We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ashlee Stancill a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ashlee, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

When it comes to wishing I had started Abiding Cakes sooner, I am a bit torn. One thing I wish I would had started sooner, was believing in who God says I am and the assignment He chose me to do.

I was scrolling through all the notes I had written in my phone, and if you’re anything like me those don’t ever get deleted. I happened to stumble upon a note that was created on November 25, 2021 at 7:35am. On that note was an entire business plan, menu, and to-do list to get a cookie business up and running. At the moment I read that note, I was transported back to the moment where I allowed fear, doubt, discouragement creep in. I wept for the 2021 version of me who had no confidence and was seeking for something better.

But here, I am the 2024 made new through Jesus Christ version of me. Knowing that the Lord has been calling me to start a bakery. Being able to take a walk down memory lane, truly allowed for me to see the bigger picture. So, no I don’t wish that I would have started Abiding Cakes sooner. However, I do wish that I would have locked in on having faith and knowing that with God all things are possible a lot sooner.

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?

“It’s God’s business, He just chose me to run it”

Yes I know, we are a dessert business but we strive to be much more than that. When God gave me the vision for this business, I was overwhelming thankful and excited. How did we get here? I’ll give you the quick version: In March 2024, I was at a company for five and a half years then I was laid off during my vacation. Yes, it was sad but it was God’s will being done in a major way. The few days/weeks of unemployment were filled with tears and mornings of struggling to get outta bed. And even more prayers of pleading for Jesus to walk me through this season of life. I came to Jesus worn, weary and sad and He was there for me just like He always is. Jesus carried this burden for me. (Matthew 11:28)

I often get asked why I call myself co-founder. Simple answer without Jesus I can do nothing and everything belongs to Him.

Abiding Cakes specializes in one-of-a-kind cakes, jumbo cookies, muffins, mini pies and pop tarts. Abiding Cakes quickly gained recognition for its delicious and creatively crafted treats. Ashlee’s passion for baking and commitment to quality have earned the bakery several accolades, including three prestigious Blue Ribbons at the Arizona State Fair. With a nationwide shipping service, Abiding Cakes creations continue to delight customers across the country.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

Seeing people is what I do best. In my opinion fostering relationships creates brand loyalty. Every customer can have a different need and serving that need before they make a purchase is key. While there are some customers who want to be in and out, majority of people want to connect. Why shop small if you’re just going to be another face, another credit card swipe?

There are only so many good sales promotions that can be thrown at customer to make them stay. Once a better sale or a better price from a different business appears, they are no longer your customer. However, fostering an online community through relatable reels, open forums online, a peek at my day to day life, prayer request and true conversation creates an environment for customers to feel satisfied when spending money. As a business owner, I also make sure that I am doing things that are true to myself, people can smell a disingenuous business owner a mile away. It continuously amazes me how many people I have met from social media in person and they are shocked to know I am same online as I am in person.

I recently started doing farmers markets and other vendor events and the amount of conversations, story sharing, restaurant recommendations, questions about Bible verses, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ has fostered community. This has unintentionally turned into brand loyalty. It makes my day when I have the same people who come by weekly to give me an update on their life, to say hello or “how good that cookie was they purchased.”

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

Social media as a whole was hard for me to get into. Learning all the ends and outs of planning, recording, editing was a lot. Thank God for the schedule post feature, I would be a mess without it, haha.

My advice, stick to your brand, be yourself, have fun, find the joy in what you’re doing and do not be afraid to learn new techniques. Oh and also carve out enough time in your schedule to make it happen. Comparison will always be the thief of joy, especially when it comes to likes and views. Wondering why your video that you spent hours on didn’t go viral, but the video you spent ten minutes on got over 20K views.

The pressure that comes from social media of being like everyone else is silly. Yes, doing those trendy sounds are helpful but you’re likely not going to stand out from the thousands or millions doing to the same. However, if you put your own twist and personality on it, you will standout and win in the long term. Growth in any aspect of life is a marathon not a sprint.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.abidingcakes.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abidingcakes/
• Other: email: [email protected]

Image Credits

Tamera Faith