Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Celinda Cruz-Arce. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Celinda , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?
I feel like asking your family, friends or any loved ones to support your business is major key. They don’t even have to buy anything from your business. A simple recommendation or repost on any social media platform definitely goes a long way. I will always give the credit and recognition when it’s due. My family has always supported my crazy ideas, they constantly motivate me, they always make sure I’m alright but most importantly they have never been afraid to follow me on my business journey these past 3 years now. My parents have been my biggest helpers and biggest support system since the day I was born. I currently use my parents home as my office space and run my business out of their kitchen. When I first started my business back in 2020, my dad, my mom, my sisters and my boyfriend were there to help with the 150 Valentine’s Day pre-orders I had. I knew that I would not be able to do it alone so, I automatically spoke to them and told them they were hired for the weekend. My dad and my boyfriend were helping me cut the roses for all the bouquets, my mom was helping me set up all the heart boxes and filling them with their foam, my sisters were getting ready to turn in the orders for me once the customer arrived and I was the one dipping and making everything. My family and boyfriend have always been there when I have big projects and when I want to learn new things. They are always there watching over my shoulder trying to learn as well. I remember back in 2020 my sisters didn’t really have an idea of what I was doing because they were smaller but now that they are getting older they are making and selling their own desserts now. One of them is currently a Freshman at AACS and the other one is a Junior at LH high school. I have slowly been teaching my family everything there is to know about my business so, they can be motivated to continue their own. I want them to see what it’s like to make their own money and be their own boss one day. My clients deserves a big shoutout because they always push me to be a better version of myself. If I’m ever doubting or questioning my work they always remind me that it’s great and it always speaks for itself. I remember when I first started my business, I would doubt myself and all my family would be there promoting my business and telling all their friends/co-workers about what I do. It’s amazing how many strangers and people you meet on the internet support you more than people you have known your whole life. Start a business and you will see who your true friends and family really are. I say this all the time and I will never get tired of saying it, thank you guys from the bottom of my heart and just know you guys are all very special to me. Family is forever.
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.
My name is Celinda Cruz-Arce and I am the CEO of Cellys Sweets. I am a Latina Baker and Floral Designer born and raised in Highland Park, Los Angeles. I specialize in custom birthday cakes, gourmet treats, dessert tables and custom floral arrangements for any occasion. My bakery/floral business is known to be OVER THE TOP when it comes to my floral arrangements, custom cakes and gourmet treats. All of my deserts are freshly handmade everyday. I use only the best quality ingredients when it comes to my chocolate, edible glitters, packaging and anything I use in general for my business. Growing up, I was always a risk taker. Never afraid of peoples opinions or afraid to try new things out of my comfort zone. For some weird reason when I was planning to start my business, I was so afraid and just worried about failing. I was worried that I would regret starting my business because I wouldn’t get any clients. I remember when my university got shut down, I didn’t have a choice but to start my business. The second week I got out of school it was time to execute my business plan and start taking pre-orders for Valentine’s Day before it was too late. I didn’t have a business page at the time nor did I want to make one because I wasn’t even sure if this is what I really wanted to do at the time. I started taking pre-orders through my personal social media accounts, my moms Facebook and my sisters social media accounts. I wasn’t really keeping track of the amount of orders I was getting because I didn’t think it would be that many until a week before I counted out 150 pre-orders. I was completely shocked and didn’t believe it because I was afraid that nobody would order. This didn’t stop me from making sure I got all the supplies for all the orders and staying in contact with all my clients. I do have to say that running a business is all about taking risks. My family supporting and recommending my business has definitely played a big role in my business because there has been times where I don’t know how to do a certain dessert or arrangement that a client asks me and I teach myself or have my family help until it’s perfect just to make sure the clients are satisfied with their order. I can either fail until I get it right or lose a client. I remember when I posted my first birthday cake back in 2021 everyone started to message me how much I charge for birthday cakes and the different flavors I offer. I did my first birthday cake for my cousins 7th birthday. Little did I know I would be adding cakes to my menu and now be doing baby shower cakes, wedding cakes and quince cakes. Take those risks or you’ll lose the chance to be great.
