We were lucky to catch up with Divine Hannon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Divine, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Everyone want to be successful and it’s always glamorized. However the journey isn’t what’s posted first, but the trophy at the end of it.

I think what it takes to be successful is the failure. In reflecting on my baking business I had many ups and downs but failure has the best lessons. I remember being so excited for my first pop up shop for my church however in doing it twice I had horrible time management. I would try to bake, frost, chill all in the same morning (if you’re a baker you already see the recipe for disaster) before the service and in the end I would be really late.

So I really had to do practice baking and time myself from start to finish in seeing how long in one session would it take for me to complete about just a dozen cupcakes and a cake. Cupcakes took about 2-3 hours and cakes 5+ depending on size and design. Now I’m know this I learned in baking the day before or 6am wake up for day of pick up which I don’t mind at all, it’s quite relaxing.

The teacher of failure also taught me was my pricing. At the time I priced with emotion and not logic, sorta like what felt right to price. At the time I did cupcakes (which is twice the size of a standard cupcake, think more so muffin size) at $2.00 per cupcake. Once I finish an order or pop up I did the math and I was barely breaking even with the ingredients price to product. Along with that we had a spike or the inflation prices hit my area and I didn’t add labor into it at all! So I had to take a whole day out making a spreadsheet of ingredients, hours, packaging, etc. to see how much a typical order cost to make and the profit from it.

Doing so I actually needed to double the price of my products! Which I was shocked and nervous about because how would my customers react? Will they leave? Is it too much? Overthinking. I was on FaceTime with my boyfriend and he typically gives me another perspective especially when I need business help. And he said that in having my cupcakes (for free obviously lol) that if he didn’t know me or my business but tried my cupcake $4.00 he would be a returning customer. Because my product is high quality and taste that the price does fit. And the people that realize that will also come and stay. Plus, he says, he sees how hard I work on my products with every detail being cared for. He gave me the courage to officially up my prices and he was right! Majority of people received it well and some said “about time!”

This brings me to my last point on what it takes to be successful and that’s your circle. Those that surround you can be one of two things that I learned from a YouTube Couple: people are either anchors or engines. (YouTube: JoshandIsi)

This means that people can either be bringing you and your dream down (anchors) or be motivators that push you, encourage you, to go to that destination your dreaming of (engines)

And the people that I have in my life I had to reflect and evaluate what they are providing in my life and especially my business. My business is so close to my heart that I’ve become selective of what information I share in my next move to those that I genuinely need insight on. Because I want honesty, entirely, however I need to know the said intentions with what they say. With my current relationships of today I know that the place that they come from is a place of best interest at heart and not jealousy, hatred, etc.

In having this I truly believe that’s what keeps me going. I love and have passion for my business, but when those things are drained from me and I can’t push now more that’s when my circle steps in. My heart is incredibly full for everyone that supports me and I do want to say thank you to Olamilekan S. (Boyfriend), Autumn B. And Loreal B. (closes friends), my family, my church, and my followers.

Divine, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Divine Hannon a student at LSU here in Baton Rouge and Well in getting into the baking industry it was actually by doing cupcakes for one of my friends and everyone was like “you should sell these!!” And that’s was the first ingredient that brought Divine Cakery!

So following after I did practice cakes cupcakes, designs for a logo and overall style, and of course what the name will be. And this all was during August of 2022. Fast forward and I officially started selling cupcakes on September 2, 2022 with selling out of my little studio apartment.

I knew I always loved sweet treats and baking even as a little girl I would watch Cupcake War, Great British Baking Show, Food Network Championship Bake, etc. I even sketch cupcakes and flavors from time to time and come up with names for them. So to now be in what I dreamed when I was little and see people do on TV is already a dream come true.

Back to today the growth of once being Divine Cupcake to now Divine Cakery with offering cakes and cupcakes is amazing to me. Along with offering a new seasonal flavor every month or so my followers and customers would be excited to see what the next month flavor was gonna be. From flavors or “Crowned in Carrot” (carrot cake) “yam what I yam” (brown sugar sweet potato cake with toasted marshmallow frosting) just naming a few these things brought people to trying flavor combinations they wouldn’t think a cupcake can hold. Or “Rum in A Million” my personal favorite a spiced rum cake with coconut cream frosting. These flavors make me stand out.

One other thing is my Frosting is a personal recipe that took me 6 tries to perfect as it is a Whipped Cream Cheese frosting and every time someone tries my cakes or cupcakes the frosting is the first thing they rave about. This among other things has to be one of my top accomplishments!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The fear of losing clients when your business needs a change, Those that genuinely love your brand will stay!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Try eventbright to find vendors for exposure or if you know your friends or work have birthdays coming up try to see if you can offer any services or products that would help with their experience! Also social media is your portfolio and what people see first in getting to know you so stay consistent!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bakesy.shop/b/divine-cakery
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedivinecakery?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==

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