We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Aleatra Dimitrijevski. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Aleatra below.

Aleatra, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

Wow… I definitely wish I would’ve started baking sooner. They say everything is clear in hindsight, right? Firstly, I would have to say that although I have been professionally trained and educated in almost all aspects of Culinary Arts, I do not consider myself, in any way, a Pastry Chef. I am a Baker/Treat-Maker or how I choose to identify myself… a Dessert Designer.

I say all of that to say… I never wanted to be any of the above! Haha!

As I mentioned, I went to Johnson & Wales University for a 4 year degree in Culinary Arts and Food Service Management. When I graduated I was so excited to tell everyone I was a chef. I was cute, single and independent. It was a sure way to gain interest in any conversation which was incredibly difficult for me as an introvert with a very extroverted friend group. However, the real problem was when I told someone I was a chef they would immediately assume I was a pastry chef. AS IF a woman wouldn’t be a classic chef and it infuriated me!

As a result, I avoided baking, pastries and desserts in general. Until…

In 2008 I began working at a Hotel in DC. I apprenticed under an amazing Chef, Aaron Flores (RIH) who was a figure-head in the Gluten Free realm. Back then, the concept of gluten-free dining, baking or cooking was practically taboo. There were not many, if any products available for purchase and most chefs were very unfamiliar with what it meant in everyday food preparations. Chef Flores educated me on the concept and how there were children in their teens who had never eaten cake before due to their dietary restrictions. I am a magnet for children and extremely sensitive to those with food restrictions since I have severe food allergies.

Chef Flores began giving me samples of gluten free flour and told me to test bake cupcakes. He loved how they came out and it snowballed from there. I traveled, baked and taught decorating classes with GF children. Shortly after in 2010 I started my home based baking business, originally called “I Heart Cupcakes” and began baking all the things! It was always secondary to my main source of income as a Chef for several different large companies.

I fell in love with the artistry of it all. I began competing in 2018, started taking the business seriously in 2020 and now as 2022 ends, I can reflect on how I am 6-months into my leap of faith as a full-time baker. I am literally living my dream. I have found my place in the rat race and the only thing I would change would be that I wish I had listened to everyone who assumed I was a pastry chef. The universe was right!

Aleatra, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

When I grew up I wanted to be a chef! …and I have the evidence from kindergarten to prove it!

And that’s exactly what I did! I may no longer be a traditional practicing chef but I am loving my life as a full-time entrepreneur as a Dessert Designer. I am the owner of Cake-wich Craft Bake Shop. Cake-wich… like sand-wich… but cake. I offer on-trend, always custom and scratch-made bakes, sweets and treats! I am the ultimate creative and am known for being able to do all-the-things in the Sweets Community. I currently offer Custom Cookies, Cupcakes, Cakesicles and of course… cakes.

There are several things that set me apart in this industry:
• I always bake from scratch within 72-48 hours of the event date. Fresh, quality product is a part of my brand.
• Customer service is my top priority. Maintaining a professional relationship with all my clients, even when I fall short is incredibly important. I never promise to be perfect however I do promise to be transparent and make amends.
• Customization is best part of what I do. I love exploring the needs of my clients and determining how I can make their ideas come to life in the form of treats. This could be a corporate branded gift box or a sculpted celebration cake.
• I have an internship/mentorship and a scholarship built into my business model, Cupcake Dreams DC, that supports graduating high school students enrolled in the hospitality academy at Jackson Reed High school.

I am incredibly proud and humbled by the growth and exposure I have received over the last 24 months. Cake-wich Craft has been mentioned in Oprah Daily Magazine, Vogue.com and twice by Glamour Magazine. I have also competed 2 times with Food Network, domestically and internationally. Most importantly, I left my secure good-government-job as a DC high school teacher June 2022 to become a full-time entrepreneur. Its all happened so fast, thrusting me to perfect my craft, but it has surely been 100% worth it.

My ultimate career goal is to travel the world teaching other Sweet Community owners, especially the youth, how to set up their business and market themselves professionally. I have a soft spot for teen entrepreneurs. Their tenacity and fearlessness inspire me. As a result, I have a mentorship program build into my business model. I feel called to contribute to the community that way. I am excited to move into a commercial space to be able to do this on a larger scale.

Personally, I am a wife, dog-mom and Jesus lover. Although I am a super introvert, I surround myself with uber-extroverts and really enjoy meeting other people within the Baking/Treat-maker world. Traveling is a second passion of mine and it’s not vacation unless there’s a beach!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Unequivocally the D-I-Y and #TeamNoSleep Culture that surrounds entrepreneurship.
Pre-baking I went to Culinary University and worked in the hospitality industry for 12 years for country clubs, restaurants, hotels, convention centers and private schools. Following, for five years, I became a high school teacher within Washington DC public school system teaching hospitality and tourism. Even with all the years of professional education and professional experience it took a long time to really understand that you always need help.

