Success Story: Sonja’s Old Fashioned Delicacies

Sonja’s Old Fashioned Delicacies – Minot, 2016

Sonja’s Old Fashioned Delicacies, also known as Sonja’s Gourmet Bakeshop, is owned and operated by Sonja and Mark Stromswold.  It is located two miles west of Mohal, ND.  The business opened 30 years ago and has created a way for Sonja to preserve her Norwegian family recipes while fulfilling her passion to make people happy.

Sonja’s specializes in gourmet cookies, candies, and desserts made from scratch using only real butter, fresh eggs, North Dakota flour, and no preservatives other than sugar.  Each batch has that homemade freshness you can’t find anywhere else, just like her Grandmother made for her.

Sonja also manages the Flower House Garden Center and Prairie Bistro Catering, located on the same family farm where Sonja’s Old Fashioned Delicacies are made.  Stepping into the “workshop” that houses these three businesses is like stepping into a piece of home, intertwined with elegance, grace, and beauty.  Sonja, her mom Judy, and her handful of employees make their work appear effortless.  However, don’t let the ambiance fool you; these three seasonal businesses are laden with hours of intensive labor and dedication to detail.

Sonja and Judy sought out the services of the ND SBDC in 2006.  Judy was closing her flower shop in Mohall and relocating the business back to her greenhouse.  Sonja was in the throes of growing the bakeshop and struggling with keeping up with production, packaging, and the intensive demand on her time.   Like most small businesses, times of change and growth are often the most challenging to work through.

Minot SBDC Regional Director, Mary Beth Votava, was able to help them find ways to manage and budget their seasonal businesses while focusing on priorities.  Developing processes helped balance their time and efforts to enable more time for marketing and promotional activity.

Ten years later, and a third business in the mix (Prairie Bistro Catering), the ND SBDC continues to conduct annual business “checkups” for each business.  Financial analysis is done to compare production, revenue, and expense performances from year to year.  Further discussion leads to planning for the season to help set pricing and determine seasonal labor and cash flow needs.  Once this is known, marketing efforts for the season will be laid out.  At this point, the SBDC provides an updated (breakeven) budget and a more complete financial proforma for the bank if needed.  As needed, SBDC mid-season visits are needed to help review and adjust to the ebbs and flows of the season as it unfolds to ensure profitability.

Sonja and Judy have continued to grow with their businesses.  Their quality and dedication remain true while their daily habits have changed and evolved through the years.  We set out with a mission to make their businesses more profitable while making them less demanding and less seasonal.  While that is some ways off yet, they are making progress and definitely have more control over their time and money than they once did.

To find out more about Sonja’s Old Fashioned Delicacies, the Flower House Garden Center, and Prairie Bistro Catering, you can find them at their website.