We recently connected with Deidra Smith and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Deidra, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

It’s a huge risk to bet on your dream. You don’t realize the investment and commitment. All of your ideas are basic at best. I totally depended on drive and determination. I took my time and had to dig my heels in to get established and flourish. For me, it was a risk well taken. If I had to do all over again I would in a heartbeat. When I first started I knew nothing about the business or what to do. I learned through lots of trial and error and taking multiple risks and thank God they panned out.

Deidra, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am originally from Detroit, MI. I moved to Memphis in 2013 and was working at a job I absolutely hated and knew I had to focus on my business and growing it.

I’m a self taught Baker and that came with its own set of challenges as well as investing in all of the supplies and tools needed along the way. I can stand on the fact that failure wasn’t an option once I got started and also making sure I met and/or knew people in the industry was a huge plus.

One of the things Im most proud of is the satisfied reactions I get from clients and their continued support throughout the years. The friendships that I’ve developed with many of them is priceless.

It’s always been my job to help them with their vision for their event and make it unforgettable. I would like to think I achieved this with most of them.

I love being creative and I’ve been so very fortunate to have clients that trust me to do what I do best for the most part and that’s what makes my job fun.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

My clients are my biggest marketing tool. Word of mouth has been awesome. My social media platforms have weighed heavy with a strong following and delivering on the goods was the “icing on the cake”

Everyone always tells me that they’re being referred, I’m professional and easy to work with and do the little things to make it easy for them to not worry about their cake.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Something I very quickly unlearned is that I am not competing with any other person in the industry or in the city. I am doing what I’m called to do and what I love to do and I stay focused on that.    

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dsmithdesignstudios.com
• Instagram: The Frosted Oven
• Facebook: The Frosted Oven