We were lucky to catch up with Ashlee Bell-Williams recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Ashlee, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge with profitability in the baking industry is charging your worth. As a baker the competition is everywhere; large grocery store chains and all of the other bakers. Sometimes it is easy to undercharge for the work that we do because we are afraid to lose our customers. I have learned that your work speaks for itself. The time and effort I put into a cake is not the same as a grocery store and I have learned to only compare myself to myself. I will stress myself out if I am constantly looking at my competition and doubting my own work.
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
Hey. Hey. Hey. I am Ashlee Bell-Williams and I am the proud owner of Caked and Baked by A. Nicole. I am a cottage baker (for now) that specializes in custom wedding cakes, special event cakes and everything sweet.
I started baking as a child but I was truly motivated to start my business after a horrible experience with a cake order for my mom’s birthday. I take pride in the desserts that I create with my clients and I try to embody the entire experience from cake tasting to cake cutting. I try my best to offer affordable options that fits everyone’s budget. Because everybody needs cake right.
I am proud of who I have become as an entrepreneur and who I am still becoming. I have met some amazing people throughout this journey and I am excited for the years to come.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Social Media. Both a blessing and a curse. I have a love hate relationship with social media. I feel like I spend the majority of my free time on FB or IG. I would tell anyone to stay present on social media. Join all of your local neighborhood and city groups. Be sure to post on all promotion days (yes I have a calendar to remind me of which group to post in on what day). Post giveaways, keep your followers engaged. I am gaining followers daily by just being present and putting myself out there. It is hard work but it pays off. You never know who you will come in contact with on social media. Your next biggest client might be in the local mom group on FB.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
The best source of new clients for me is word of mouth. I get out of my clients what I put into them. I like to communicate and build a relationship with all of my clients. By doing this they will tell all of their friends and family about the experience that had with my bakery. And don’t forget the cake. Your work has to speak for itself. If the product is good then everyone will want to know where it came from. Thus everyone in the room is a potential new client.
Contact Info:
- Website: cakedandbakedllc.square.site
- Instagram: cakedandbakedllc
- Facebook: Facebook.com/anicolesbakeryandevents