https://Derek shares how he went from selling key lime pies door to door to building Fireman Derek's Bake Shop, balancing 100-hour workweeks as a firefighter, and sacrificing seven years of pay to turn his passion into a thriving business.
This episode of Hustle Inspires Hustle features Alex Quin and Derek Kaplan, founder of Fireman Derek's Bake Shop and a former Miami firefighter and paramedic. Derek reflects on learning to cook at 15, selling key lime pie door to door, and running the bakery next to 24 hour fire shifts for ten years, and how he went seven years without a paycheck before leaving the department in 2016. Today Fireman Derek's runs three stores, a 5,000 square foot Wynwood commissary and about 60 employees, with a fourth location on the way.
Alex and Derek dive into 100 hour weeks, paying yourself last, opening a 650 square foot shop in Wynwood in 2014, buying the building that became the commissary, selling through Chef's Warehouse, and why he keeps a fixed menu instead of taking custom orders. They also discuss why flexing wealth on social media sends young people the wrong message, going back to school at Northeastern, fatherhood, and the carrot cake story that showed him what a dessert can mean to someone. Ultimately, the conversation goes beyond pies and cakes to explore what hustle is for: free time, family and the people who take care of you.
[00:00] Meet Derek Kaplan, the firefighter behind Fireman Derek's Bake Shop
[15:07] Learning to cook at 15 because his dad said cook your own food
[19:03] Firefighter and baker at once: 100 hour weeks, no paycheck for 7 years
[24:08] Why flexing your mansion sends young people the wrong message
[48:30] From door to door key lime pie to three stores and a Wynwood commissary
[53:45] The Chipotle rule: why he won't make custom cakes
[58:14] How Derek wants to be remembered
[1:02:21] Closing thoughts and outro
"Teach them to fish. Don't show them that you're eating really well and they're not." - Alex Quin
"Everybody doesn't have to like everything you make. You just have to make a good product." - Derek Kaplan
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Alex Quin is a full-stack marketing expert and global keynote speaker. Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of UADV Marketing - a member of the Forbes Agency Council.
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