We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Crystal Watkins. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Crystal below.

Crystal, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

Back when my son was in college (only child) I found that I had a lot of free time on my hands. I began to bake as a pass time. I started taking classes at my community college and then decorating classes offered at Michael’s craft store. At the same time I was working at a call center where my colleagues became my first customers. Baking at home, a lot of my neighbors would notice and stop by for a taste which led to orders! I began to build up my clientele by word of mouth. Eventually I left my job to pursue this full time. Before I knew it, I needed to hire some help to keep up with all of the orders. After 11 years of baking at home, I decided it was time to open up a store front location.

Crystal, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

We are a bakery located in Concord, NC who specializes in customer orders! From casual gatherings to weddings, we love to serve our customers by baking their cake and customizing it as they envision it. The process begins by providing details such as what kind of event this is, how many guests you plan to serve and most importantly, how you imagine your cake to look. Either by finding an inspirational picture or drawing something out to ensure we are thinking the same, we do our absolute best to meet your needs! Even at the time of pick-up, we encourage if there is any detail you would like to change or add, allow us to fix it for you!

How did you build your audience on social media?

from the moment I started baking cakes, I would snap a picture and upload it to my personal social media page. As my clientele grew, I decided to open a new social media page dedicated only to my orders. This became my main way to advertise to my friends, family, neighbors and other businesses! Now when people would like to search my work, they can easily look up “Bake Me A Cake Charlotte” and find our page! I found this to be the best way to advertise any kind of sale, special flavors or events I may be having.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I believe what helped me build my reputation is my customer service. As stated previously, I always encourage my customers to vocalize any issue they may see with their order. I want to make sure we give you what you want. I stay consistent with my work and dedication to my customers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bakemeacakecharlotte.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAab0qDxI_NLboIfYbQR-1SowVjeEPp6aHgMmFTvkk4jy4ou08P6wIx1sRO8_aem_3eckwPGtQttAeiHGJ4z17w
• Instagram: @bakemeacakecharlotte

Image Credits

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