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

Hi Avery, thanks for joining us today. Do you manage your own social media?

At Baked by Ave, I am the owner/CEO and am involved in all aspects of the business. I knew from my degree in Marketing that social media is imperative in today’s time and can either be immensely influential or detrimental to brand. It has been a major factor in our success.

I determined my target market, who are other business owners looking for tips, as well as potential customers for my cakes in Atlanta. Before I was getting consistent orders, I would research current trends on major platforms like Instagram and TikTok. With that in mind, I would try to create new content every day. Now that I have daily orders, I am able to use those for videos. You don’t need the perfect product, lighting or set up, especially when you are just getting started, but you do need to have a plan. Decide on who you are making the content for. You will learn and perfect the details as you go along.

Authenticity is a major factor in social media, which is why I like to manage my own. If one of your goals is to generate more orders, you need to build trust. You can achieve this by recording your set up, your process, getting on camera and doing a tutorial, doing a voiceover or answering questions in the comments. This is something that you could potentially hire someone to do, but customers (especially in my industry) like to see the face behind the brand and who is making their food. It is important to have genuine interest and interactions with your followers as they could end up ordering from you and/or following you long-term.

Another important note is to stay updated on all of the social media algorithms. They are all different and are always changing. For example, TikTok used to push out short-form content, but right now they are boosting long-form content like mini vlogs and tutorials. Instagram is primarily used for short-form, “aesthetic showcases,” as I like to call them. I keep an updated spreadsheet on all of the platforms and their algorithms and current trends in my niche for future video ideas.

Avery, 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?

Hello! My name is Avery and I am the owner/CEO of Baked by Ave. I was born in Los Angeles, California, but I have lived in Atlanta for over 15 years. I have always been passionate about creating beautiful things. Throughout my life, I would always make my friends and family random, aesthetically-pleasing desserts that I would find online. Whenever someone would ask me what I wanted to “do” in life, I always said that I would have a business, but I “wasn’t sure what it would be.” When my passion for art and gift-giving met baking, Baked by Ave was created!

I never thought to sell anything that I baked until 2020. A friend asked if I could create a dozen, custom, chocolate covered strawberries as a Valentine’s Day gift. The strawberries were all the rage at our job and everyone wanted to order their own. This was right around when COVID hit the U.S., so I ended up leaving that job shortly after and had a lot of time to research baking. I would always watch Yolanda Gampp’s “How to Cake It” on YouTube, as well as the Sugar Geek Show. I started testing out cake and buttercream recipes and posting my creations on social media.

I didn’t always make or intend on creating custom cakes. I started out with the strawberries, as well as cupcakes and cake jars. I didn’t have a business page on Instagram, so I would promote the items on my personal page. I used to deliver the desserts with my brother all throughout Atlanta. We would pack all of the orders up and drive around delivering them to different locations for hours. I was allowing people to order a single jar for $5 and didn’t even charge for delivery, but these experiences were imperative and got me to where I am today. I look back on these memories so fondly and gratefully!

I remember my very first custom cake request. It was a six inch, all white cake with splashes of gold and mini Hennessy bottles sticking out of the top. I literally covered it in plastic wrap and delivered it in a moving box. He loved it, nonetheless! I’ve had many experiences, successes and failures along the way. I’ve made anything from a 3D, sculpted, orange to a three-tier wedding cake. I have truly done it all, yet, I will only sell cakes that I love creating. I think that I finally found my niche in the heart-shaped/vintage style, which is the only style that we offer today. I love that my business is always evolving.

Currently, we have two sizes of heart-shaped cakes to offer and a menu full of incredible flavor combinations, which I hand-crafted based on feedback over the years. I love that each order is kind of like a gift from me to the client. I collaborate with them to create the cakes of their dreams and when they see it, their faces light up. The cake is often a highlight of the celebration and I take pride in the fact that I created it and was able to be a part of their special day.

Baked by Ave is unique in the fact that we don’t cut corners on anything. Our customers are paying for a premium product and they don’t deserve anything less than luxury. I am always working towards memorable customer service, impeccable flavors and flawless designs every time. I believe that even after the order is picked up or delivered, the order is still not complete. I am responsive and available even after the fact. I am ready to answer questions, listen to feedback, and I have even repaired cakes at the last minute if something went awry. I’m a major perfectionist and and I am selective about who works for me because they have to truly understand the vision and be able to execute the work to my standard.

I have a lot of goals and for the future of Baked by Ave and the ideas are really exciting! I would love to have a luxurious, modern storefront one day with an espresso bar and then increase our offerings to custom cakes as well as smaller, aesthetic desserts. I would love to one day expand to cities like London and Paris. That’s my dream.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2020, I was working at a restaurant that shut down due to the pandemic like many businesses did. I was spending a lot of time at home and was just getting into custom orders after having recently sold a few to family and friends. I started to see baking as a potential career option when I knew I didn’t want to go back to the restaurant and needed a new job. Ironically, my business skyrocketed because of the fact that everything else was shut down. People were at home and on social media, so I pivoted and used this as an opportunity to grow my own business. Even though I couldn’t be face-to-face with my customers, I was able to structure my brand and promote it online. When the time came where it was deemed safe to sell food, the orders were flooding in.

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

The little things truly matter and make your brand unique. I am always encouraging feedback, both positive and negative. I save my client’s contact information and often discuss the order with them after the event. I encourage them to send me photos with their cakes for us to post on our social media and encourage them to post and tag us on theirs. Often times, customers tell us that our cakes are the best they have ever had and are inclined to reach out after the event because they loved their cake so much. We rarely get negative feedback, but if we do, I am completely open to it and always take it into account for future orders. I feel like there is always room to grow. When we have a repeat customer, I always make sure to say “Thank you so much for considering us again,” and am sure to remember any specific likes or dislikes from the previous order(s).

Another fun thing that we often do is request feedback on our Instagram page. I will post a questionnaire on our Instagram story and ask clients to leave a review. When we receive a response, I will both save it to our page where everyone can see (on our “Reviews” highlight), and then direct message the customer. In response to the review, we offer a percentage off of their next order, which shows our appreciation and encourages them to order again. This is just an example of one small incentive that is a win-win for both us and the customer and keeps them coming back!     

Contact Info:

• Website: bakedbyave.com
• Instagram: @bakedbyave
• Facebook: Baked by Ave
• Youtube: Baked by Ave
• TikTok: @bakedbyave
• Pinterest: @bakedbyave