We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Charlize Osegueda a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Charlize, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

How I came up with the idea for my business was pretty simple. What initially began as a means to relieve stress and occupy my time through baking soon evolved into something I believed others could also appreciate. Initially, I started my business making custom chocolate-covered strawberries, cookies, and cheesecakes. At this time, there weren’t many people I knew of selling any treats, especially in my area. It wasn’t something I had to think too hard about. I figured that I was having fun and my treats tasted good enough to sell, so why not? I was fresh out of high school, and honestly, I dove headfirst into this business with no idea what was ahead of me. My intial motivation was the enjoyment I had from creating these treats, and I believed they were tasty enough to share with others. It was a lighthearted decision, with the hope of making some side income, but I was equally comfortable with the idea of it not panning out. Overall, I was just happy for the opportunity to say that I started my own business.

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?

For those who don’t know me, I am currently 20 years old, and I own a home-based bakery. I owe my dad credit for getting into this “hobby” in the first place, as many of my cherished memories with him involve baking in the kitchen and inventing random recipes. I grew up baking for fun; now it’s my full-time job.

I specialize in custom personal-sized “bento cakes,” perfect as gifts for all occasions or simply serve as a treat when you’re craving cake without the need to purchase one that feeds an entire crowd. What sets me apart is the attention I put into each design. They go beyond the ordinary, plain white cakes found in grocery stores; my portfolio includes everything from portraits, character drawings, vintage cakes, etc., and are so special because they are 100% tailored to be your perfect cake.

Being a small-scale business allows me to focus on the satisfaction of my clients, and while I am continuously growing and learning new things, I try to make the whole experience enjoyable for my customers. I have had the privilege of meeting so many wonderful people and I am incredibly appreciative of the friendships that have come about through this journey.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

Of course, my business started small, only something that I did for fun and wasn’t expecting much profit. Initially, I only made small treats, such as chocolate-covered strawberries, which everyone started doing. After about a year, I knew I wanted more out of my business, so I started incorporating cakes into my menu. They took off; these bento cakes became so popular that I went from maybe 1-5 orders a week with strawberries to where I am today, 6-7 cake orders every day, becoming fully booked with monthly orders. I’ve been in business for about three years now, and I am so happy and proud to say that this is my full-time business, I am so excited for what’s to come.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Building my audience on social media wasn’t and still isn’t the easiest thing to do. I don’t have the most followers ever, but getting to where I am today took some time! I do a lot of advertising on my end, word of mouth, and posting daily or as much as possible. Social media is basically half of my business. It’s a full-time job on its own. I have a lot of new business owners who ask me for advice, and I tell them to be consistent. Consistency is key; posting doesn’t have to be hard; show up! Another thing is the photos you’re posting. If your social media page is your main hub for people to see your business, you want to ensure your pictures look nice. This doesn’t mean you need to go out and buy a super-expensive camera; your phone will do. I always take photos near a window with my iPhone camera, and it does the job! I have fellow business owners who inspire me, and I think something I take away from them is that instead of selling a product, you should be selling a lifestyle.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: charliesweeteats

Image Credits
Credit for personal photo as well as photo of the white cake with cherries goes to Tanairy Robles