We were lucky to catch up with Charlene Simpson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Charlene , appreciate you joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?
In my opinion, I would say I think it takes a couple of core values that need to be instilled to be successful at anything. First off, No matter what field of work you are in is to the best thing you can do is stay consistent. The more you do something or work at something repetitively you become better at it. Secondly, I will say always be teachable. We are all human and we fall short at times, Even if we have mastered our skill set, Sometimes mistakes happen. Always be open to constructive criticism, it gives you room to grow. Last but not least, I would say being fearless and having faith in your gift or talent that you have been blessed with ,A lot of opportunities, I let pass me by in my 8 years of work, because I felt o was not ready. I was afraid of failure. But if you you don’t try ,that’s an automatic fail. If you try, You have that 50% chance of making success & ,changing your life and if it doesn’t work out in your favor, Guess what? You go back to the drawing board and think of a different approach for the next time opportunity presents its self. I don’t call anything I haven’t had the best experience with a failure, I call them lessons ,each time I have an opportunity to try again with the what I’ve learned from the time before. We just do not quit. That is way too easy. Besides, where is the fun in that? Anything worth having will not come easily.
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 Charlene, I am a self-taught, home based baker/cake decorator. I own and operate Top Tier Custom Cakes, LLC of Union, Sc. I have been in baking business for about 8 years now. I got into the industry by chance, I’ve always baked with my father growing up, I never cared too much for it though. However, one year my eldest daughter asked me to make her birthday cake for her and to my surprise from there my life would change .I specialize in custom cakes and treats, I like to think I set myself apart from others because I am always re-inventing myself, I stay on top of all the new trends in the cake industry, and I have the best customer service by fat .I go above and beyond for all of my clientele. I would say I am most proud of how much my business has grown over the years ,I never would have guessed my business would be where it is today. I am so grateful for it all. I would like anyone who may be interested in booking Top Tier Custom Cakes for their special events to know that there is no job too big or small and we tailor your order to fit your personality and preferences. Everything is custom.
What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?
My business started out sort of like a side hustle, I literally made a cake for my eldest daughter’s birthday one day and when I posted it on social media ,my DMs where flooded with messages with people placing orders, so much so that I decided to start a business instead of going back to work after had my youngest daughter I was pregnant with at the time. I was, consistent, hungry, and eager to learn when I saw how much income I was bringing in I figured I would give it a chance because I was making what I made in 2 weeks at work in 1 day sometimes by baking. I am still in the process of scaling up and reaching my full potential when it comes to my business. For sure, the next step for Top Tier is a private studio space for classes or storefront bakery I haven’t quite decided which direction I would like to go in, What I do know is have outgrown my kitchen in my house and it’s time to level up .
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I feel like resilience is what has carried me this far. I have had to get back up and dust myself off time and time again, being able to bounce back in the midst of adversity is something a lot of people cannot do. I remember, creating a specific cake about my first year into cake decorating and I got a really discouraging review and the client asked for a refund, because the cake fell before they could cut it, that hurt me and had me feeling down .A few years later a the In my opinion, I would say I think it takes a couple of core values you need to instill to be successful at I do myself or anyone for that matter, First off, No matter what field of work you are in is to the best thing you can do is stay consistent, Because the more you do something or work at something repetitively you become better at it ,Secondly, I will say always be teachable. We are all human and we fall short at times, Even if we have mastered our skill set at what we do sometimes mistakes happen, always be open to creative criticism, it gives you room to grow., Last but not least I would say being fearless and having faith in your gift or talent that you have been blessed with ,A lot of opportunities, I let pass me by in my 8 years of work, because I was not ready, I was afraid of failure, but if you you don’t try ,you automatically fail, if you try, You have that 50% chance of making success & ,changing your life and if it doesn’t work out in your favor, Guess what? You go back to the drawing board and think of a different approach for the next time opportunity presents its self. I don’t call anything I haven’t had the best experience with a failure, I call them lessons ,each time I have an opportunity to try again with the what I’ve learned from the time before. We just do not quit. That is way to easy. Where is the fun in that. Anything worth having will not come easily .
Contact Info:
- Website: www.toptiercustomcakes.com
- Instagram: toptiercustomcakes
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/toptiercakes2020?mibextid=AEUHqQ
- Other: Bakesy: https://bakesy.shop/b/top-tier-custom-cakes