We recently connected with Samantha Moses and have shared our conversation below.
Samantha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
I’ve been baking since I was a child-old enough to reach the counter! I have some background in cake decorating and have taken classes in the past, but didn’t quite enjoy cakes enough to create a business selling them. I started seeing videos of decorated sugar cookies and wanted to give it a try. I actually started my business on accident…I began making and posting pictures of cookies I made for family, and people started asking me if I sold them. I took some orders and thought “why not make this official?!”. I decided on a name and logo, and The Handcrafted Cookie Co was born!
I’m so blessed to say that starting up this business went very smoothly. That’s not to say I haven’t made adjustments overtime; but for the most part it’s been an awesome journey!
Samantha, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I started baking when I was a very young child and learned from the best baker I know, my mother. She passed her talent along to me and I fell in love with making sweet treats. I decided to expand my knowledge and started baking decorated sugar cookies in the spring of 2023.
I began my journey by offering to make cookies for family members and friends. After posting some photos of the sets I created, social media friends reached out asking to order. By early 2024, I had a few orders booked. In May of 2024, I decided to make it official and launch The Handcrafted Cookie Co.
Since I started my company, I have expanded by adding cookie cakes to the menu, and offering cookie decorating classes and holiday sales.
Custom cookies are the perfect addition to birthday parties, weddings, baby showers, and more! They elevate any theme and are a great way to wow party guests.
I also print logo cookies for local companies. Most companies order cookies for launch parties, events, client gifts, and employee gifts. It’s a fun way for a company to share a logo with clients, that they can eat!
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Social media is a very different marketing beast. In the past, companies relied on placing ads in newspapers, tv commercials, websites, etc. Nowadays most people find out about local companies through social media.
One of my most valuable resources are local Facebook groups. When I first started out, I’d join groups and post about my services along with some photos of past cookie sets. I gained followers each time I did this and grew my page exponentially.
Another resource is video content. I make videos of the decorating process and have gained a lot of traction from posting these videos online. I’ve found that people really enjoy watching the process, and I can’t say I blame them! Watching these same videos is what got me into cookie decorating in the first place.
I highly recommend posting regularly on social media. The more content that is put out there, the more chances you are to be found online. It can be a lot of work, but it really pays off in the long run!
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I believe that posting photos of each of my orders, having a clean-looking optimized website, and asking past clients for reviews has really helped build my reputation.
I’ve so often had people tell me they googled me or found my social media page and loved my work. It’s been a game changer to slowly work on improving my photography and editing skills, and have beautiful photos to share of my work.
I also believe a good website builds confidence in my business. When I’m shopping around for a service myself, I find it really important to easily access a website or social media page that gives me a good idea of what the business is all about/the legitimacy of a business. We unfortunately live in a world where scams are very prevalent, and I want my clients going into the ordering process feeling confident about my service.
Reviews are so important in a business! They can be tough to receive, so I try to remember to ask each and every client for a review. I also believe this helps potential clients feel more confident about my business and what I have to offer.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thehandcraftedcookieco.com
- Instagram: @thehandcraftedcookieco
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/p/The-Handcrafted-Cookie-Co-61559119063987/
- Other: Tik tok: @thehandcraftedcookieco
Image Credits
Kelsey Skinner Photography