Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler Hess.
Hi Tyler, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started The Baked Bear (Pier Village) in 2021. Following college at PSU I joined the military and served as an Engineering Officer out of San Diego, CA. After my time in the service I worked for Nestle in various roles, while simultaneously getting my MBA. After almost 10 years of governement and corporate work I decided that I thought I had developed the tools and skills to start a business of my own. Food service was my first job while in high school, and I always enjoyed it. Ice Cream sandwiches at the Jersey Shore seemed like a great fit!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Small business always has it’s challenges. As an owner, you wear many hats ranging from operations, HR, maintenance, finance/accounting, and more. We launched the business during COVID, which was a very scary time. I also had my first child within a few months of starting the company. As we have grown the biggest challenge has certainly been to develop people and step away from some of the day to day tasks. Now, my time is not best spent making cookie dough and scooping ice cream, but rather working “on” the business and finding time to have that work/life balance with my young family.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Baked Bear?
The Baked Bear specializes in custom-ice cream sandwiches. We make all of our baked goods from scratch, daily, and serve them alongside super premium Baked Bear ice cream. What sets us apart from others is our top-notch customer-service, and unique customizable product. There are many ice cream shops and bakeries, but we have blended them together for the ultimate dessert experience. I am most proud of our involvement and success within the community. That is one of our core values at The Baked Bear.
In addition to our in-store experience, we also have a food truck and catering operation. This is great for any type of event, including: weddings, birthday parties, etc.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up I was always an outgoing youth, and tended to gravitate towards being the center of attention and leadership roles. I was involved in many activities including sports, boy scouts, and working from a young age. Some of my first jobs were as a paper boy, and youth league umpire. My first “real job” was at McDonalds, which I have fond memories of. All of these experiences helped develop my ability to be personable with others and multi-task; 2 very important qualities to have in the small business world. It is a good thing to be busy!
Pricing:
- Custom ice-cream sandwcih approx $10, in-store.
- Catering-$13/pp
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thebakedbear.com/locations/long-branch/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebakedbear/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebakedbearlongbranch/
