We recently connected with Sara Hoagey and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Sara thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

I began my baking business while I was in jr high, I sold my products to family friends and was simply excited about the idea of what the business could be. I continued to make cakes and cookies in my free time and on my breaks in college. My business slowly expanded. After graduating college I took a job in Human Resources as a way to support myself while building my business. In March of 2020 I left my HR job. The following week the world shut down. I had taken a huge risk in moving from my consistent 8-5 job to relying on a business based on events. 2020 heavily impacted a lot of people, but the jump to leave a consistent job came at such a crazy time!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started baking with my mom as a young child. I grew up on a farm and my family spent a lot of time with one another, cooking was one of our favorite ways to connect. Baking was a hobby of my moms, so we spent a lot of time together baking. I slowly became interested in the art side of make desserts look pretty. I started by making cakes and cookies for church events and family friends. These people supported me and became my first customers! Celebrating people is one of my favorite things to do and creating edible works of art is a way that I get to be a part of every celebration.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Creating products that not only look good, but taste good. When you go to a party and the cake is the yummiest cake you’ve ever had. Your first response is to ask where it is from. Creating a tasty product markets itself and people know they are getting something tasty when they order from you!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Over the last two years I have been a part of 100+ weddings. One of my favorite ways to meet new customers is to be a part of Open House’s and building relationships with Venues. If you are in the wedding industry and looking to increase your clientele, I highly recommend finding new venues, meet their owners, take them samples or examples. The best way to build your business is to meet people in the industry, make vendor friends not competitors.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.farmhousecakesandcookies.com
• Instagram: @farmhousecakesandcookies
• Facebook: Farmhouse Cakes & Cookies

Image Credits
Joyful Noise Photo