Waterloo’s favourite bagels at Poppy’s

Last week, our team visited Poppy’s Bagels in Waterloo to chat with the owners about their entrepreneurial journey. Here’s what we learned:

1. Best Advice You’ve Ever Received?
   • The owner Ashley and her husband Mike shared that they didn’t have a mentor or specific advice. Instead, they’ve learned through experience, taking each challenge as it comes.
2. How Did You Find Your Niche?
   • Growing up in Waterloo, the owners noticed a lack of bagel spots around their area.
   • Ashely shared that after her partner’s studies, his travels showed him the global love for bagels. Therefore, they saw an opportunity to create something unique for the community.
3. How Do You Balance Operations and Growth?
   • There’s no perfect balance, but having a strong team helps. Innovation and problem-solving on the fly have been key to managing day-to-day tasks while planning for growth.
   • Being able to innovate on how to problem solve when they ran into obstacles was a vital part in growing their business.
4. Most Rewarding Part of Owning a Business?
   • For them, it’s seeing customers smile. Knowing that hard work translates into happy, satisfied customers is incredibly fulfilling.
   • They were able to see how well their hard work that went in to creating the menu and atmosphere paid off.
5. Where Do You See Your Business in 2025?
   • Looking ahead, they aim to expand with more locations.
   • They’ve learned a lot from past challenges and are excited to continue growing the business.

Poppy’s Bagels on Instagram!