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After having just opened The Lazy Glaze for business last February, Cheyenne Harbeson is gearing up for her first large event with the Herb Festival on June 1st, and her creativity moves past her baking to her marketing perfection. Cheyenne is anything but lazy in her approach to her business or her life.
The Lazy Glaze’s Facebook welcome page tags her company as “A home bakery ran by a stay at home mom of two lovely boys!” One of those adorable boys is Theo, who is about to turn 2, and the other boy (they both are quite precious) is Jackson, who was born January 15th.
Yes, that is the January right before the February when she opened her bakery. Cheyenne knows herself and, having gone through severe post-partum depression twice before, she knew the feeling and that she needed to do something to pull herself out of it. So, still healing from her most recent C-section, Cheyenne set out to give herself something personal to show up for every day. With this, she had reason for both her family and for her own goals. She says, “I am an individual. There’s great satisfaction in being needed.”
Cheyenne had always been good at helping others achieve their dreams. The bakery gave her tangible goals to work through depression while she also started a business that could grow over time. Her goals were front and center.
She had already worked in food service, having started at 13 with Stagecoach in Newkirk, first washing dishes, then on waitstaff, and finally working with their catering services. She explains, “I learned to be kind and consistent, but not a pushover.”
That experience has served her well in her new endeavor because she can make time for her family, which was her husband Jacob’s only real concern when she first started the business. Family time has always been important to them, and a new business could certainly get in the way of that. The couple already work around Jacob’s work as both a firefighter with PCFD and with his family’s plumbing business. Cheyenne has found that she is able to schedule her time planning, preparing the different types of dough, baking and all other aspects of the business around quality time with her family.
Some business processes have been trial and error, but Cheyenne enjoys the creativity of the processes. She said Jacob told her, “A failure isn’t a failure, it’s a lesson.” She had to figure in her time along with the cost of the product, for instance. She understands that, with some things, you learn as you go. If she gets stressed, she says she allows herself a 10-minute freakout and then she’s done.
The growth Cheyenne looks toward is that of leaving a legacy. Just like they may well have the plumbing business for their sons to consider as a career path, Cheyenne would like her business to eventually grow into one that could be handed down in this way, too. She would love to see it grow into a bakery and bistro after the boys are in school. She envisions it will “feel like grandma’s.” If you see the hundred-year-old butcher block table she works on, you can see her point. It belonged to Jacob’s great-grandfather, and when I asked about it, Cheyenne said, “It’s the one material thing we’d have firefighters get out if we had a fire here. We can replace anything else.” She is certainly building more memories on it now.
She loves collaborating with other local businesses and has exceptionally good relationships with current clients as she continues to build her clientele. Creativity is a strong suit, which you can see if you visit her Facebook page and look at her creative packaging and specials, such as Administrative Assistants Day, Teachers Day, Cinco de Mayo and Mother’s Day. You will find videos of her work to tempt you to buy, and there is even local delivery for many of the specials.
Her tasty creations are her own. When asked about her favorites, Cheyenne said, “My favorite loaf is Coffee Cake, mini bundt is Lemon, and cookie is White Mocha.” Then, she went on to explain that cookie came from a drink she loved and then figured out how to make the taste a cookie. She also has a selection of scones. Her mind is always working for new creations, like she did for her Cinco de Mayo special. It will be fun to keep watching what shows up next.
Cheyenne says, “It is best to remember to always have grace. Remember it’s not always about you.” She mentioned if something happens with a client not making it on time to pick up an order, she knows things happen. In the same way, she wants to know if a client isn’t satisfied with a product they buy. She says, “Baking is scientific and finicky. You don’t always know until you eat it.”
Her growing business is on its way. She will even announce a second person joining the business to expand its offerings at the Herb Festival, and you don’t want to miss out on all the wonderful baked goods and fun items she will have under her tan tent.
Find The Lazy Glaze on Facebook, email Cheyenne at [email protected], or give her a call at 580-716-6299. You will find numerous tasty treats for your party or gift needs, or just a personal delicacy. Or, check her out under the tan tent at the Herb Festival on June 1st to see all she has to offer! You will not be disappointed.
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