Modern Entrepreneur Profile - Mississauga's Timothy Cho
/In conversation with Mississauga’s Timothy Cho, entrepreneur and owner of Oven Theory.
1. Where did you get the inspiration to start Oven Theory?
It started off as a passion. Growing up, I loved being able to help my Mom in the kitchen from cracking an egg to stirring the soup she was making for dinner. Growing up in a Canadian-Korean household, I got to experience the beauties of both cultural foods and noticed that when it came to Asian desserts, they weren't too sweet. However, in contrast, a lot of Canadian desserts were a bit overly sweet. I then noticed that within my neighborhood, a lot of the grocery stores and some small businesses had overly sweet, dense, and very generic flavors available. I wanted to bring something different to the table and offer a dessert that is nostalgic with a twist that comes from flavors I grew up with.
2. Describe Oven Theory in six words or less
Asian-Inspired Cupcakes Not Too Sweet.
3. What's been the biggest reward being an entrepreneur?
Self-autonomy. In contrast to the typical 9-5, I'm able to work on something that I'm super passionate about without feeling so drained. Of course, don't get me wrong, being an entrepreneur isn't easy, however when you work on something you care for and love so much, it doesn't really feel like work sometimes. I also want to include the fact that being an entrepreneur has allowed me to meet so many new people who have been supporting our small business and who want to see us succeed. I think the fact that there's a community backing up your small business seriously gives me a lot of motivation to continue. Additionally, being a small bakery, it amazes me to the fact that our of all options, there are people who are allowing Oven Theory to be part of someone's special occasion. This can be a birthday, proposal, or wedding. With each celebration in a way is an invite to this person's space and allows us to be able to create community through good food.
4. How will the $10,000 RBC Rock My Business grant help move you forward?
It’ll help me with some start up costs. This includes the rental packages at the commissary kitchen we're currently located at, inventory costs, purchasing custom packaging, buying a POS system, microphone systems for our TikTok and Instagram Reels, and new equipment that we think is necessary to kick-start the business. We're also looking to purchase business cards, retractable banners, display cases, and an espresso machine for when we start doing pop-up events. We've realized that people love enjoying cupcakes with something to drink!
5. Did you ever think you'd become an entrepreneur?
I knew from a very young age that I wanted to become an entrepreneur. How it started was from just being very curious about what my Mom was cooking in the kitchen then leading to watching shows like Cake Boss. Those small moments really curated a strong interest where at the age of 14, I knew for a fact that I wanted to open up my own bakery someday. It also really helped that my parents instead of shying away from this career path. I would remember them buying me ingredients so I can follow different youtube tutorials. Eventually this led to me pursuing an interest in hospitality in highschool, then studied hospitality and tourism management in my undergrad in Toronto while getting work experiences/ internships at different companies like Daango Cakelab, Konjiki Ramen, Marriott International, Walt Disney World, and Supermoon Japanese Cheesecakes.
6. What's been the most impactful lesson you've learned professionally?
One of the biggest lessons I've learned is the fact that with being an entrepreneur you're never going to be 100% perfect. As when it comes to our own craft, all of us want to show the world what we're made of and that means trying to perfect what we do. However, I think perfectionism can actually strip you from your happiness. Instead, when it comes to making decisions, instead of taking so much time to decide, why not pick and move on? At the start, your goal is to grow your business. You'll make more progression by completing 10 tasks on the fly than trying to perfect 1 task.
7. What do the next 18 months look like?
Very busy. We want to really grow our business where we can start offering more pickup dates, work with other cafes and bakeries to offer our customers pick ups for our cupcake boxes, participate in different vendor markets within the Greater Toronto Area, and ultimately start hiring people out to help grow our small business and give opportunities for people to learn about the process of making an amazing cupcake.
8. What succinct advice do you have for up and coming entrepreneurs?
No matter what kind of business you want to pursue, just start it. A lot of people want to make things look perfect which is natural. However, trying to be perfect will bottleneck your business's progression. Instead it's better to make mistakes early on so you can learn from them and move on. Without mistakes, how will we learn to be better versions of our earlier selves?
9. What's your favourite premium cupcake to make/bake/create?
The matcha cupcake and chocolate. Growing up, I ate a lot of matcha and chocolate snacks and so whenever I make matcha and chocolate cupcakes, the smells remind me a bit of nostalgia.
