We recently connected with Chantall Proffitt and have shared our conversation below.

Chantall, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

So why did I get back into the restaurant industry? Because I love food, I love developing relationships with customers, and I love food education, whether that’s trying something new or which farm and ingredient came from. I would be crazy to say I don’t miss the regular paycheck. Even as a server or bartender, your wages varied, but you knew your base pay. If you were smart, you would put your money together at the beginning of the month to cover your bills, food, etc. so that by the end of the month there were no surprises.

Starting a business is much the same way, however, what makes my restaurant different is that it’s mine. I control the inner workings of how the company works, when I work, and choose who I work with. I still have the same stress of where is the money coming from, when will the money come, and how much of the money will come. The difference is, I know that if I keep picking at it, do what I have found works every day, and keep planning for the future, the money shows up. I have learned my personal boundaries, and that has been a huge step in improving my daily mental health.

I do think about what I would do if I had a regular job, having a regular paycheck that I didn’t have to worry about. Every two weeks same check, yes, please! Then I start to think about everything else that comes with it, following someone else’s rules, not seeing my husband and daughter for half the week, getting approval for decisions; I’d rather do it my way. It’s scary, and sometimes I feel like deer in headlights, but it’s mine. If I don’t think it’s a good fit for me and the company, I simply don’t have to do it. I love creating my business on my terms.

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?

I started in the food and beverage industry fresh out of high school. Most of my work experience, up to that point, was related to the construction industry. Since then, I have worked for many start-ups and/or small companies. I consider myself a foodie and have been told that since I don’t have food allergies, this helps with my vegan and gluten-free vegan desserts, which do not taste like diet food. Most clients can’t tell that some of our products are vegan or gluten-free vegan; this is because I put ingredients first. We make everything from scratch and use fresh local ingredients.

Nashville has come a long way in allergy-friendly foods, but the desserts are still lacking. Clients want desserts they haven’t tried before that fit their allergies. While our focus is on cakes and pies, we provide a variety of unique flavors such as Chocolate Blood Orange Cake, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, Pavlovas, Brown Butter Cake with Grapefruit Curd with Brown Sugar Rosemary Buttercream just to name a few. On top of that, we offer a variety of services, such as consultations, tastings, designing, custom recipes, dessert catering, and rentals. Our events include weddings, corporate wins and client courtings, and all the special moments in between.

We believe in having your cake and eating your pie too. Why limit yourself to just one?

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I found signing up for various news letters has helped. Here are a few of my favorite

Wedding Wire/ The Knot- they have article and webinars to help you stay on top of the industry

Kristin Korn- https://kristinkornblog.com Blogger and Podcast touches on various topics to help make your brand better for solopreneurs and mompreneurs

Competitors Newsletter lets you know what they are doing

Have you ever had to pivot?

I started the company in 2018, during that time I did not want to commit to weddings or small/ single serve portions. I was doing wholesale and custom orders only. When the shutdown happened, I was the first to go for wholesale, and everything else stopped. I took extra time to solidify my brand. During this time the customers who were dining at restaurants who I supplied would call me to help them with their elopement cake. Everyone just wanted to start their lives together and be married. Now my average wedding has grown to over 200 guests.

Contact Info:

• Website: berriesncreambakery.com
• Instagram: @berriesncreambakery
• Facebook: facebook.com/berriesncreambakery
• Linkedin: @berriesncreambakery
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/berries-n-cream-bakery-nashville
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/berriesncreambakery/

Image Credits
1. Photographer: Emmaline Rodriguez @emmalinerodriguez Venue: Ravenswood Mansion @ravenswoodmansion Event Coordinator + Picnics: J Maxine Events @jmaxineevents Coffee Cart: Bloom Coffee Cart @bloomcarttn Cake & Dessert Grazing Board: Berries n Cream Bakery @berriesncreambakery Models: Bridgette Martin at Premiere Models @premieremodelsnash Formal Vintage Dresses: Bella Bridesmaids @bellabridesmaidsnashville Floral & Plant Design: Alison Bryant Events @alisonbryantevents Vintage Furniture: Rustic Rentals Nashville @rusticrentalnashville 2 Cake Cutting: Design and Planning: @desand.co Venu: @thesaintelle Florals: @ll.floral Stationary-Signage: @_artisanabode Cake: @berriesncreambakery Balloons: @confettiandballoons615 Dresses: @thebrideroom @nashgowns Rentals: @southerneventsonline Makeup/Hair: @rockemeupbeautyco @wilderhair @makeupby_shawnavassallo Boho Models: @amberjones_13 @hunt_martin Romantic Models: @whitterswilderodell @seans.shenanigans Disco Models: @rockmeupbeautyco @corey_ricks 3: Picnic Wedding- Planning: @rayanneroseweddings @lanierandcompany Design: @lanierandcompany Venue: @landlfarm Photography: @michellejohnsphotography Videography: @meganraefilms Florist: @modernstemssugar Furniture Rentals: @landlfarm Tabletop Rentals: @pleasebeseatedrentals Pop Up Picnic: @momentpicnic Charcuterie Board: @evies_table Cake: @berriesncreambakery Custom Signage: @dogwoodcustomwoodworks Invitation Suite: @wildflowercreative.co Hair: @heatherduncanbeauty Makeup: @hs_artistry Dress: @lvdbridal Tux: @stitchandtie 4. Black Harry Potter Wedding; Lizzy Oakley Photographer 5, 6, 7. Cake and Pie Wedding- @codyandallisonphoto 8. Styled Brand Shoot with Lizzy Oakley