Several of you know my husband and I moved from South Florida to North Florida to start a farm and ministry, which led me to start my VA business.
What you may not know is that we recently joined our local farmers’ market as vendors to help generate additional income to support the ministry.
We started with what we had: firewood from our property.
The first few weeks were humbling.
People were kind, but the firewood wasn’t selling. Meanwhile, the food vendors were consistently busy. The sourdough vendor almost sold out every week. The gal selling cake slices stayed steady from start to finish.
So, I started paying attention.
I thought, Maybe I could bake something. But what?
I wanted it to feel like me, so I started with Cuban-inspired items such as Espresso brownies and Guava cupcakes. We sold some, but not enough. And the truth is, not everyone in North Florida has a taste for guava.
One market day, I was talking with the sourdough vendor from Half Acre Wood. A customer walked up and asked her if she sold banana bread. She didn’t. She strictly sells sourdough.
After the customer walked away, she came over to me and said, “Banana bread is something I get asked for all the time. You should make banana bread.”
After that market, we texted a bit. She shared a lot of ideas. Not just food, but all kinds of things. Little items, random products, even ideas that felt completely unrelated at first glance. Honestly, it was a lot to take in.
But as I read her message again, something stood out.
The breakfast ideas kept rising to the top.
Banana bread. Biscuits. Granola bars. Items people look for in the morning and can easily take home. Around the same time, I had started canning apple and strawberry butters. That led to more research and more clarity.
French toast bread, apple cinnamon bread, lemon loaf, pumpkin loaf, my guava loaf in a new form, loose granola, breakfast seasonings like cinnamon sugar or an egg blend. Espresso brownies became the “coffee” item at the table.
Once I made sure everything fit within cottage law and brought it together under one clear theme “Farm Style Breakfast”, our booth finally made sense.
And for the first time since starting that market, I felt hopeful.
Here’s why I’m sharing this with you.
This isn’t really a story about baking or farmers’ markets. It’s about clarity.
I didn’t invent a new idea. I didn’t create a big strategy. I paid attention, recognized what was already there, and then implemented it with intention.
That’s the same kind of work I love doing as a VA.
I don’t help business owners figure out their why or tell them what they should be doing. You already know that. You already have the vision, the message, and the direction.
What I love doing is helping you carry it out.
Taking what’s already on your heart and helping you implement it. Formatting the email. Scheduling the content. Organizing the backend. Handling the details so the work you’re already doing can actually move forward.
Sometimes confidence doesn’t come from changing direction. It comes from having clarity and support as you take the next step.
And sometimes that clarity comes through community. Through conversation. Through someone else simply noticing something you’re already doing and reflecting it back to you.
If you’re in a season where you know what you’re called to, but you’re tired of doing it all alone, I’d love to support you.
Thank you for being here and for supporting both my business and the calling behind it.
With gratitude,
Maritza
P.S. This season reminded me that God often uses other people to help us see what’s already in front of us. Sometimes the next step isn’t new, it’s just clearer.
