Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jane Smith . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Jane thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us about a time where you or your team really helped a customer get an amazing result?
It was this one time, I was trying hard to get my business recognized. A friend suggested that I sell my cake slices to restaurants. I thought what’s the worst that can happen? I decided to bake my customers favorite’s and go to different restaurants and see if they would be interested in selling my cake slices. I was immediately turned down by a couple of restaurants. It wasn’t until I was about to give up that I went to a newly owned restaurant. I gave my sales pitch, a few cake slices, and a business card. I didn’t hear back from them so I assumed they weren’t interested. