Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Maya Greene. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Maya, appreciate you joining us today. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?

If I were to start over my entire entrepreneurial journey today, this biggest thing I would do differently is shift my focus. These past couple of years, I have come to realize I have been very distracted. When you allow outside distractions consume you, you then have no time for the things that actually matter. I can’t count how many times I could’ve been doing something productive for my business, but I chose to do something else because “it won’t take long” or “ I can get to work after”. In reality if you want your business to succeed you’ve got to give it your all. You’ve got to stay focused and keep going! So now today that’s the biggest thing I’m working on, shifting my focus so I can become something bigger. If I would’ve realized this earlier on, there’s no telling how much farther I would be right now, but I truly believe things happen for a reason.

Maya, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Maya Greene. I am a self-taught baker, and an uprising Pastry Chef. I have been in the food industry for about 4 years now.

I started my journey by selling cake slices and cupcakes in my 11th grade year of high school. I attended Western High School in Baltimore City. Attending an all girls school definitely benefited me because that was a school full of hustlers and entrepreneurs. It was very motivating knowing my peers looked forward to supporting my craft.

After graduating high school, I immediately attended culinary school, in hopes to further my education in baking. While attending, I realized I was not going to obtain the knowledge I thought I would, however I did gain insight on foods and desserts I knew nothing about and gained great connections that I am grateful for.

In my bakery business, I offer a wide range of homemade desserts including but not limited to custom cakes, cupcakes, brownies, chocolate covered treats and so much more. I make every dessert with the hopes of pleasing every one of my customers, because I make everything with love.

I am most proud of my accomplishments and how far I have come with my bakery business. I jumped into entrepreneurship, knowing nothing about running a business. The growth that I have seen within myself has been amazing. I had the honor of participating in my first baking competition at “Dessert Wars” in April of this year. I was able to place in the Top 25 in my city from the desserts I created. Although, there are many obstacles in the road, I have made it this far and I still have so much yet to accomplish, because this is only the beginning!

Have you ever had to pivot?

During covid was probably one of the peak seasons in my journey with my business. At the time of covid, when no one was really able to get out the house, I had consistent sales. I was literally baking everyday, selling out, doing deliveries and more. Once things kind of opened back up, and I had to get a job, business slowed down because I was no longer able to manage the pace of it. I wasn’t as available due to my work schedule, I was also in school at the time, so I had limited availability to bake. This became very discouraging because I was unsure how I would get my business back to where it was. I remember not receiving as many custom orders and I fell off with posting on my page. However, after months go by I try to get my name back out there and build some momentum. So I would post every custom order, I would host sales and eventually I got the momentum to build back up. However, it can be very hard to maintain it. You’ve got to be very consistent and sometimes I lack in that area. It’s all just a learning process and figuring out what works best for you and your audience.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Social media has become their biggest platform for small businesses and entrepreneurs. I definitely have received most of my clientele from Instagram. Posting consistently is hard, especially when you’re trying to learn the algorithm of how each platform works. However, it has become very beneficial when you are consistent. Also, word of mouth is still even more powerful than just social media. Social media is great for showing what your product is and looks like. In the food industry, it’s a lot more than just that. Your food can be visually appealing because people eat with their eyes first, but to get return customers that come back, you have to have a great tasting product and great customer service. I have learned that some people prefer an “okay” product with great customer service compared to a great product with “okay” customer service. So I aim to provide a great product with great customer service, so they always remember the experience and return. When people spread good reviews about your business to others, they are more likely to visit because it’s coming from someone they know and increases comfortability.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bakesy.shop/b/the-sweet-boutique-1
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesweetboutiqu3?igsh=MThpNHFsd2J1YnE0bg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Image Credits
Darius Bose @staytrueshots for some photos