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Meet Krystle Messano of Funshine Bakery in Gilbert

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Krystle Messano.

Krystle, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
The idea of Funshine Bakery Originated from love. The love of our oldest son that was diagnosed with ADHD, OCD, and SPD at seven years old. As parents, we tried medications and therapy with little success, and through research, decided to look at his diet for answers. One Sunday in August of 2017 our family decided to go vegan with the thought of “What’s the worst that could happen, we become healthier?”

Four days later our son’s teacher reached out to ask if we had started medicating him and forgot to mention it to her. We let her know that no medication was involved and that we simply cut out all animal products from our family’s diet. Her response to us was “… WOW!” and while this wasn’t a cure-all situation, it was enough to allow him more impulse control and the newfound ability to maintain friendships longer than one week.

I will never forget the day he came home sporting the biggest smile, telling me, “Mommy guess what? I have a best friend.” While that may seem small to most, that meant the world to our family. From that moment on, we knew we would never go back. While our family didn’t go on this journey with the intention to change anything other thatn our sons well being, we ended up realizing it wasn’t that difficult being vegan. After a few months, we began to realize the environmental component that was involved with being plant-based and wanted to do what we could to give back to our community.

Great, 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?
Starting a new business from scratch is always a struggle as there are so many things you have to focus on. It’s easy to want to rush things when you are passionate about your business, but preparation is key. For example when we roll out a new product we go through a handful of dry runs to perfect the recipe and on top of that there is packaging, labeling, and pricing. If you just throw something out there without taking the time to analyze those key items it would end up hurting us more in the long run.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Funshine Bakery – what should we know?
Our bakery specializes in making Gluten-Free, Vegan, & Nut Free allergy-friendly sweet treats. As the name would suggest, we try to make all our items fun, from our brightly colored labels to our names like “Pretend it’s your birthday bars.”

As a company, we are most proud of the fact that whether you have a serious food allergy, dietary restrictions, personal life choices, or just love awesome desserts, we are able to provide fun and delicious baked goods to satisfy that sweet tooth. People who would otherwise feel restricted can now indulge in the sweet things in life without sacrificing any of the delicious taste.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Business Knowledge. I know that many would say the most important thing is passion, and while I agree that it is a huge piece, it may just be a part of the bigger picture. I stepped into this journey with a good understanding of how to run a business from accounting to shipping.

Knowing your costs is so incredibly crucial as is constantly tracking your spending because from there, you can make the right decisions for your business. For those that don’t have much of a background in business, there are many classes and organizations in the Valley that are set up to help you become more knowledgeable as well as provide you with the tools you need to be successful.

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