Meet Michelle Glover | President and CEO of Batter ‘N Bowl Bakery

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michelle Glover and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michelle, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Starting a business was something that came from a need to be successful with a service or product that I completely owned. I have had a successful career in media for almost 25 years, however the longer I’ve worked in my career, the more I realized the power and fulfillment in ownership. I have done a great job at making others successful, but what about my personal fulfillment, my legacy, and my desire to build something with my own vision that I could pass to generations after me? That is when the wheels began to turn on building my own business. Through prayer, God revealed to me the thing that gave me so much comfort and joy to pursue, and it was baking! At first, I questioned God with “Lord, are YOU sure? I have multiple degrees and a wealth of experience, but you want me to bake?” LOL And that’s when Batter ‘N Bowl Bakery was born.

After revisiting old recipes and finally putting a catalog of products together that I felt would work, I began searching for locations that would become my future storefront. I didn’t have any capital to start with and after researching the monthly costs, it became very apparent that having a storefront would not be my reality at the time. That is when I decided to go an unconventional route and begin with renting hours in a shared kitchen and build an e-commerce site that would serve as my “virtual storefront”. I had no idea that pursuing this route would change the trajectory of my goals in such a big way.

In January of 2020, I launched my business and online store with options of local pickup, and delivery. Things were progressing pretty well, then by March, the country was shut down due to COVID 19. What I thought was a roadblock to my success, actually placed me in a unique position to not only serve current customers, but open the door to so many new customers who were now forced to use online outlets to receive their products. The sales to our site increased tremendously, and we even added an option to ship products to our customers all over the country!

In 2021, we began a partnership with an online farmers market company, MarketWagon who currently serves customers by allowing farmers to sell their local products through their centralized site to ensure customers were able to still receive local and fresh products during the pandemic by ordering weekly. They had the existing infrastructure and market share throughout the state of GA that certainly put Batter ‘N Bowl Bakery in a position to expand our products to an entirely new set of customers and sustain us through the pandemic. We still are in partnership with them today and they serve approximately 26 counties in the state.
Creating a bakery using an online approach has uniquely positioned us to continue our success in this niche market and create more opportunities to push our products to even bigger retailers using this approach. That is what we are hoping and planning to do.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Of course, the taste! LOL! Because we specialize in those southern traditional desserts that our grandmothers made, the taste alone cannot be duplicated. Our desserts are made from scratch, so there is still a connection to home that is not manufactured.

What I am most proud of is our ability to enter an established and competitive market by using modern technological advancements that get our products to our customers for a fraction of cost as opposed to traditional routes that would cost much more to produce and market.

The ability to create and establish an ecommerce site, and establish the business (administratively) was easy, but expanding the product into more online markets comfortably, while managing operational costs, has not been easy at all. We have received invitations from other larger online retailers, but we need capital to comfortably do it and maintain quality of the product.

What I have learned along the way is that doing it “fast” does not always equate to doing it “right”. Although the online world moves very quickly and the further use of AI will certainly make it even faster, there are just some things that cannot be rushed. Knowing and understanding your audience, their needs (versus what you think they need), the requirements of a good sustainable product, and the correct means of delivery all play a part in its defined quality.

I want the world to know that Batter ‘N Bowl Bakery, was built on integrity, hard work, innovation, and the belief of creating legacy. We are using modern tools to produce and deliver a traditional staple that is still valued today. We aren’t just selling a product (anyone can do that), but we are offering an experience that we know as a customer you will be satisfied with.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
What a great question. I have lived in metro Atlanta for 25 years, so it’s always a treat when people visit! So let’s start with the fact that I am a Taurus and a FOODIE at my core so I always start where I’m most comfortable….HOME! I would start with a traditional southern dinner at my home with a nice dinner wine, and of course a dessert. I would keep things pretty simple with a nice welcome gift like candles (I love Southern Elegance Candle Company www.secandleco.com), and late-night conversation with more wine!

Sporting events are always great for us, so entertaining with great seats to any of our major team games (Hawks, Falcons, Braves, or United) is always great to do. I LOVE COMEDY so attending a nice show at City Winery is always great, and being near the Ponce City Market is always an opportunity to shop, enjoy great food, and of course, more wine!
I really love the theatre so any show at the Fox (www.foxtheatre.org) is always in order. Dinner at Miller Union (www.millerunion.com ) is absolutely necessary! I love the diverse options and their service is outstanding.

You can never go wrong with pit stops throughout the week at my favorite staple restaurants, Busy Bee Café (www.thebusybeecafe.com) and Mary Mac’s Tea Room (www.marymacs.com ). They have been my faithful dinner restaurants for the 25 years.

There is nothing like spa time! My favorite is the Spa at Four Seasons Atlanta. We would finish with Sunday brunch at a small, beautiful spot in Douglasville, GA called Blue Rose Art Bistro (https://www.blurosebistro.com )

I think after all of that we would be so good!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Wow, that list can get quite lengthy, but to be brief I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my grandparents who taught the importance of doing things with love and dedication. My parents and immediate family, who taught me to be my absolute authentic self in whatever room I entered. They taught me if I wanted to try it, do it! They instilled the importance of not allowing fear or the imposition of others to hinder what my heart feels called to do. To my husband Thomas and daughter Eryn who support my dreams unconditionally. They always are there to help me through some of the toughest moments on this journey. And a final shoutout to two of my inspirations: Arlan Hamilton, an author and one of the greatest venture capitalists of our time, and John Hope Bryant, CEO of Operation Hope who is one of the most influential financial advisors in the country. I study both of their work and follow their advice for entrepreneurs and business owners.

Website: www.batternbowlatl.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/batter_n_bowl_bakery

Facebook: www.facebook.com/batternbowlbakery

Image Credits
Dalton Tengelsen Michelle Glover