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

Hi Adrian, 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.

My whole entrepreneurial experience have been about taking risk. I was a single mom full time employed and working my home based cake business on the side, and I took a leap of faith and went full time. That was huge, not being sure if I was going to be able to pay the bills and take care of my teenage daughter. Then the next risk was leaving my home based bakery and going into a commercial kitchen. I had never paid rent before and that was the scariest thing, knowing that additional bills would have to be paid. It was an entirely different world to me. Not only did I have to elevate the business, I had to elevate my thinking within the business. And my most recent risk is that after 3 years in the commercial kitchen I continued to dream big and want my own brick and mortar. I found a location that was so much larger than my kitchen space but that meant a large increase in rent , hiring employees, doing a buildout, the works. But all of the risks have been worth it. It has not been easy but definitely worth it. I am now the owner of Kennedy’s Kakes cake boutique. Where I employ 4 employees. It has been an amazing accomplishment I am a true believer in faith and I am just amazed at how stepping out on what you believe in but not knowing the outcome can be life changing.

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

My name is Adrian Jones and I am the owner of Kennedy’s Kakes. Kennedy’s Kakes is a custom design cake boutique, that is located downtown Columbus, Ohio inside of The Westin Hotel. Kennedy’s Kakes specializes is custom design special occasion cakes, wedding cakes and luxury petite sweets. I have been baking for years since I was young, I was always in the kitchen with my mother, a lot of my recipes have been passed down from my grandmother to my mom and now to me. I started in my home and then branched out into a commercial kitchen and from there to where I am now. Kennedy’s Kakes cake boutique is a charming and upscale bakery that offers a unique and delightful experience for cake and pastry lovers, where they can indulge in beautifully designed cakes that are not only a delicious treat but amazing to see. Our customer includes couples planning weddings, individuals celebrating milestone birthdays and special occasions, and event planners seeking premium cakes for corporate events. We also attract social media savvy customers who appreciate visually captivating desserts and that are willing to share online.
Why we stand out is because we work closely with our clients understanding their visions and crafting bespoke cakes that exceed their expectations. We take the stress out of what to design or incorporate for your special occasions, and making it easy to choose great flavors to pair with your event.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

During the pandemic as we know everyone and everything was shutting down. I had just taken that leap of faith and was operating in a commercial kitchen. this was great and it was going to be my largest season ever for wedding cakes I had 25 weddings scheduled. When everything shut down there were no more weddings and definitely no more large weddings. it was a blessing being in my commercial kitchen because we were considered essential because we had curbside pickup. I had to figure out a way to pivot. People were always asking if they could have a tasting even if they were not getting married. So I out together tasting boxes and pushed them on social media. I individually packaged cupcakes and desserts so that the large weddings could turn into micro wedding and began shipping our cake jars. After figuring all that out we ended up having a better year than the previous year. the one thing I learned from it was it’s ok to gather yourself because the first 2 weeks I sat at home with my head in my hands like what am I going to do. And then I pushed through the fear of what ifs and jumped into I can do this. it was very empowering.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think what has helped build my reputation with in the market is staying true and consistent within my business. Customers know what they are going to get when they work with Kennedy’s Kakes. I strive to provide cakes that are beautiful and delicious and I stay professional and personable.

Contact Info:

• Website:www.kkakes.com
• Instagram: kennedys_kakes
• Facebook: Kennedys Kakes
• Linkedin: 
  • Business Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kennedys-kakes/
  • Personal Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-jones-a1805b5b/
• Twitter: @kennedys_kakes