Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Elyssa Thompson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Elyssa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you take vacations? How do you keep things going – any advice for entrepreneurs who feel like they can’t step away from their business for a short vacation?

Taking vacations from your business is absolutely necessary! Owning a business IS work, and lots of times you have other responsibilities in life. Aside from owning Simone Sweets, I work a full time job and currently am pursuing my masters degree, so owning a business on top of that is a heavy load. Burnout is real, and it is a shame to see people no longer interested in something they were once so passionate about because they worked so hard and did not give themselves any type of break. I say to all business owners: give yourself some grace! Whether it is one short weekend where you announce that you will be on vacation and back up and running on Monday, or a whole month that you are not accepting orders or new clients.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Recently I moved into my first apartment on my own across town. Since it was such a big move, and I did not have access to a lot of my kitchen supplies, so I had to take a couple weeks off. At first I was upset about it, and was nervous my clientele would diminish, but I was then appreciative of having a little break because of how fast life was moving. In my two-week hiatus, I found myself getting more and more excited to bake new things and try different techniques out when I finally opened back up. Upon opening back up, I was so excited and refreshed! Sometimes a vacation is all you need.

Elyssa, 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?

Hi! My name is Elyssa Thompson, and I own a small baking business called Simone Sweets. I bake a variety of custom cakes, chocolate covered strawberries, specialty cookies, and more. My business was born in 2020, in my last semester of high school when I used my baking hobby to help me get out of depression. I truly have fallen in love with baking even more since I have started my business. There is so much to learn about my craft and owning a business, and I have appreciated the support that I have gotten over the past few years. The people I have been able to bake for truly make Simone Sweets special. I love hearing how everyone loved the cake at the celebration or how the birthday girl absolutely adored her birthday treats. I am most proud of the progress I’ve made maintaining a successful business while figuring out the rollercoaster of my 20’s. What sets me aside is my transparency. I never hesitate to ask other bakers for tips and advice, or give it out. I also really take feedback into consideration to perfect my craft!

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

As a baker, my clientele is one of the most valuable assets of maintaining my business. Loyalty is everything to me, so I make sure that I build strong rapport with my clients as a service by having prompt responses and open communication regarding any questions. I am always clear about policies, but also make it clear that I am willing to accommodate different needs and requests. At the end of the day, people are spending their hard earned money on my product, or chose to include my business in a special moment. Because of this, I have to make sure that they are getting the best experience along with a delicious treat! Showing appreciation is mandatory, I truly appreciate everyone who has done business with me, especially those who consistently choose to support. Not only do I initially thank clients when placing an order, I also thank them with a note that comes with their treats and other customizations like stickers. Asking for feedback is also crucial for showing the customer that their opinions are valued and their voice is heard. I also like to keep engaged with clients via social media, this is a great way to get engagement with current clients and attract new clientele. For example, when the Simone Sweets reopening hit six months, I did a cake giveaway! It was perfectly simple and was a great way to show thanks to all of those who had been supporting me along this journey.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn was waiting for the “perfect time”. Once upon a time, I was a college student who took a break from my business in order to focus on finishing my undergraduate degree. I daydreamed about the day I would reopen Simone Sweets. I had this belief though, that when I returned to the baking scene that I would have to have this perfect plan. This plan included a new and improved menu with a certain theme of unique items, a roll out schedule, and more. Trying to figure all of this out was quite stressful and time consuming, especially because I was not aware of the different resources many small business owners use. This also influenced self doubt of not being able to run my business how I had envisioned it. Managing this self-inflicted pressure along with school/work/life balance was too much. Because of this, I kept putting off the reopening of Simone Sweets. There was always an excuse. “My menu has too many items”, “I need more policies”, “I have no clientele in this city”, and many more were said when someone would ask about my business. This lesson took two years to unlearn… One day I randomly decided to make a birthday cake for my brother, then made a custom order of banana pudding for my friend. A week later, Simone Sweets was up and running! Soon it was discovered that I didn’t need a perfect menu or grand roll out with announcements, the products spoke for themselves! Yes, it is a good idea to be organized when planning on running a business, but don’t let small details consume you and cause extra stress. As I encountered different experiences while running Simone Sweets, I changed a policy or added something to the menu, there is nothing with figuring things out as you go! Sometimes what you think you need to do overcomplicates your perception of what you actually need to succeed.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @simonesweetss_
• Facebook: Simone Sweets