We were lucky to catch up with Blair Gutierrez recently and have shared our conversation below.
Blair, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
Don’t worry too much about being successful. If you’re passionate about what you do and put in the work to get better every day, success will follow naturally. I still don’t feel like I’ve ‘made it’ – and that’s okay. I’m always looking for ways to improve and grow.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a born-and-bred New Yorker from Queens. Born in Flushing, I grew up surrounded by the world’s most culturally diverse community, which exposed me to flavors from all over the globe.
That upbringing inspires my flavors today. As someone with a sweet tooth and a love for trying new things, my menu reflects that. With flavors like basil-infused lemon olive oil cake, Matcha, Earl Grey, coconut passionfruit, and alongside classic favorites like confetti, cookies and cream, and more.
There is a huge artistic element behind my bakes. I specialize in over the top, vintage piped buttercream cakes. I love recreating iconic designs, like Jackie Kennedy’s wedding cake, and bringing back vintage styles from old books like the 1970s Wilton Book of Weddings.
I’m completely self-taught. I learned how to pipe by watching YouTube tutorials and practicing on styrofoam sheets. It took a lot of trial and error.
How did you build your audience on social media?
You have to be somewhat delusional to be successful. I cringe at my old work, but I was just starting out. Most people are supportive and enjoy watching others grow in their craft. I just kept posting on IG and taking on orders for vintage cakes until I kept getting better. I charged next to nothing; I almost made no profit just because I was excited to make cakes for other people. One day, I remember posting a pink vintage cake that received over 5,000 likes organically. That was pretty cool, but likes don’t define your talent. I have a lot of traffic on my Instagram page, but it’s honestly a combination of having a unique niche and the luck of the algorithm. Most of my clients come from IG and I’ve met a lot of amazing people through social media.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
I’m grateful and surprised that lately, a lot of support and love has come from the community on Reddit. I’ve also been getting recommended by other wedding vendors, which is wonderful! I like to recommend other vendors as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.VelvetValleyCakes.com
- Instagram: @velvetvalleycakes
