Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anesha Taylor. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Anesha, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made?
Being a business owner is an amazing accomplishment but it also comes with tons of obstacles and challenges. From conceptualizing your business to making your first sale, there are so many things to consider. Your first investment can sometimes feel more daunting than deciding on the perfect product or service to sell. When I started my business, it was based on a job and hobby I was already actively involved with, this made knowing what I would be selling or providing an easy decision. For me, deciding where to make my first investment was a journey. It was hard not to look in a bakery window and feel like I couldn’t be a successful business owner if I didn’t have my own bakery. So in the beginning I would hang on to every penny trying to make it happen. I under charged to gain customers and worked myself to the bone trying to accomplish what I felt was a necessary step. It wasn’t until I finished my finance degree and left the military that I realized I had it all wrong! I needed to invest in myself and put value on my time in order to achieve the type of business I wanted, not what I thought it should look like. That is when I began to invest in tools I needed to make my work easier, classes to improve my skills and services that would allow me to focus more on baking and providing awesome cakes and treats for my customers.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My mother cultivated my interest in baking pretty early on. She is the baker in the family and always brings the dessert to every family function. By the time I was a teenager she had a bakery where I spent most weekends. At the time I really was not interested in baking but that soon changed once I joined the Navy. I became a Culinary Specialist for the U.S. Navy and was tasked with running the bakery for an aircraft carrier serving roughly 5,000 sailors daily and making sure they had fresh bread and sweets with every meal. By the end of my time in the Navy, almost 10 years, I was the “Go To” at every command for cakes and pastries. This then lead to making cakes for people outside of work and bringing them as gifts to any party I went to. Bringing the cake for free allowed me to experiment with techniques and find my niche. Now, Cake In Your Face! is known for making some of the most delicious, personalized cakes in town!
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
One compliment I get constantly is that my treats not only look good design wise but they also taste good. I pride myself in taking just as much time making my desserts flavorful and moist as I do making them look good. I make it a point to spend as much time on the taste of my product as I do to ensure it is esthetically pleasing.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Social media can be a struggle especially when you a juggling a 9 to 5, a family and a business owner. Growing my social media presence is an ongoing project for me. I try and make sure I am posting content that is truly authentic to me and my business. I still struggle with being in front of the camera but i am getting better and I find I achieve the most growth when I am part of the post. People enjoy seeing the person behind the product and learning more about them, it makes you relatable.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cakenyourface.com
- Instagram: @cakeinyourfacellc
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/CakeInYourFaceLLC/