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

April , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

My business’ entire existence is based on the biggest risk that I have ever taken in my life. In 2020, I had a literal dream that revealed to me that I could bake cheesecake. When I woke up, I went and purchased my first baking pan, went home and made a cheesecake. I was so excited and immediately started planning how I could use my newly revealed gifts to free myself from working for others. About a month after my dream, I quit my job and JUMPED into full-time entrepreneurship. It was the biggest risk that I ever took because I based this life changing decision off of a literal dream that I had not knowing if it would actually work or if I would have any clientele and I definitely did not have a business plan. In fact the only plan I had was to FIGURE OUT how to succeed. As time goes on I realize how big of a leap I took. Sometimes I am faced with challenges that possibly could have been prevented if I properly planned everything out; however, I am still confident that I made the right choice for myself because I don’t believe there is a “perfect time” to change your life . Sometimes, you just have to go for it and know that it will all work out.

April , 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?

My name is April Hatcher, I graduated from Clark Atlanta University with a bachelors in film and television production, after college I obtained a Georgia Real Estate license and became a certified mixologist where I worked in some amazing places so imagine my shock when I had a dream one night that revealed that I could bake cheesecake from scratch.

After baking my first cheesecake, I decided to share with coworkers and friends to see if I really had a good product on my hands. The first day of allowing people to sample my desserts, I had orders for items that I was not sure I could actually bake but accepted them anyway to challenge myself and I succeeded. I quit my job a month later and everything else is still being written. Within a little over 2 years I have been able to teach myself how to bake a variety of cheesecakes, cakes, cinnamon rolls, cookies and more. I pride myself on baking everything fresh, from scratch and creating my own recipes. My clients know that when they come to me for their “Shweet” needs that they are receiving a quality item made from scratch and with genuine love and well wishes for all who will indulge in these amazing masterpieces.

I have had the honor of being a featured baker in the New Black Wall Street Market, baking 3 cakes for Senator Warnock’s birthday, providing vegan cheesecakes for Pinky Cole, baking a cheesecake for the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Spratt (Discovery Channel TV Personality and Former Miss Michigan and co-owner to Harlem Hops), working with Gospel Psalmist Tamika Patton, as well as being a vendor at Six Flags over Georgia for their, “Brews and Bites,” festival. These are just some of the many events I have been blessed to be apart of because I show up as my genuine self at all times, my product speaks for itself and I KNOW that God orders my steps.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

December 16, 2021, I was hit head on by a car that crossed over a concrete median, totaled my vehicle and altered my life. Immediately before that moment I was “perfectly” aligned and set to increase in my business in every way and at a rapid, unbelievable rate. It was becoming difficult to keep up with orders because the demand for my product was so high. I was moving into the New Black Wall Street Market as a featured baker and that was set to be my second location after only 1 year of having the dream and acting on it. I had worked so hard in that time frame and managed to reached astronomical heights in my business and personal development. My hustle had paid off. Prior to that I worked everyday and sold cake to ANYONE I SAW BREATHING, ANYWHERE, at ANYTIME OF DAY. After my accident I had to cancel more than half of my orders and I was left to pick up the pieces.

Nothing that intense had personally happened to me before so when it did occur, I truly did not know how to handle it. One moment you are in total worship that God spared your life and yet a few seconds later you are in sorrowful tears because you now have to deal with the reality of losing everything. Something that I feel is very important for people to know about FULL TIME entrepreneurship is that in the beginning most of us are everything for our business. I was and still am the owner, the baker, shopper, marketing department, janitor, accountant, promoter, driver, pubic relations, social media account manager and so much more. When you are the only one operating your business you literally cannot afford to miss out on any one of your job titles, let alone all of them, simultaneously because you are in recovery or physical therapy or trying to comprehend, “why?”. I also want people to know that in the beginning all money that is made is usually reinvested back into the business so one wrong move could cause you to lose it all and/or possibly your mind.

When I say I lost everything, that’s exactly how I felt. I lost my vehicle (that I purchased with the money I saved by selling salad while in real estate school) and when it came down to choosing if I should continue to grow my business or place those funds into my home, I packed up my 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment with tears in my eyes every step of the way and moved in with my mom. I also had to withdraw from both locations (Bankhead & NBWSM). I lost a lot of clientele and a lot of income due to my new physical retrains and not having a vehicle, I had to turn down a television opportunity that would have been amazing for my small business as well as facing the hardship of my personal investment into my business not flipping the way I projected because the business had to slow down because it is solo owned and operated and was out of commission due to something unforeseeable and out of my control.

I cried a lot but I never gave up. I’ve had to make uncomfortable adjustments but I never gave up. I had people leave my side when I needed them the most but I never gave up. I lost so much but I never gave up. Why would God give me a dream and not see me through it? He wouldn’t. So as long as I am operating in my gifts then I know He will always make a way. Nothing happens by chance; I believe everything happens according to His will.

Today I am in a commercial kitchen, by February my business will on food delivery apps and I will be able to offer several pick up options and locations as well as introduce products that I have been waiting to release. My physical restrictions are still challenging to accept because there is so much I want to do but I have to be patient with my body and myself and know that, “… all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28). Through it all, it was and still is a vey humbling experience. I am grateful and try to use every moment of every day to show myself and others that your gifts provide you with purpose and it is our duty to explore the things, talents and gifts that make us unique and add a special sparkle to any and everyone who gets to encounter our gifts. “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” (Romans 34:8) I also, reluctantly, learned to accept the help that comes your way because we can get further together.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I truly believe that my customers can taste and appreciate the fresh, quality ingredients and love that goes into each product. It is a known fact that I will not bake if I do not have a positive attitude or the time to truly invest positive energy into my atmosphere while baking. I believe in customer service as well as crowd participation. My customers have direct contact with me via my business social media account. My customers become family and by me sharing my transparent, and authentic journey they feel as if any win for the business is a personal win for them as well and it is. Anyone watching my growth and development have no choice but to believe in the process of following a dream and seeing it come to fruition. I don’t sugar coat anything, if I’m crying, oh well. I’ve been told that crying is a form of weakness and that it’s “tacky” to show that side of business; however, I feel and believe that if I show my accomplishments I should also be able to share my challenges and methods of adversity. I show it all because I don’t ever want to mislead anyone to think that everyday is going to be a million dollar day or that there are no hardships in believing in yourself or working for yourself. Is it easy to do something that you’ve never seen done? No, but we shall proceed with fortitude and remember to share our journey so that others who are watching you waiting for your outcome may learn something and inevitably pass it on to the next person watching them. To know me and to know my story is to know that although ups and downs occur, we must remain steadfast in making our dreams into reality. If I can do this with flour, sugar and oil then what can you do with the immaculate gifts that God gave you?

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @shweetbabytreats

Image Credits
Photo credit: April Hatcher