We caught up with the brilliant and insightful April Turner-Smith a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi April, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

My mission at Sweet Tee’s Candy Bar is Love. Kindness. Worth.

My business is one where I Lead with Love. Show Kindess to every person and inspire and want others to know that they are worthy of good and positive things and thoughts.

Hopefully, as I bake and create,while meeting different people on this journey, I can display and fill in the gaps through my desserts and treats by listening, talking and Inspiring people to be the best version the themselves.

One candy coated apple, strawberry or Pound cake at a time.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is April Turner Smith. I am the owner of Sweet Tee’s Candy Bar established in 2019. My home bakery is based in Grand Prairie, Texas.

I’m a full-time Mom,Nurse,Aunt and Loyal Friend.

This business was created as an outlet to help me cope with the passing of my younger sister. And in addition to that it now helps me pay for my daughter’s college tuition.

I am a self-taught baker, who is learning every day.

People ask me all the time, How do you wear all those hats and find time to bake and create?

My response to that is when you do something you Truly Love it comes natural and is doesn’t feel like work. I have Fun at Sweet Tee’s. Lots of it!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I initially had reservations about using social media platforms,but as my business started to expand,I realized that I needed to adapt and embrace new opportunities. My advice for those starting to build their social media presence, would be:

1. Define your target audience
Understand who your ideal followers
or customers are. This will help you
tailor your content and engage with
the right people.
2. Create a content strategy: Plan
your posts in advance and ensure
they align with your brand or personal
image. Consistency is key, so aim to
post regularly and maintain a cohesive
theme or style
3. Engage with your audience:
Respond to comments, messages, and
mentions. Show genuine interest in
your followers and build relationships
with them. This will help foster a loyal
and engaged community
4. Utilize hashtags: Research and use
relevant hashtags to increase your
visibility and reach a wider audience.
This will help people discover your
content and potentially follow you.
5. Use the analytic tools provided by each platform to track your progress and areas needed for improvement.
Remember that building a social media presence takes time and effort. Be patient,Stay true to yourself and Enjoy the process.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients, I’ve found for Sweet Tee’s Candy Bar is: 1. Attending Pop-up events and Festivals and local community events that increases brand visibility.
2. Referrals from Past customers/ Family and Friends
3. Creating engaging content on social media through videos,posts to attract potential customers.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetteescandybar?igsh=YnVlaWkwcmc5emF0
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063567429204&mibextid=ZbWKwL