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

Christopher, appreciate you joining us today. One of the most important things we can do as business owners is ensure that our customers feel appreciated. What’s something you’ve done or seen a business owner do to help a customer feel valued?

I can’t say it is the best thing, but I can say that there are several ways I show my appreciation for each and every order. From the moment the order is confirmed, I maintain open communication with my clients. Upon the completion of my clients’ cake order, I text a picture to the client to show I understand how important their order is to them and so they may see how the vision turned out. The next thing I feel which is the most important of them all is within 24 hours of either pickup or delivery, I text the client for any follow up feedback. I truly believe it is the client’s feedback that makes me a better baker / cake decorator. I have had many clients’ send me pictures of their loved one with their creation and I get the privilege of sharing their excitement on my social media platforms for others to share in their excitement.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I have been decorating cakes for over 20 years. Several years after I first started decorating cakes, I decided to take that passion a step further and became a Wilton Cake Decorating Instructor at a Michael’s Arts & Craft Store where after several months of teaching one of my students got me an interview to be a cake decorator at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. This led to a career path of creating wedding cakes, occasional cakes, restaurant specific cakes and sweet treats.

During my time at Mandalay Bay, I took a promotion to Hubert Keller’s Fleur dy Lys as Assistant Pastry Chef. I then continued my career at the JW Marriott in Summerlin, Nevada.

After moving here to Winter Haven, I decided to take all my knowledge, passion, and share it with the community by offering a bakery to create those baked goods that remind them of home at an affordable price.

My Pastry Experience:

Pastry Chef – Doubletree by Hilton Asheville, NC

Cake Decorator – JW Marriott Summerlin, NV

Asst. Pastry Chef – Fleur de Lys Las Vegas, NV

Cake Decorator & Baker – Mandalay Bay Resort Las Vegas, NV

Pastry – Payard Patisserie Caesars Palace Las Vegas, NV

How did you build your audience on social media?

In starting this business, I knew social media was not only one of the most important platforms I needed to harness, but the most powerful, cost-effective methods of marketing yourself. I began with placing my business on Google and Yelp with as much information as possible; however, I never paid to have my business placed higher on the search when it came to Google and Yelp. I wanted to prove to myself that my business can make it to the top on its own through hard work and positive reviews. Next, I created the Facebook and Instagram pages and again detailing as much information as possible.

Once I was on Facebook, I knew it was imperative to find groups that my business could join that were relevant to my business. For example, Polk County Restaurants and Reviews fits the area I service, the demographics of individuals who are into learning and sharing their thoughts about food. I joined several groups and made it my goal to post pics of my creations as well as screen shots of the client’s compliments / feedbacks I received and share the information. I am proud of the fact that within 18 months of doing this I have gained 1,168 Facebook followers. I have also started to get into TikTok another powerful social media tool.

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

I have two answers to share with this. To get my name out there I was a vendor at several local markets and secondly it goes back to being part of local Facebook Groups. You have to post consistently even if it is setting up posts for future release.

Contact Info:

• Website: TheBakeryGuy.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/thebakeryguy
• Facebook: Facebook.com/ChrisTheBakeryGuy
• Linkedin: Linkedin.com/company/the-bakery-guy
• Twitter: Twitter.com/the_bakery_guy1
• Yelp: Yelp.com/biz/the-bakery-guy-winter-haven
• Other: Google.com/search?q=the+bakery+guy