We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Antoinette Simpson . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Antoinette below.
Hi Antoinette , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?
My company name was created by my customers. When they saw my work, their first comments were”this is fantastic or this looks fantastic” after hearing it so much and from multiple clients, I decided to name the company Fantastic Fruits and the name has lived up to its potential every since.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I am married with 5 children and three grandchildren. The culinary industry has been my background for over 20 years. My career began at The Detroit Athletic Club where I was employed for 19 years. During my time there my coworkers would compliment me on my fruit platter, cheese platters and much more. Sooner than later those compliments turned into orders. I began to cater my coworkers family event and such. My very first order was for a wedding reception of the best friend of one of my coworkers. Well they spread the word fast about how impressed they were and it seems like my business just took off after that day. I later learned how to make personalized watermelon carvings, which is my biggest seller. And those got me even more clients. During consultations a lot of my clients may not have a clear idea of what they are looking for so I do have to walk them through their own thoughts meaning helping them to decide what’s best for them. I believe that my attention to details and excellent customer service is what sets me aside from others in the same field,Fantastic Fruits is a whole vibe from start to finish. When I deliver orders I am dressed in fruit from head to toe. My uniform speaks for itself and always attracts attention and new customers. Majority of my business comes from social media, google and references. I started my business 7 years ago. Just recently when the pandemic began, unfortunately I had to quit my job of 19 years to stay home and homeschool my two youngest children.
Well that leap of faith gave me the push I needed to be on my own full time.
Bring an entrepreneur is one of the hardest things I have ever decided to do and it is most definitely scary. I say that because nothing is guaranteed. That comfort of a pay check is no longer a cushion to rely on. This Career is not for the weak. All those years at the DAC prepared me for where I am today and I am truly blessed.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
My social media audience was built on the images I posted, people would follow, share, like and comment on my pictures. About 80% of my business comes from my instagram page and google.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I believe the name of my company my logo and my hashtag helped build my reputation. My hashtag is #WhoIsYourFruitLady. From there people started calling me the “Fruit Lady” so I adopted the name and made it apart of my brand.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fantasticfruitsllc.com/
- Instagram: I’m on Instagram as fantasticfruitsllc. Install the app to follow my photos and videos. https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=17l6qjnvl90xc&utm_content=5d55oe
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fantasticfruits/
- Other: I can also be found on google.
Image Credits
Antoinette Simpson