What sets me apart from others is that I love to see everybody win and at the top. The sun will shine for everybody. I love being able to motivate others and help others grow their business. I love experimenting different desserts and adding new things to menu for everybody to try. I started with chocolate dipped strawberries, bouquets and custom candy boxes back in 2020. My second year I added custom birthday cakes, weddings cakes and gourmet dessert tables. I taught myself how to make cookies/sugar cookies so, I added sugar cookies and sugar cookie kits to my menu for the holidays. What I am most proud of and excited about is that my business continues to grow every single day. I get to work with different chefs/influencers around the world, i get to collab with other businesses but most importantly I am the face behind my business. I love to use my voice to advocate for my community and to help other businesses be successful. On January 20, 2023 I got flown out to Florida to talk on a business panel and share my business story with them. I was able to share how I use different social media platforms for my business and how it is important to use your digital tools to help your business grow. Getting to where I’m at today was definitely not easy for me. It has took a lot of sleepless nights, baking classes, tears, smiles, chaos but most importantly patience. You need to learn to have patience before anything. When I first started my business I invested a lot of money into my materials and a lot of my time. I was working a full-time job, I was a full-time student at CSUN and I was doing my business part-time on the side. I was not afraid to invest in my business because I knew that it would benefit me later. I started my business from the bottom and look at where we are now. I had no clients, no baking experience, no materials but I knew I couldn’t let myself down. Overcoming these challenges was not easy but I always remember I’m not alone. I have an amazing family, clients and boyfriend who continue to motivate me and support me everyday. What I’ve learned along the way is that scared money doesn’t make you any money. Don’t be afraid to invest in yourself and in your business. Make sure you are happy because at the end of the day you are the one putting in the work. If you do not know something, do not have that fixed mindset. Always be a learner and teach yourself the things you do not know. Do not be afraid to ask other business owners questions of on how they started their business if you don’t have an idea on what you want to do. Remember there is always room for improvement. What I want the world to know about me is that I’m nowhere near where I want to be. I make mistakes, I’m not perfect but I am a good person with a big heart. I will help out anybody any chance that I get. I started this business to not only help my family but to show others that there’s a way out. You can be your own boss. Growing up my family experienced a lot of loss and I have to say it really humbled me at a young age. My father moved from Mexico City to the states when he was only 12 years old. He wanted a better life for himself and decided to move here for work. He had to teach himself everything alone until he met my mother at the age of 15. I have to say that my family and traveling to Mexico at the age of 10 really shaped me as a person growing up. My grandmother, my aunt and cousins have their own businesses selling different merchandise. I was 10 years old helping them set up their tables to sell candies, clothes, sandals, backpacks and etc. Being able to experience my cultural background at a young age motivated me to want to start my own business out here in Los Angeles. I know that it’s not easy but it’s possible. My grandmother and aunt just recently came to visit after years of not being here and it was amazing. I was able to show them how I run my business out of my home and got to hire my aunt for some big events. I want everyone to know that Si Se Puede (You Can Do It). If you ever wanted to start a business, start that business. You don’t want 5 years to pass by and you’re still thinking about the name for your business.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
Turning my business into my full-time business has definitely not been easy. When I first started this business it was just as a hobby. My university had got shut down in the beginning of January 2020 due to covid and I was working 2 jobs at the time. I was working at target and 260 LA in Beverly Hills. I knew that I could not be at work and doing my lecture halls so, I had to quit one of my jobs. This took a big toll on me because I was a full-time student trying to make money but I couldn’t be at work due to my online classes. Fast forward, a month before Valentine’s Day I had the crazy idea to post a flyer that I do rose bouquets and chocolate dipped strawberries on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. I didn’t think anything of it, I just knew I wanted to make some extra money since I had just quit one of my full-time jobs. My family and I would post the flyers on all our social media platforms everyday up until Valentine’s Day. I wasn’t really keeping track of the amount of orders we were getting because I didn’t think it would be that many until a week before I counted out 150 pre-orders. I was completely shocked and didn’t believe it because I was afraid that nobody would order. This didn’t stop me from making sure I got all the supplies for all the orders and staying in contact with all my clients. I figured it can be something more than just a hobby. I created the separate email/Instagram for Cellys sweets, created our first logo, created our own website, I started to practice on all my desserts I wanted to add to the menu/party packages, I did my research on Ingredients, inventory and different roses. I did all of this in a spam of 3 months because we had to prepare for our first Mother’s Day 2020 event in May. We ended up with 160+ orders and the rest was history! We are now booked back to back, working with amazing influencers/chefs in and out of LA but most importantly sharing my story to let you guys know it’s possible. Talking about my business 25/8, creating a safe community with you guys and promoting my posts has given me the opportunity to get to where we are right now. Some of my key milestones have been building my business from the bottom, working with chefs/influencers, selling my products in different restaurants and gaining new clients everyday. I was always afraid of the idea of selling my treats at other locations when I first started and now I have my cookies selling in restaurants around Los Angeles. Another key milestone was back in Jan 2023, when Cellys Sweets got flown out by IAB and got our flight, hotel and everything paid for. We had the wonderful chance to talk about the process of how we run our business on social media and how we continue to be successful even after Covid. The best part was that I was as able to bring my mother along with me. Anything I do for my business is a key milestone for me. We started this business from the bottom. No culinary experience in the kitchen, NO CLIENTS, NO WEBSITE, NO PROMOTIONS or ANYTHING. Look at us now. Started from the bottom now we are here. Not where I want to be but definitely not where I started. I have a very big heart and it gets me in places I don’t deserve to be at times but I’m grateful. Grateful for the highs, the lows but most importantly grateful to wake up another day and do what I love. God gave me another day to share my business with you guys and you know I’m gonna show out. Cannot wait to show you guys all the new items and new location we have coming: Thank you guys for all the love, support and recommendations.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
What helped build my reputation within my market is staying true to myself, always giving a helping hand when someone asks for help and staying delusional. As clique as that sounds it’s so true. I love to see everybody win and at the top. The sun will shine for everybody. I love being able to motivate others and help others grow their business. I love experimenting different desserts and adding new things to menu for everybody to try. There’s plenty of people all around that just want peace and a safe space to see others grow. There is no room for hate. I grew up surrounded by love, peace and respect. I also experienced a lot of loss but this does not mean I have to be a cruel person because others are cruel to me. I am who I am and I am not going to change just because it makes others feel a certain way. I remember when I first started this business everyone was doing the same thing but that did not stop me from standing out. I would stay in contact with my clients, I would do giveaways and I started to host different pop-ups where people can come sell their merchandise. I created and still continue to create a safe space for everyone around me. It was not easy when we started but with all of your help we have came a long way. I love showing others and motivating other around me. There is light at the end of the tunnel if you just keep it pushing. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cellys_sweets/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/Local-Service/Cellys-Sweets-And-Arrangements-103400954971856/
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/cellyssweets?lang=en
Image Credits
@Cellys_Sweets