We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amber Jones a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amber, thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

Becoming self employed is by far the biggest risk of entrepreneurship.

From 2016 to 2021, I worked in mental health. Trying to make a buck a day and still maintain sanity was not the life I desired for myself or my family. The daily hassle of being a wife, a mother of 3, and a fulltime employee would drive anyone insane. It all boiled down to doing what’s best for me or doing what’s best for others. So I chose what was best for me.

In October of 2021, I resigned from my 9 to 5 and became fully self employed to my baking business, Sweet Jones. The risk of not knowing how often a sale would be made, how many times a payment would have to be arranged on a bill, or how soon would groceries run low all cluttered my mind, but I got out of my own way. With God and prayer, I chose the healthiest path for myself and my family.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Amber Jones. I am the owner of Sweet Jones. I’m a native of Birmingham,AL. I am the wife of Courtney Jones and we have 3 kids together. August of 2016 we wedded and started our journey as husband and wife. 2 weeks later, we were met with death.
My brother in law was an innocent bystander, killed by gunfire. The tragedy hit my family so sudden, so unexpected. I was in school, had just had my 2 child, newly wedded, and heartbroken.
Originally, my sister and I designed an idea to start a business of event decorating to take our mind off of the days we had ahead. Somehow that plan took a detour. I started a treat business in the mist, and February of 2019 I was asked to do my first character cake. I’ve never baked a day in my life before then. But I took on the challenge and it turned into victory.

Here I am 3 years later, notable and labeled as one of the best in Birmingham, AL. I am a cake baker. I also sculpt and design luxury and 3d cakes. Alongside of cake baking, I have a sister company that’s designed as an all in one service. This service crafts event planning, event decorating, and themed treats.

My goal, is to build, construct, and execute every order that’s placed. Whether it’s a simple cake design, luxury wedding cake, or over the top event. Managing customers ideas, gives me the open gate to build an impactful relationship outside of the business experience.
Katherine Barchetti said it best, “Make a customer not a sale.”
My long term goal is to always keep the customer that I had. The experience you received from a business is always vital.

As my business grows, so does my resume. I have been featured on www.amazingcakeideas.com twice. I recently placed in the top 8 of World’s First Choice Cake Experts. This will be my second feature in Voyage Atl.(Thank you)
I’ve had reels and cakes to go viral. Lastly, I’ve serviced quite a handful of celebrity cakes and events.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I can always playback on my first wedding catastrophe. I was humiliated, and defeated. Facebook blasphemy is a blessing and curse. You have the good, and there is the bad. Oh and let’s not forget those disputes!! The hardship of clearing your name, your business name, and trying to regain others trust will almost make you throw in the towel. Nevertheless, I pushed harder. I made a vow to never go down that path again, to always have an open door policy, and to be confident in my craft. Had I failed at my plan, my business would have stopped the 4th month in. I have done over 10 wedding cakes within these 3 years of business. That’s huge!!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Content for the win. Customers are visual. They love illustrations. On a daily even if it’s an off day always create content. Whether it’s uploading an picture, or a video, creating content always draws clients.

Pictures can be shared, and saved.
Videos, can be shared, and viewed.
Always create. Even on a low engagement day, keep at it.

I’ve found that customers also like to see comparison canvas, the what was requested vs. What was created. This is big!

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.sweetjonesfeaturingthesugarshack.com
• Instagram: Sweetjones_sweettreats
• Facebook: Sweet Jones ft. The Sugar Shack
• Other: Email: [email protected]