We recently connected with Emily Ward and have shared our conversation below.
Emily, appreciate you joining us today. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today
If I were to start over there are several things I would do differently, knowing what I know now. The most valuable change I could have made was putting a bigger emphasis on social media presence and really crafting my niche image on the various platforms.
Being a stay at home mom of two young children and sole business owner and operator requires a lot of flexibility and being able to have the background income from the now growing “creator” craze on socials would have helped boost my investable income.
I also would have liked to do more research on profitability of certain items so that I could focus more effort on producing higher profit items from the get go.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Honestly my most effective marketing strategy isn’t much of a strategy at all. I rely almost 100% on word-of-mouth marketing. I put a huge premium on providing delicious cookies that also look great, I try to work within my clients’ budgets, and remain professional and personable at all times. That goes a long way with clients and my growing client base is proof positive of that.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
When I first started out I really didn’t have much in the way of “gear” for my business. I had a stand mixer and bought some cheap cookie cutters from the craft store. I invested every penny I made back into my business and my family also showed me financial support by investing in my start-up. Even today, three years into this journey, I invest a portion of my sales back into my business. I’m lucky that I was able to grow a client base very quickly and that they were ready and willing to buy my cookies even when my prices increased over time.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @mamaduckcookieco
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/mamaduckcookieco
- Other: TikTok @themamaduck
Image Credits
CJS Photography