This country’s media and employment culture has a way of making you feel less than successful if you’re not staying up all hours of the night and building your career or business from scratch all alone. It pushes the narrative, “If you want it done right, you have do it yourself.” Truthfully, it takes a team of people to create a dream. The most successful people in the world have a multitude of people, most of which are much smarter than they are, that are running their operations day in and day out.

In 2020 the pandemic sent my baking business into overdrive. Sales were growing rapidly month-over-month based on my previous production due to my clients celebrating more from home. At that time, I was still teaching full- time, albeit from home, which was really my only saving grace in this situation. I had always been taught to do more with less, so I focused on streamlining my operational systems. I wasn’t mentally in the position to see that I needed to hire assistance. I worked from 6:00 AM to midnight most days and typically had a seven-day work week between teaching and baking. This went on for the next 2 years. To say that I was burning the candle at both ends is an understatement. The exhaustion was real!

My husband saw how hard I was working and how successful the baking business was becoming. In 2021 we decided that we would begin planning to open a storefront. To do that one of us would need to stop working our full-time job and dedicate fully to the bakery. So, we made the calculated decision that he would leave his position temporarily and I would continue to work full time teaching since I had better benefits within the DC government. During that six months my husband drove for Uber and fully immersed himself and learning all the ins-and-outs of running the bakery. This included answering all the emails, prep work, cleaning, baking, and preparing all the orders so that I would only have to decorate when I came home.

First I must say, he is incredible and he inspires me. However, it was incredibly frustrating in the beginning to have someone in my space all the time. At the same time, it was incredibly liberating and forced me to become more organized in my operations. In reality if I wanted to be successful and my business to grow, I needed to learn how to train and manage people to do the things that don’t necessarily need to be customized by me.

My advice to anyone starting a business is to learn to train employees, family members or to simply outsource tasks that don’t directly affect your revenue or require your personal customization. All of the back-end work, small tasks, organization, packing, shipping, errand running/shopping etc. can be outsourced to a person, service or app. The goal is to work smarter and to maximize your efficiency. When you become more efficient you give yourself space and opportunity to become more profitable. You give your brain more opportunity to create and take your brand to higher levels. If you continue to think you can do it all on your own, you will stifle your growth. I don’t know any entrepreneur that wants to work as hard as we work and not grow. Also, selfcare. Just do it.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Build your team = build your business. The success of your business is directly related to the people that you hire. So, with that being said, it’s only logical that you invest in the people that you hire.

It’s true for any entrepreneur to spend more time in your business than you do at home. I know that you wouldn’t let just anyone come into your home so you shouldn’t just hire anyone to work within your business. It all starts with the hiring process followed by training and the work culture environment you create.

A lot of the lessons that I have learned in management have come from managers that treated me poorly. I remember a particularly bad manager of a very large restaurant chain I worked for in Culinary School. I closed at the end of the night and realized I lost my keys inside the restaurant after I had walked out. He wouldn’t let me back in to look for my keys and he wouldn’t help me look for my keys since he was still inside. After he closed up and left the restaurant, he walked to his car that was parked next to mine and proceeded to leave me there, stranded in the parking lot, late at night, as I waited for a friend to come pick me up. I was his lead line cook. From that moment on… I made his life miserable every shift he worked with me. I also knew that I NEVER wanted to be like him or to make anyone feel as disrespected as he made me feel that day.

The most important characteristic to be known for within your team is trust. This isn’t just the generic concept of trust… it is the all-encompassing sense of the word when it comes to management and morale.
Your team members/employees should be able to trust…
• That you will be organized and responsible with their time and efforts at work. Don’t have them going in circles, wasting time because you’re disorganized.
• That you will act fairly and hold everyone accountable. It should go without saying but having a “favorite” is demoralizing to others and your team can tell.
• That you will praise in public and re-direct in private. Also, when you need to redirect someone, you will focus on the behavior not the person. Also, be intentional about finding something to praise in every team member. Its important to be recognized.
• That you will train them so they will be confident and knowledgeable in front of the customer.
• That you will create a work culture where it is encouraged to be themselves, with their personalities, families and lives outside of work. Also, keeping private matters private when they trust you enough to share.
• That you will respectfully schedule in advance as much as possible so it’s the norm not the exception and pay people fully and on time.
• That you will be transparent and willing to learn as much as you expect your team to learn and evolve.
• That you will set the example to follow.

These are the most valuable traits I would strive to possess as I grew in my career. I managed within some very challenging environments, but it always worked in my favor when I valued the person over the position. Your business is your pride… but you cannot be everywhere all the time. You will need people to manage in your absence so you can have a work-life balance. The saying is true, take care of people and they will take care of you.

Bonus Advice: Even your best employees will come and go. Never take it personal. Never speak badly about them after they leave. Your current employees will hear it and wonder if this is how you speak of them when they’re not around… creating a trickle effect of turnover and a loss of respect.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cakewichcraft.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/cakewichcraft
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/cakewichcraft
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/Cakewichcraft
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/cakewichcraft

Image Credits
Nikki Ray Media (Big Bake Photo)