickstarter campaign helped the business and how her artisan doughnuts won her a loyal customer base of carb-loading runners. To listen, simply click on the orange play button at the top of this page.
Paul Brubaker, former journalist and congressional spokesman, keeps it real with the people who make New Jersey the most fascinating place on Earth. Check back every week for a new episode of 'The Backgrounder.'