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

Alright, Jamie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

To me, being “successful” is subjective. You have to ask yourself what goal you’re trying to achieve, and then comes the question of what you’re willing to do to make it happen. You can create something and call it a successful venture, but is the venture fulfilling everything you had hoped for when you came up with your idea? If not, then is it really a success? For me, success depends on one principle: Do the work! I think back to the movie, “Julie and Julia,” which was all about the story of Julia Child and her journey into a new career in food. A particular moment in the movie hit me and has stayed with me. It’s the part where Julia and Simka are discussing what credit Louisa should get in their cookbook collaboration. Simka says, “She doesn’t do the work!” Why should we expect anything to turn out the way we want if we aren’t willing to do the work? I try to keep this thought in my head whenever I feel like I’m at a stalemate or if I start to doubt myself: Do the work and success will come. So far, so good.

Jamie, 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?

My “story” is probably very relatable to many. After 19 years with the same company, I felt the need for a change. Luckily for me, I was in a position to make it happen. My husband wanted me to be happy in my work, so after much discussion I took the plunge! I turned in my notice, and immediately enrolled in a technical college to chase down a new career. Turns out the career choice I selected just wasn’t for me. On day two of my 6-month hospital clinical experience, I had an epiphany in the operating room: I wasn’t supposed to be there. It was like a voice blasted the message to me from a megaphone! I finished out the day, called my husband on my drive home, crying of course, and told him I had made a mistake! Thankfully, my husband knew just what to say and he helped me over the hump of disappointment. Out of the blue, a simple request from a friend turned into the beginnings of the career that was meant for me. I started out with a YouTube channel: “Jamie, teach me to cook!” which was all about making easy-to-follow cooking tutorial videos. As my channel started to grow, I started promoting it on social media, namely Facebook and then Instagram. Doing that was a huge turning point for me. As my on-line presence grew, people really started to take notice. The folks in my local area started asking me to bake things for their special occasions, which I did. And one thing led to another and ‘Jamie Bakes’ was born! I finally found the “thing” I was meant to do.
I currently own and operate Jamie Bakes, LLC. I’m a custom baker for special events including birthdays and anniversaries, but namely for the wedding industry. I work with several wedding venues in my area, and have earned a spot on their ‘preferred vendor list.’ These relationships allow me to meet with potential clients through their venues, and secure business opportunities in the form of wedding bookings. I’m a cupcake baker at heart, but as my business grows, so does the demand for wedding cakes. I currently offer custom cupcakes and small scale wedding cakes, as well as a few other baked goods that change with the seasons. I pride myself on building very personal relationships with clients, especially my wedding couples. It’s important to offer them a beautiful product that’s also delicious, as well as letting them know that their wedding day is as important to me as it is to them. When I get feedback from my brides, it warms my heart to hear them say I captured their vision of what their cake table should look like. It’s pretty much the epitome of being complimented. Being able to do a job where my main goal is to provide my customer with something delicious and pretty still blows me away. I get to do this!! And I’m loving every minute of it. By the way…My vanilla buttercream is the stuff dreams are made of. Just saying…

How did you build your audience on social media?

Building a social media presence, at least for me, takes daily investment. I currently manage the following:
A business website for ‘Jamie Bakes.’
A blog site for ‘Jamie, teach me to cook!’
A YouTube channel for ‘Jamie, teach me to cook!’
Two Facebook pages; one for ‘Jamie, teach me to cook!’, and one for ‘Jamie Bakes.’
Two Instagram accounts: one for ‘Jamie, teach me to cook!’, and one for ‘Jamie Bakes.’
One Pinterest account
One Linked In account, which I sadly neglect.
One Twitter account that I never touch.

When I first started, I was totally clueless. I created my YouTube channel first. But before that, I had to learn how to shoot a video, where to put the lights (I struggle with that one still!), and how to edit the video and add music! There were times when I cried because I was so frustrated. My husband, the calm to my storm, offered his input and assistance when I asked him for it. He has always been available to help me but it was important to him that I learn to do things on my own. He said, “This is your plane. You have to learn how to fly it.” And so, I have had to learn EVERYTHING about starting and running a business to website creation! Posting videos led to feedback and requests from viewers. I started compiling a lot of material and decided I needed a place to organize it and have it available, so I created my blog. I promote my blog via my Facebook and Instagram accounts. Over time, your build a following of people interested in what you do. The main thing is post, post, post! You may think it’s overkill, or that no one wants to see what you have to say but trust me, just do it! I can’t tell you how often I hear from people that they love seeing my photos, or that they tried my recipe and loved it, or that they always look forward to my next video because they love seeing what I’m up to! Talk about gratifying! So do yourself a favor and just post away. Learn how to take really nice photos, too. That helps a lot.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

By far, the best strategy for growing my business and clientele has been NETWORKING! You have got to get involved where the business is! Once you build a reputation for your name/brand, the rest is history. For me personally, it involved figuring out what area of the baking business I wanted to focus on. After being in business a few months, I realized I could stay somewhat occupied with birthdays and such but I’d never make any money. So I had to switch gears and try a new approach. I live in the mountains of Northeast Georgia. Not only is it beautiful and picturesque, but it’s also home to big business and I knew if I could tap into one of the big industries currently on fire, that’s where I’d find my niche. I literally sat down at my computer and Googled ‘event venues near me.’ Tons of places popped up and I began to put together a plan of attack. I chose 15 venues closest to me and I sent out a blanket email introducing myself and my business. I spoke of building a business relationship, offered an on-site visit as well as samples of my products. Out of the 15 emails, 7 businesses responded to me. Those 7 opportunities would not have existed if I had not had the gumption to seek them out. Another great source for business is your friends and family. Your friends want you to be successful, and if they are in the position to offer guidance, take them up on it! My best friend was in the baking business for years and she has been such a blessing to me simply by being so knowledgeable about all the little things that sometimes get overlooked. My cousin owns a local restaurant and by asking for her help, she added me to her website as a ‘preferred vendor’ when her customers need baked goods for special events that she doesn’t provide! How great is that? It’s all about utilizing opportunities, and being willing to stick your neck out and ask. If the answer is no, move on to the next opportunity. By utilizing this method, I have managed to secure and build amazing business relationships with over 10 specialty wedding venues in my area. By showing up, delivering on what I say I will, and working hard to build and gain respect from my peers, my baking schedule for the 2023 wedding season is almost at capacity! My business is not yet 2 years old, yet by networking and building business relationships, I’ve managed to build a very nice position in my industry.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jamiebakes.net and www.jamieteachmetocook.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/jamiebakes706 and www.instagram.com/jamieteachmetocook
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/jamiebakes706 and www.facebook.com/jamieteachmetocook
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-musgrove-97a01883/
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/jamieteachmetocook