Christopher Smith | Bunshine Signature Stuffed Buns
Owner of Bunshine Signature Stuffed Buns
Christopher Smith is the founder of Bunshine Signature Stuffed Buns located in Nashville, TN. At Bunshine, their mission is to put “a little Bunshine” into the world by providing a quality product, creating an exceptional experience, and giving back to the community.
What businesses do you run?
Christopher Smith is the founder of Bunshine, where they specialize in signature stuffed buns. These delightful treats are light, fluffy pockets of fried dough filled with a variety of delicious ingredients. If someone has ever had an empanada, they are similar, but Bunshine's dough is lighter and fluffier.
How did you get started as an entrepreneur?
Christophers entrepreneurial journey began when he moved back home to Nashville. After starting a new job in the midst of the pandemic, he sought a change of pace. While he appreciates his career, he longs for the freedom to build the life he envisions and create generational wealth. Reflecting on his gifts, one of which is cooking, led him to the idea of creating the ultimate comfort food: the stuffed bun.
How do you think about growth in your current business? How do you plan for the future?
In Christopher's view, embracing a growth mindset is crucial. It may sound cliché, but he believes in the importance of learning from failure. There are moments when setbacks feel overwhelming, however, each challenge serves as a lesson that propels him forward. Discipline and consistency are key; no one will do the work for him. He emphasizes the need to stay committed to his vision and trust those around him who support his journey. Christopher wants to build a legacy that goes beyond just nourishing people; he aspires to create something that will endure for future generations.
What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?
As aspiring entrepreneurs embark on their own journeys, Christopher advises them to take the time to reflect on their passions and skills. He encourages them to consider the problems they can solve with those gifts. Doing research and gathering knowledge about their ideas is essential. If the path excites them, he urges them to start small and start now. Consistency is vital.
“No one’s going to do it for you, so you have to keep getting up and doing it for yourself ”
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Christopher Smith 0:00
I'm Christopher Smith. I'm the founder of bunshine. Signature stuffed buns. Stuffed buns are light, fluffy pockets of fried dough filled with a variety of delicious ingredients. So if you've ever had an empanada, they're very similar to those, but the dough is a lot lighter and fluffier, like a donut dough. I got started as an entrepreneur around the time that I moved back home to Nashville. I just gotten a new job, moved back home, and it was in the middle of the pandemic, and was really looking for a change of pace. I had started a new career, but knew that I kind of wanted to continue to move in the direction of doing something that allowed me the freedom to build the life I wanted to build, to build generational wealth, and I knew that one way I wanted to do that was through entrepreneurship. And so I started thinking about what gifts I had that God had blessed me with, and one of those gifts was cooking. And so I eventually thought what would be the ultimate comfort food, and that's how I came up with the idea for the stuff fun. What inspired me most about renewing entrepreneurship is the idea of legacy, one, to build a legacy for my family and build generational wealth, meaning that I want to be able to build something that was bigger than me. Wasn't just about, you know, feeding people, which is something that I really enjoy doing, nourishing people, but that could could live on behind me. And so when I think about the stuffed bun recipe, a lot of people often ask, like, was it a family recipe? And I say no, but it will be, because it's something that I wanted I want to continue on behind on me. I definitely think you have to have a growth mindset. I think that sounds kind of cliche, but what I mean when I say that is, failure can very much feel like the end of the road at times, but in business, you have to be willing to fail and get back up several times. That's something that I've had to grapple with a lot of like, Man, this really didn't work the way I thought it would, but I'm still here, and I'm gonna keep going, and eventually it's gonna work out. And with that comes discipline. You have to be disciplined and consistent. No one's gonna do it for you, so you have to keep getting up and doing it for yourself and figuring it out and trusting that those around you, who have who are there to support you, who are there to see you be successful, will be able to help you along that path. And so definitely keeping those things in mind are always important on your entrepreneurial journey. Spend some time thinking about what you're really passionate about and what you're really good at, and what problem you can solve with those gifts and those skills that you have, and then go do some research and gather some knowledge about what you think will work best for you. And if you decide that this is a path that you want to go down, then go ahead and start. Start small, start now and continue to be consistent. I think that that would lead you on the path to success.
