In this episode, we delve into Lynda’s hard-learned lessons on how you can weather a downturn in business and come out stronger and better.

When the economy dipped and customers disappeared, Lynda McGregor from the Little Bread Loaf bakery https://littlebreadloaf.co.nz found strength in her roots, and baked her way forward. 🍞

From Chutney to Bakery: Lynda’s Story

It all started with a jar of chutney.

Several years ago, Lynda McGregor started foraging and preserving to get her through some personal tough times. Little did she know this simple idea would sparked something bigger for her. Her homemade preserves gained a loyal following, and before long, the Little Bread Loaf bakery was born. 🥖

Today, Little Bread Loaf is one of Wellington’s hidden gems. With a shopfront in Alicetown, a cosy cafe near the airport, stalls at local markets, and a growing wholesale arm, it’s become a staple for locals and a reflection of the woman behind it. ☕🧺

But it’s not your average croissant and cupcake bakery.

A proud wahine Māori, she weaves manaakitanga (support), whanaungatanga (community), and tikanga (customs) into every part of the experience. 🌿

From her famous rewena bread (the only traditionally made commercial version in Wellington!) to her cinnamon buns and hangi pies, Lynda’s menu blends classic European bakery vibes with Indigenous flavour.

The most important ingredient: authenticity.

How to Weather a Downturn in Business: One Baker’s Reality Check

But, you would be deceived if you thought Lynda’s story is a fairy tale. The last 12 months have been pretty rough on most New Zealand business. Lynda’s bakery was no exception. Like most, she has faced some serious challenges that took her all the way to the edge of the abyss.

“I’m an add-on business. At the moment, people don’t need a cinnamon bun. They need carrots and onions.”

With her customer base largely made up of Wellington public servants, many of whom are now facing redundancy, spending habits have shifted. Essentials come first. Indulgences, like baked treats, are the first to go.

But, here’s the good news, Lynda turned it around.

So, if you too are going through some scary times, you’re not alone.

Continued at: https://www.sandrajulian.co/podcast148

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You know that if you want different results, you have to do things differently! If you want to scale your business, increase your profits and crush your goals, your way, then private 1:1 Coaching is for you. www.sandrajulian.co/coaching

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Music is Te Kawa o Rongo by Ngāneko Eriwata

Episode edited by LJS Creative Services #PodcastManager

Show notes & blog by Mattie Belsack from Bellbird Writing

Nartarsha Navanaga-Bamblett built her business by honouring culture and identity in a Western-dominated space. Her story shows the power of representation and how to stay true to who you are in business.

When you are a First Nations person who’s navigating a Western-dominated world, you enter unchartered territory. When you do that as a business person, things get turned up a notch.

Challenges don’t just come from a lack of precedent, they also come from “your own mob” questioning your journey.

👑 Nartarsha Navanaga-Bamblett knows all about this. Now a proud First Nations queen, mum of (soon-to-be) three, and the magical soul behind Queen Acknowledgements (https://www.queenacknowledgements.com), Nartarsha was raised on Yorta Yorta country, her grandmothers and the subsequent generations carrying the deep scars of The Stolen Generations.

These days, Nartarsha is rocking it in Naarm Country (Melbourne).

She made it her business to connect people through movement, dance, and music. Her entire heart, soul, and ancestral wisdom wrapped up in it. But navigating that requires a lot of work and self-reflection.

Because that’s what it means to her: how to stay true to who you are in business, even when it’s not the easy or the obvious road.

How To Stay True To Who You Are In Business

Staying true to yourself, building your business around your values, it’s something you’ve heard me mention many times. It’s important for all of us.

But as a First Nations woman, it gets magnified.

Continue to read at: https://www.sandrajulian.co/podcast147

Rate, Review, And Subscribe For More Business Wisdom!
You can send me a message, question, feedback HERE

Work with me
Struggling to figure out what’s holding your business back? The Business Growth Snapshot dives into your business to uncover the roadblocks.
Grab yours at ​sandrajulian.co/snapshot

You know that if you want different results, you have to do things differently! If you want to scale your business, increase your profits and crush your goals, your way, then private 1:1 Coaching is for you. www.sandrajulian.co/coaching

Website: www.sandrajulian.co
Instagram: www.instagram.com/sandrajulian.co
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sandrajulian.co
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sandrajulian1

Music is Te Kawa o Rongo by Ngāneko Eriwata

Episode edited by LJS Creative Services #PodcastManager

Show notes & blog by Mattie Belsack from Bellbird Writing

Welcome to WĀ-HINE, a podcast for wāhine in business 🌺.

In Te Reo Māori, WĀ speaks to time, space, and presence ⏳.

HINE honours the feminine essence. The wāhine who walk this path with strength, softness, and sovereignty 👣🌙.

Together, WĀ-HINE is about so much more than business. It’s about her business, her time, her truth, her legacy 🌀👑.

I want WĀ-HINE to be a space where business meets whakapapa, and where leadership is grounded in legacy.

It’s a podcast for wāhine in business, a home for Indigenous wāhine and values-led women from all walks of life to share their stories, their insights, and their truth.

Because let’s be honest, we’re not just out here building businesses for the sake of it. We’re creating intergenerational ripples 🌊. We’re reshaping what leadership looks like, sounds like, and feels like.

And we’re doing it in a way that honours who we are, where we’ve come from, and the legacy we want to leave behind 🌿.

🎧 Expect real kōrero on strategy, soul-led leadership, and the behind-the-scenes of doing business your way.

Episodes drop every second Wednesday of the month 📅.

This is your time. This is WĀ-HINE. A business podcast for wāhine entrepreneurs, doing things their way 💪🌺.

Read more at https://www.sandrajulian.co/wahine

Rate, Review, And Subscribe For More Business Wisdom!
You can send me a message, question, feedback HERE

Work with me
Struggling to figure out what’s holding your business back? The Business Growth Snapshot dives into your business to uncover the roadblocks.
Grab yours at ​sandrajulian.co/snapshot

You know that if you want different results, you have to do things differently! If you want to scale your business, increase your profits and crush your goals, your way, then private 1:1 Coaching is for you. www.sandrajulian.co/coaching

Website: www.sandrajulian.co
Instagram: www.instagram.com/sandrajulian.co
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sandrajulian.co
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sandrajulian1

Music is Te Kawa o Rongo by Ngāneko Eriwata

Episode edited by LJS Creative Services #PodcastManager

Show notes & blog by Mattie Belsack from Bellbird Writing