Meet Brenna Shields | Delivery.com Market Owner/Operator, Home Bakery Owner, & Onboarding Specialist Manager

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

Hi Brenna, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I grew up on a farm by Lincolnville, KS and would spend time working there growing up. I learned what hard work was from the start. Every job I held once in college was easy to me. The challenge of it didn’t compare to the work of the farm and everything came quickly to me. I started working at Popeyes in 2016 and worked myself up fast and was working full-time hours while full-time in college. I graduated with my hospitality degree and business minor. I was continued to raise the hours I worked, easily working 60+ hours a week in 2018, which continued to go up to where in 2020 I was working an average of 85 hours a week on salary. I knew the business like the back of my hand and was training my employees to know the same. I hit a stump in my position as the GM of Appleton, WI. I was running a very successful restaurant with no idea how much longer I’d have to hold this position before I could move up again. In this time I felt less appreciated and realized that I could be spending these hours creating my own business where there wouldn’t be a glass ceiling for me. I cared very much about that restaurant and knew that I could create this for myself with a happier life. I had taken up baking while at Popeyes and was bringing desserts to my crew and they started offering to buy my goodies. This helped give me the idea that I was ready to invest my time into myself rather than into a business that wasn’t my own. I can be as creative as I’d like and look for ways to move myself forward without having a wall in front of me. Starting a bakery I felt was the perfect way to get going. I had reached out to my mentor, Julie Heang, who is a partner in many businesses. She helped line out a plan for me. I was ready to begin the process of starting my own business.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Once I left Popeyes I was asked to partner with the group MyTown2Go, which consist of Mike & Jennifer Hall, and Julie Heang & Tony Swantek. We own a small delivery.com market together in Newton, Iowa. I also manage two of their other markets, Boone & Marshalltown. This is a small local food delivery company. It took about 3 months to get this delivery business rolling to where I can allow myself more time to work on my bakery, B’s Sweets & Treats. In my free-time when I wasn’t delivering, I was testing recipes and playing with designs for my cheesecakes and cookies. I went on to license my home bakery, and started selling to a local shop in town, and started advertising my business for custom orders. 6 months into the bakery I started to attend vendor markets and fairs to push my product even further. The more markets I attended the more help I realized I needed. My sisters were able to help at first and then I hired my cousin to help with some bigger events, as well as a local DMACC culinary student who is a consistent help. When I’m not working with delivery or my home bakery, I have a job with my partners as an onboarding specialist manager for Jorns & Associates. This is helping me put money aside for my future business endeavors. I’ll be moving to California for 16 months, I will be taking the time to create a new business plan and exploring new ideas and ventures to put into my next businesses. I’m looking forward to this next stage in my life and how I can push myself further!

I was granted a “Rising Professionalism Award” in March 2022 from K-State. I’m most proud of the fact of where I am today and how much influence I have on the younger generation. I want to show how much you can do if you push yourself when your younger and you don’t have to wait until you’re older to be influential. The life I have now keeps me very busy, it wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t hard, not yet anyways. I’m accomplishing the goals to further better myself and to keep moving up, others may consider it hard, but I consider it a challenge, something fun to do while moving forward.

You can do this on your own, but it is more challenging without a support system and without mentors. I was lucky to find the great mentors that are in my life. I had many barriers, but the biggest one was and is myself. If you start your own business, know that you’re not just investing in the business itself, but in you. You’ll have family members, friends, and other people talk you down, try to bury you with negative comments and try to keep you from growing. This is where you trust in your hard work, your work ethic, your ideas, as well as your mentors, don’t let the negatives keep you from being the best self. Push yourself to be where you want to be and don’t get comfortable, comfort is a great way to hold yourself back.

I am a dedicated hard worker with a passion to make other people happy with the products I bring them. I have many goals that I want to achieve in life and will do what I can to make them prosperous. I have had a lot of up & downs in my life, as a lot of people have, but this doesn’t stop where I’m going and where I want to be. It only inspires me more. I want to create businesses that bring smiles to my customers and clients faces. A place where I have employees that enjoy their job and to let them know that they’re appreciated. To help them grow as well. I’m only just getting started with my career, I have much more I aspire to be.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Newton, Iowa currently which is just 30 minutes away from Des Moines. I’m still exploring places myself, but have many fun places to go. Staying in Newton for the day, we have a small townsquare, I would take them around to the boutiques in Newton to shop. We would then eat at PJ’s Deli for lunch, and then go to Legacy Plaza, Peanut Pub for some craft ciders and beers and some cornhole. Gezellig Brewery is next door, we’d try out a swizzle and play a game or two there. Take them to either Sombrero’s for Mexican or Montana Mikes for steak for dinner that evening, then ice cream at Cardinal Corner. Next we’ll take on Des Moines. Start off at The Breakfast club for breakfast, then go to the antique malls, Jordan Creek Mall, & Iowa Tap Room or Zombie Burger for lunch. Check out West End Salvage for other antiques and go to the Jasper Winery for wine samples and a charcuterie board. Check out Peacetree for more conversation and cider or beer. Hit up Smashpark for some games and Wednesday night themed trivia with a fishbowl. We’ll next venture further out to Winterset Iowa for their winery, Covered Bridges, as well as their views, and even take them to a covered bridge of Madison County. The Winterset Cidery for Thursday night trivia and Hoppy Hour. A day for Adventureland in Altoona, spend the day with several rides, then a float in the lazy river with a trip to the beach bar. Eat dinner at Jethro’s BBQ or Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant. Next day a trip to Pella to check out their local beef shops and to try a Dutch Letter. Eat at Smokey Row for sandwich and coffee. Look around at their other shops, and tulips if it’s the time. Another day for Lake Red Rock on a boat for sun, tube rides, boat ride, and swimming. Check out the view point tower, then stop at Jersey Freeze for ice cream on the way back. If we wanted a nice night out we’ll go to Altoona or Des Moines for a trip to Johnny’s Steakhouse for some delicious food. Of course if the Iowa State Fair is happening, that would be a full day trip with a drinking pass, trips to all of the buildings, food from the many food trucks. A ride over the fair with their sky-lifts and ending with games and a concert at the grand-stand.
So many places to go and see, but we focus on the local places to eat and to visit. This is where we have the most fun!

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?
I started baking again when I was at Popeyes, my Grandma, Virginia Shields was my inspiration, she originally taught me how to bake and I always loved going to grandma’s to bake when growing up. My mom, Kim Shields would help critique my baking and expressed the importance of exact measurements.

My sisters Allison and Carissa are always there to help assisting me with ideas and always lending their time to either physically help or there to offer their opinions. They help make me better!

My boyfriend Cole Peters and his family, offers great support and love. they help move my name around town. I wouldn’t be as recognized without them.

My main business support and mentorship goes to Julie Heang, she was and is always encouraging, helpful, smart, hardworking, and my light to moving forward. From starting my first college job, she’s been my rock in business and helped lead me to my other partners with her fiancé Tony Swantek, and Mike and Jennifer Hall. These partners in delivery.com are great to work with and are always offering advice and support.

Instagram: @bssweetsandtreatsllc

Facebook: @bssweetstreatsllc