“Bread for Anchovies, Anyone?”

In the heart of Austin's tech scene, Jack spent two decades leading B2B companies, doing the whole LinkedIn Premium thing, driving nice cars, and attending high-stakes conferences. It looked like “success” from the outside, but honestly, the best part of it all was the people he got to know, some of whom became real friends. Behind the scenes, though, there was boredom. The products we made were technically pretty cool, but they were…business software products. Not something I used daily.

In the years before Jinx, life took some tough turns. Jack lost his parents, and one of his ventures was falling apart. We did everything we could to keep it going, even selling our home to pay salaries for the team, but it wasn’t sustainable. Eventually, we had to let go. COVID gave us a chance to hit reset without losing face (failure is still not easy), and we moved to a place on Jinx Avenue. That’s when Jack hit a rough patch, working through depression. He was drinking too much, eating too much, and pulling away from everything. Deleting Facebook felt like a tiny victory against the world he’d been living in.

Then, like so many others, Jack turned to baking during the pandemic. There was something soothing about it. Making bread gave me a little joy in a tough time. He started sharing it with neighbors, trading loaves for basics (like anchovies!), and it became something to look forward to. Of course, it wasn’t all smooth—one neighbor was quick to point out that we didn’t exactly have permits, but we pushed on.

The demand grew, and before we knew it, we were taking online orders. Our first time at the Barton Creek Farmers’ Market was right after that Texas “Snowmageddon,” and we sold out in minutes. That day, we knew we were onto something. With help from friends at the market, like the folks at Algo Dulce, we got the hang of it and started expanding.

As things picked up, Jack drew on his time as a Marine infantry officer. He was reminded to focus on what mattered, and we did just that—honing in on Barton Creek Farmers’ Market as our main market—concentrating our forces, so to speak. Soon, we were selling to restaurants, and a commercial kitchen became necessary.

So, where does Jinx go from here? It’s hard to say, kind of like waiting to see if your bread rises just right. But as long as there’s a passion for good bread, a willingness to keep going, and a community that appreciates it, we’re in it for the long haul.