We were lucky to catch up with Abigail Dickhof recently and have shared our conversation below.

Abigail, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I absolutely love being a small business owner and all the countless positives that accompany working for yourself. However, I would be lying if I said I never thought about what life would be like with a “regular” job, where you can clock out at the end of the day! I really considered this decision in the spring of 2022 when I graduated high school and was headed into my freshman year at Ohio State. The idea of being a small business owner while also a full-time college student was daunting to say the least, and the notion of “moving on” from Cupcakes N’ Cream to pursue further education was starting to sound really nice! I distinctly remember a conversation with one of my good friends, and her encouragement to continue building my business rather than working for someone else. She reminded me that I GET to do what I truly love and have a passion for through my business, and of all the special moments I have gotten to be apart of through Cupcakes N’ Cream. The long nights, very early mornings, and moments of self doubt are all canceled out by the joy of doing what I love and getting to share that with others!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Baking has always been such a joyous part of my life. Growing up, I remember making my very first batch of cake-mix cookies and absolutely loving the process. Since then, every free moment I had, you could find me in the kitchen making anything from cinnamon rolls & chocolate chip cookies to French macrons & koffiebroodjes.

In the spring of 2018, I decided it was time to stop waiting for ‘someday’ to pursue my passions and goals. With the immense support of my family, friends, and community, I started Cupcakes N’ Cream as an online bakery.

Over the past five years, I have had the joy of working alongside some amazing individuals, who have all helped shape my business and cultivate the vison I have today. Countless learning moments, long nights & early mornings, and immeasurable joy this business has brought, as I continue with this path.

In 2022, I refined my vision for Cupcakes N’ Cream to solely be a wedding bakery. With this, I hope my vision of elegant, delicate and simple wedding cakes shines evident through my work.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media has always been my biggest struggle! I would much rather create a four-tier wedding cake than come up with a catchy Instagram caption! With this, however, I have found that there are so many resources out their to help with the social media aspect of running a business. Countless Facebook groups are dedicated to helping small businesses navigate the “algorithm” and have been instrumental for my social media platform!

Personally, I have found that as amazing as social media is, my business will always rely on word of mouth referrals and positive customer experience. Networking with other local vendors, or businesses that offer similar services is the best way that I have found to spread the word! I will take community engagement over social media any day!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

As cliché as it sounds… the most fulfilling aspect of running Cupcakes N’ Cream is seeing the vision come to life! For months I will work in contact with my clients to create a display that they absolutely love. From wedding cake tastings & design meetings, to selecting their cupcake flavors, it all comes down to making their wedding day perfect. I absolutely adore walking into the wedding venue and seeing a beautiful vase of flowers that I can arrange on their cake, making the whole vision come together. There is nothing quite like the feeling of wedding day, where you get goosebumps after taking a step back and looking at what you just created!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cupcakesncreamllc.com
• Instagram: cupcakesncreambakeshoppe
• Facebook: cupcakesncreambakeshoppe

Image Credits

Marissa Belle
Haley Aldean
Ashley Henry
Carlos Stoner