Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alora Caminiti. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Alora, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

I started Sweet Shoots at 27 years old during a very transitional time in my life. I had just left one Human Resources day job and was starting a new one with more responsibility, I was doing a lot of work internally on my mental health, and I had a big handful of things going on with my home, vehicles, you name it. These factors could have made it the best or the worst time to start a small business, depending on how you look at it. I like to think that I was in a huge time of change so I had to embrace it in all aspects of life. While you’re feeling uncomfortable, why not add a little bit more? After all, growth comes out of our discomfort.

I had, and still have, very little time for a business between everything life throws at me, but when something is important to you, you find. the. time. I’m waking up an hour early to get cakes in the oven, I’m piping buttercream roses during work calls, and I’m falling asleep at night placing orders for boxes, stickers, and baking utensils. Even though it all can get a little overwhelming, I wouldn’t have wanted to wait longer to start Sweet Shoots. I actually wish I had started it sooner. So many people have encouraged me to take this step over the years and there were times where I had much more free time to dedicate to building a business. I think I just needed time to build my confidence in my baking skills and to have that season of change that I experienced. But, it’s never too late to get started – so here I am!

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

My name is Alora Caminiti and I am the owner of Sweet Shoots, offering sweet treats for life’s memorable moments! I’ve always loved baking – I grew up baking with my mom and took multiple years of Culinary Arts in high school, and it’s always been something that soothes me when I need it. I’ve always baked for friends and family, but then I started getting requests for special occasions – smash cakes, birthdays, etc. and I saw an opportunity. From there, Sweet Shoots was born! I mainly offer cakes, cupcakes, and cheesecakes, but am happy to take custom orders as I’ve done a wide variety of baking over the years. I am a Human Resources professional by day and if I’m not baking in my free time, I’m scrolling Pinterest and Instagram finding ideas for my next sweet treat. I hope to one day leave the corporate world to open a yoga studio / cafe concept so that people can come exercise, work, and connect all in one place!

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

Sweet Shoots is kind of in a pivotal stage right now – initially the name and branding was created mainly for smash cakes and I had planned on marketing to local photographers and families. The thought process was that this was a niche market and the volume would be manageable while still working full time. However, I quickly realized I wanted to do and be more! So while I’ve kept the original name for now, I’ve really worked on presenting Sweet Shoots as being able to provide sweet treats for ANY of life’s memorable moments, not just a 1st birthday! Pivoting is hard – especially just starting out – because you want to brand well in your local market, and you can’t do that if you keep changing your offerings! Everything is trial and error and I’m looking forward to what expansions to my business 2023 brings.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

This is a combo of social media and extremely supportive friends and family. My network in Tampa has been essential in helping me spread the word about Sweet Shoots. If 10 of my closest people tell a handful of their connections, and then each of them tell a handful of their connections, the potential for new clients is endless! Social media has helped that as well because people are able to share my posts with their follower base, giving me additional visibility there. I’ve done a few shameless plugs on my personal account as well. I think the key with growing your social media to attract clients is never be afraid that it’s too much! Add content constantly – you never know what will catch someone’s eye and make them message you!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @sweetshoots.tpa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetshoots.tpa/
• Other: [email protected]

Image Credits
Alexis Lee Photography