Kernels of wisdom
Pastry chef and popcorn aficionado katherine yerondais discusses the everyday hustle, rolling with the punches and taking charge of her finances.
Hi Katherine! Tell us a bit about yourself and how Crackle Corn came to be. I worked in the Melbourne hospitality industry for more than a decade. Then, I decided I didn’t want to work another day in my life for another person, so I quit my job in a blaze of glory. I pulled out my recipe for salted-caramel popcorn and started tweaking it. I added cinnamon in one batch and chilli in another. I got crazier and crazier with my ingredients until I ended up with 17 different flavours of popcorn. I knew I was onto something.
Was it hard making the transition from chef to small business owner? I knew Crackle Corn would work, but I didn’t realise it was going to become my only source of income. I wanted to be taken seriously because I’m a hoity-toity chef, and I came from fine dining. At the time, Masterchef was on a high and people wanted over-the-top desserts – here I was with this simple caramel popcorn recipe. In my first weekend of trading, though, I made more money than I did in a week as a pastry chef. That felt like a sign. When you’re caught up in the food industry, you think the ultimate goal is to have a café or bakery, but that stuff costs a shitload of money. Things don’t have to be complicated. You can have one thing and do it right.
What kind of advice would you give your younger self about running a business? You’d better be ready for an emotional, confronting journey. Every fear or doubt you have about yourself just comes straight at you. The hustle of selling yourself constantly can be hard and heartbreaking. As a chick in your 30s, there are a thousand things that knock you back. You need to dig deep, face your fears and move beyond them with confidence.
Was it tough for you to get a handle on the financial side of small business ownership? Numbers and accounting are not my thing, so I got myself a pretty good accountant and he dealt with all my messy spreadsheets. He also told me to get on Xero’s accounting software and I loved it straight away. I just log in every couple of days to reconcile my receipts. It’s given me the ability to take charge of my finances and keep level-headed about money coming in and out. All my figures are in one spot, including my cash flow – making payments on bills isn't that overwhelming when you know X amount of dollars are coming in. I’ve definitely had a dramatic decrease in anxiety and stress when it comes to forecasting purchases and unexpected costs.
Have you made any ace business decisions that you’re super-proud of? About three years ago, I had to vacate where I was making my popcorn, and I found this little factory up for lease. I couldn’t afford it, but I hand-wrote a letter to the landlord saying, “This is what I can afford and this is how hard I work.” Apparently there were a handful of applications and he still chose mine. That was a proud moment where I thought, this little popcorn has legs. Just before COVID-19 happened, I signed up for another three years.
That’s some interesting timing. How are you coping? If I’d known about COVID-19, I would have been less likely to sign another lease. But I’m a big believer in fate, so the fact that
I was already signed up for the next three years shows me I’m meant to still be here. I don’t know what’s going to happen after this. I don’t know whether the retailers or cinemas that are stocking my popcorn are going to survive, or when they’re going to open up again. I’m remaining positive and looking at the big picture.
This time last year, your popcorn was on the in-flight menu for Virgin Airlines, which is awesome! How did that come about?
The airline was looking for boutique items that were sustainable, all-natural and Australian-made. They called me up and it was a crazy six months. It was nice that there was a big brand out there that wanted my brand to be associated with theirs! Somehow I did it all by myself, because I didn’t know if it would go beyond the six months or not. I just battled through and it was super-rewarding. It’s hard to know when it’s the right time to expand your business. There’s no clear course of action, especially now. You just have to go on your own path and ride the wave, because whatever happens when you get spat out at the end, it will be for the best. It’s about how you pick yourself up and get on with shit.
What’s next for you in overcoming the effects of the pandemic?
I’ll be keeping things quite local and seeing what the response is from the market. Whatever the future is meant to hold will come, so I’m ready to roll with the punches. I'm still growing as an individual and trying to hone in on what my true purpose is with Crackle. I want it to mean more than just making money. I want to take a heartfelt approach and look at how it can serve our community.
How have your experiences as a creative business owner changed you?
They’ve given me confidence, self-worth and self-value. I came from the hospitality industry, where you’re put down every single day, so you start to believe it’s the norm. But it’s not. There are plenty of people that really appreciate your skills. I remember at my first market, I handed over the popcorn to a customer and they were handing over the cash, and I just forgot to take it. It seems so ridiculous, but I’ve been in an industry where you give and give and never see the cash or the praise. I realised, “I’m worth that money – he’s paying me for my skill.” But one of my favourite things is watching people eat my popcorn. There’s absolutely nothing like it.