Katie Sacoman with Sweet Pea Bakery

Update: 2025-11-11

Description

Katie Sacoman of Albuquerque, NM sells many types of baked goods with her business, Sweet Pea Bakery.

Katie never expected to be running her own business, but after having her daughter, she realized that she didn’t want to go back to her former career. She started decorating sugar cookies for fun, and pretty soon family and friends started ordering them for events.

As she built her business, she eventually became overwhelmed with the number of custom orders she was getting, so she transitioned to selling more traditional baked goods at markets. And then when that became overwhelming, she transitioned again to a commercial kitchen so she could produce more and sell wholesale.

In this episode, Katie shares how she transitioned from custom orders to markets to wholesale by remaining adaptable and embracing the messiness that inevitably comes with growing your own business.

3 Key Takeaways

Stay adaptable and open-handed: Katie’s business evolved from custom sugar cookies to markets and wholesale. Each shift came from paying attention to what worked and being willing to pivot when needed. Her story is a powerful reminder that flexibility is your biggest advantage.
Let community shape your business: From advocating to change Albuquerque’s cottage food restrictions to donating a portion of profits to local schools, Katie built Sweet Pea Bakery around connection and service. Her approach shows how small home-based food businesses can make a big impact locally.
Create boundaries that protect your joy: Katie’s been candid about the challenges of burnout especially when your kitchen doubles as your workspace. She shares how taking time off, hiring help, and separating “home” from “work” helped her keep the joy in baking.