We recently connected with Angel He-james and have shared our conversation below.

Angel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How has Covid changed your business model?

It is not as much a new business model, but a new business entirely. During the pandemic I worked for the first company in Hawaii to shut down and was laid off in early 2020. At the same time, after a previous miscarriage, I was pregnant again with my first child who was born a few months later in July. Going through the pandemic with a newborn baby, taking classes as a second language English speaker, and being forced to find a new place to live was definitely a struggle in many ways. A baby demands all your attention 24/7, so you can’t go out to do anything, but with the pandemic there also wasn’t anywhere to go. My son wouldn’t take naps longer than one hour, and none of us had extended family in Hawaii to help us. Trying to get a job during this period was impossible, and that feeling of isolation and lack of purpose that so many women feel postpartum was quite strong. It was such a struggle physically and emotional, but I knew I needed to somehow reconnect with the world outside of our home and reestablish a community.

I had always been a creatively artistic person and thought that maybe one day I could make a business out of it, but never quite sure how. When I first moved to the United States, I tried my hand at henna designs and later pottery, which were both fun and I gained a lot of skill, but were difficult to build a business around. Years later, when I saw my first Facebook post showcasing these incredibly intricate and artistic floral cupcake bouquets, I was instantly drawn in and began learning how to do it myself. Throughout 2020 and 2021 I watched every video I could find on techniques and tools, joined different social media groups, followed many Instagram floral buttercream artists, asked questions from professionals or other home bakers, and of course practiced whenever I had a spare moment. As my confidence and skill grew, I started ordering some equipment, made my first cupcake bouquet for my in-law’s 48 anniversary, and posted on my Facebook.

While I still had a lot of self-doubt starting my business in November 2021, I was proud of how much I had grown as a blank paper self-taught buttercream artist, and wanted to both share my talent and support my family financially once again. From there I got my first paid orders on Dec.10th, 2021. It was a huge achievement for me for all the reasons I already mentioned, but also because I am color deficient and had to learn new ways of distinguishing colors to create my art. That’s how HI Angeltreats was born out of the pandemic. Even though that crisis is over and my son is older, the business helped me go through my darkest time, and I love what I do so much and couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

Angel, 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?

Finding the perfect gift for a special occasion or that special person can be an agonizing decision, and that is the real service I provide. I work with each clients’ unique ideas and situations to craft perfectly customized treats that are guaranteed to stand out, make eyes go wide, and mouths water. This removes the stress of trying to find the right gift to convey the right feeling and message. In this way, I view my job as a matchmaker among the recipients, the occasion, and the custom confections.

That’s what really sets me apart from others, because it means I need to invest the time to truly get to know my clients’ desires so their sweet treats have the impact they really want them to.

I also spend a lot of time experimenting with recipes so that everything I make tastes as delicious as it looks. Oftentimes cakes, cookies, and other treats can be way too sweet, which can make them easier to work with, but sacrifices too much taste in the process. My treats are specifically designed to rely on a high-quality flavor, not an overabundance of sugar.

While I started out with floral cupcakes, I have expanded into other treats with the same attention to both aesthetics and taste. I now offer cakes, custom cupcakes, cupcake bouquets, letters, local cupcake Lei style and other arrangements, decorated buttercream and royal icing sugar cookies, macaroons, dipped chocolate covered treats, and more.

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

Given how I view my role as a gifting matchmaker, I genuinely care that my treats are received well. I give a lot of attention to my clients throughout the process, and focus on ensuring the products meet their expectations. That sounds like a pretty standard answer, but doing this right can be very time consuming with how much communication might be necessary before and after order pickups. It’d be much easier for me to just say “What do you want?”, make it, and once they pick it up, never think about it again. However, this doesn’t lead to the customer getting exactly what they want, nor help me to improve. Even after the treats are picked up and devoured, I try to check in to make sure everything went well, and additionally solicit feedback. It’s wonderful that most of that is positive, but the critical feedback is sometimes even more important because that is how I learn to run my business better and ensure the customer is happy. A good reputation is built this way. Communicate with clients often so that you know the outcome of your service matches your mission.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

My business was almost completely built from a combination of social media and word-of-mouth. Though Oahu has almost a million people, it remains a small Island, with at most two degrees of separation between anyone, so keeping clients engaged and happy is essential. Since my advertising mostly comes through Facebook and Instagram posts, this is my primary means of communication. A baking business is well suited for social media where I can display the beauty of my latest creations every day and know I’m reaching the right audiences. Also, as a home bakery and part of my branding, I don’t try to separate myself from my business, so my posts are a mix of personal and professional. This approach helps me identify, grow, and maintain a loyal group of followers, so are my greatest advocates. For these people, I try to stay active as their baker-friend even after their orders are complete. As a result, I have some clients who order from me quite frequently, posting and sharing their treats every chance they get to build further momentum. Even my introduction to this magazine came through such a connection. Through these regular interactions that are both personal and professional, I’ve grown real friendships with some clients who will place orders and then invite me to the very events the orders are for, giving even more opportunities to connect with future clients. While I know it wouldn’t work for everyone, building brand loyalty with my clients has meant building loyalty and faith in me as a person, which has the added benefit of bolstering my own self-confidence within a supportive community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hiangeltreats.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hi_angeltreats/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hiangeltreats/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/hi-angeltreats-honolulu

Image Credits

Photos of self and son by Felisha Raquel Photography LLC