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

Alright, Alyssa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

My first cookie order as a business was for a friend for some comical bachelorette party cookies. This was my first order that was going to be presented to strangers, so I was nervous since most of my feedback had previously came from friends and family. But it was at that same bachelorette party that I was able to gain my first customer that was not a friend or family member. I was not present for this party, but my work was. I remember my friend who brought the cookies to the party texting me to tell me how much everyone loved the cookies and that she would be giving them my contact info. So to go from doing work for friends, to having someone new reach out and tell me “I saw your cookies at this party and I’d love to buy some for an upcoming baby shower” was so exciting for me! It was validating to know my work could speak for itself. I am also happy to say that this very first non-friend customer is still a customer with us today. We have been a part of a handful of her big moments, and its been an honor every step of the way.

Alyssa, 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 a graphic artist by day, and a baker/decorator by night. A major part of myself has always loved art and being crafty. In 2018, after I moved to Kansas City, I started getting more into cake and cookie decorating shows on TV. I never really liked baking or cooking shows before that year, so it was kind of out of nowhere for me. But one day, it just clicked that I wanted to try baking and decorating something fun. The first thing I practiced making was a unicorn cake – it was the popular item that year. I loved the process, but wanted to try practicing my decorating skills on a smaller level. This is when I realized that cookies might be perfect for this. So that year for Christmas, I decorated cookies. So many cookies. I couldn’t stop once I got started! This led me to trying other fun themes and sharing my work with friends.

After that, I started posting more of my work online. I had friends, family, and even people I hadn’t talked to in years, reaching out asking if I sold them. When I told them no, I found that I was receiving lots of encouragement to sell them. And that is kind of how we began!

I did all the work for my business on my own for almost two years. But as our orders increased, I eventually I started getting assistance from my partner, Gustavo Contreras. He helps mix, cut, and bake the cookies, while I get to focus on my favorite part: the decorating! We focus mostly on our custom decorated sugar cookies year-round. But we also have seasonal options sprinkled in throughout the year for purchase. Those seasonal options have included: cocoa bombs, other chocolate covered items, and some fun popcorn snack mixes!

I think one of the best parts of this job is getting to be creative. I love when clients bring us ideas and I get to figure out how to bring them to life. I get to problem solve and I also get to do something creative. One thing that everyone should know about our work is that each set is very special to us. We take pride in the work we do and we strive to exceed expectations on every order we work on. I am constantly looking for ways to improve our skills in all areas of the business: baking, decorating, photographing our work, and even our social media content. It is more than a full time job, but my love for it is what drives me.

One more fun thing about us is that we LOVE to show gratitude to our customers. We do this in a number of ways. Sometimes its as simple as a thank you card, or a free thank you cookie. But another way we do this is by running giveaways on our Instagram page. We love doing giveaways because its a fun way to interact with current and future clients, while also brightening someone’s day with free cookies. Sometimes we are lucky and we get to partner up with other small local businesses, so you get opportunities to try other amazing products as well! – We usually run them if a fun season/holiday is around the corner, or if we reach certain business goals. When we reach goals, its because of our supportive community.

Ultimately, we would be nowhere without our amazing clients and the support from all the awesome people we have met through this business. I have never lived in an area that supports small local businesses quite like they do in Kansas City. This place is special to us, as are all the people. We are so honored to be a part of everyone’s special moments with our cookies. We can’t wait to see the work we’ll finish off 2022 with, and what work we’ll get to create in 2023!

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

Honestly, word of mouth and letting the work speak for itself! We owe a lot to social media nowadays – it is a great place to promote your business. But most of our clients come to us because they’ve been referred by a friend or they had seen or tried our cookies at an event. One of the biggest compliments in the cookie world is hearing that the work was not only beautiful, but it also tasted great. This is such a big compliment because most people expect decorated cookies to be one or the other: pretty or tasty. I am proud to say we usually receive great feedback that ours are both.

How did you build your audience on social media?

When we started our online presence, we actually were just starting our business as well. Being so new meant no one really knew us. So we used social media as an opportunity to grow. We stay up to date on trends. We try to stay in tune with what is going on in the “cookier” community, while also maintaining individuality. We try to always work hard to create both steady and quality content.

The tricky part about social media is that it is always evolving. It’s a trendy world and if you want to stay relevant, you have to stay current with the trends both in your field and in content creating. So when different platforms make new tools, it is crucial to learn how to use them if you want your work to be seen. For us, we believe it is important to be proud of our work and we try to post each set on our socials at some point. This may not be the ideal strategy for every business. But I will always, always suggest that anyone starting to build their socials should establish their ideal posting times for their audience, try to remain steady and consistent with the content you put out, and always look for ways to improve where you can.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sugarmamakc.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sugarmama_kc/