We were lucky to catch up with Ashlynn Jackson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ashlynn , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Shortly after graduating from Howard Community College I started a job at a bakery just as a sales associate. The manager at the bakery needed a cake made but the bakery we worked at didn’t have anymore availability so she asked me if I could do it for her as I had previously made simple, small cakes for family and friends just for fun. I made it and she couldn’t have been happier! Months go by and our cake decorator at the bakery decided to pursue another career and so we were down a cake decorator. The manager offered me the position multiple times but despite always wanting to be one; I kept turning it down because I wasn’t confident with my skills. After continuously asking me and offering to send me to the main location to acquire some new skills; I decided to take the job. My confidence grew and I felt like I could really do it and was getting the hang of everything. Months into me accepting the position, unfortunately; the bakery closed down. I then had to find a new job and got one as a pastry chef at a restaurant. I wasn’t happy there and felt something was off. After 4 months of being there, Covid hit and once again I lost my job. For a few weeks I was feeling scared, anxious, confused and just stuck. Until one day, a friend of mine asked me to make her and her fiancé at the time their anniversary cake. It was a chocolate cake with Hennessy infused buttercream and mini liquor bottles on top. I posted on my Instagram that I used just to display my work and BOOM! It because the trend of the remaining year! I was doing so many liquor cakes and posting them and suddenly I had about grew a following on social media. Slowly I started getting more and more requests for all kinds of cakes because a lot of bakeries had closed due to the pandemic. I decided i was going to pursue my dream of having a cake decorating business. I always wanted to start one but never had the confidence to start one. I feel like everything that happened with the jobs closing and the pandemic really pushed me to take a hold on this craft I was gifted and had worked really hard for. I now do a variety of things and continue to grow with the trends in this industry.

Ashlynn , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

When I was about 7, I was gifted an ‘Easy Bake Oven’. I would always watch my grandma bake and that’s what initially sparked my interest in baking. I would get a new oven every few years and that’s when I knew I wanted to be a baker. I tried to get into a culinary program in high school and didn’t get in. I got accepted into my dream school Johnson and Wales but even after getting scholarships we couldn’t afford the room and board part of school so I was unable to attend and had to attend Howard Community College. At first, I was hesitant to continue because I went to a community college for some regular courses while in high school and it just didn’t feel like college. I was worried I wouldn’t get the “college experience” or even obtain good quality education because I wasn’t going to a “university”. I was wrong. I ended up learning everything n I would’ve learned at the other school, got offered to be a work study student and even after graduating 7 years ago from Howard Community College, I still have amazing connections and attend many events were they featured my business. I’ve worked at a few bakeries as a sales associate, assistant manager, cake decorator, head chef and having those experiences has made owning a small home baking business that much easier. I feel like I learned a lot of the Do’s and Don’ts of this industry through my job experiences.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for me is social media! Social media is a huge platform these days. I’ve had people tell me they found me because I hashtag a lot of my cakes and they type in a hashtag and my cake popped up! I’m in a lot of cake decorating pages on facebook where we discuss trends and answer questions for fellow beginners like ourselves. I try to post a cake or dessert at least 3 times a week to keep my page active and I do that for both instagram and facebook.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I currently work as a head chef at a bakery while running my small cake decorating business at home. Sometimes it’s hard doing pastries all day at work and then coming home to do my pastries for my own clients. There was a time were I put my business aside and just focused solely on my main job but I found i wasn’t happy. I genuinely enjoy the looks on my customers face when they receive a cake from me. I love making their visions come true and being a part of their special day. I have some customers that have been with me from the beginning and now I’ve done a cake for when they were expected all the way up to their kids 4th birthday. It’s just such a wonderful feeling and that’s what keeps me going in my side hustle because one day it will be my only hustle.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashlynns_sweet_collection?igsh=MXVyOWhuYXpucWc0eQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AshlynnsSweetCollection?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits

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