We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Aviana Miller-Fountain a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Aviana thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Has Covid resulted in any major changes to your business model?

Unfortunately when covid came around, it hit everyone pretty hard across the board whether you had a business or not. My 9-5 changed drastically, but I was lucky enough to be in an industry where I was able to continue to gain even more business through my baking since more people stayed at home. I know it’s weird to say, but covid has actually helped me grow Treats by Avi more than before & I’ve been getting a lot of great feedback promoting my business online. I’ve learned that I need to stay more confident in my ability to run, promote & grow my business into how I envision it to be.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am Aviana Miller-Fountain, the owner of Treats by Avi & I am a self-taught home baker. I started baking with my dad when I was a teen & I used to watch nothing but the Food Network, the Food Channel & any other baking or cooking channels that I could find. I was able to sell cookies & cupcakes at church which made me realize I had a natural talent that people would actually pay for & as a teenager, that was amazing for me since I didn’t have a job. It’s still surreal sometimes that I was able to create my own business & have people that trust in me & my skills to make their parties & events a little more special. It’s definitely a challenge having to juggle my day job as well as my business, but that just pushes me harder to remind myself that I need to do what’s necessary to reach my goals in order to make my business successful. I’m known for my custom cookies, cupcakes & cakes which are all always made from scratch. There’s not many bakers that offer custom cookies, so I feel that’s something that sets me apart from other businesses as well as offering edible images on most desserts that I offer.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Before I created my business page, I already knew that I wanted to have updated pictures of all of my desserts that I sell as well as enough content to post regularly for a while in order to keep posts coming. It definitely took longer than expected to actually create my page since I didn’t create my name or logo yet, but once that happened my business pages on Instagram & Facebook went into full effect & I quickly realized how efficient it was to have a dedicated place for people to reach out to me & not have to ask to see my work. I’ve really been into reels lately since it really helps with the algorithm & boosts views & likes. Some advice I have for anyone who is just starting out or wants to start social media for their business is to just take the chance & start it. Social media will always be there & there’s always going to be someone who’s looking for the type of work that you’re into as well as looking for the work that you provide. Someone somewhere will be interested in what you’re doing so just take the chance !

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

These best source of new clients for me would definitely be Black San Diego on Facebook as well as other pages related to baking which is a huge help for me. Everyone is looking for the same type of business & if not, it’s just a really great way to put your business out there & create some new clients & friends.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/treatsbyavi?igshid=ZDdkNTZiNTM=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/treatsbyavi?mibextid=ZbWKwL

Image Credits
Alexander Gilkes Aviana Miller-Fountain