Bryan Ford
Baker & Blogger
“Whatever talent you have, cultivate it and let people know you have it. If you don’t let people know you have it, they might not find you.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationBryan Ford
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
Growing up, I was a very talented soccer player and wanted to someday play professionally, but my immigrant parents couldn’t afford to send me to the critical camps and programs.
I wasn’t sure what else to do, so I followed in my mom’s footsteps to become an accountant.
After an accounting internship, I got a job with KPMG—one of the Big Four accounting organizations—but I was miserable.
I wanted to open a bakery but needed to save the necessary startup capital, so I went back to accounting—despite working hard at it, I failed the CPA exam 13 times in a row.
I was offered an opportunity to transition into the restaurant industry, which helped improve my outlook—I kept baking, too, but still needed money before I could revisit the idea of opening a bakery.
When I finally passed the CPA exam, I still wasn’t happy and felt as if something was missing, so I quit accounting less than a year later.
I made an Instagram account to showcase my bread—at first I was just playing around with it, but then I tailored the account to be more professional in hopes that opportunity would arise.
My Instagram video of sourdough pan de coco launched my career as a baker—I now have tens of thousands of Instagram followers, a recipe blog, and a book deal.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Certification/License
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Career
Baker & Blogger
I'm a baker and blogger with a focus on sourdough bread.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Food
Entrepreneurship
Being Creative
Day to Day
I bake every day and post videos and photos of my recipes and creations daily on Instagram. I post my recipes on my blog. I'm currently working on recipes for a cookbook.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
If you have a craft or a talent that you're passionate about, work hard at it, cultivate it, and then make sure people know you have it. Create professional social media accounts or a personal website so people can find you and see your work. Opportunity won't arise if people can't find you. You don't need any kind of degree to become a successful baker but I do believe that accounting knowledge is essential for becoming an entrepreneur in any field.
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"You can't open your dream business without money."
Challenges I Overcame
First-Generation Immigrant
Career Change
Financial
Interviewed By
Making it Balance
Paths in accounting and auditing
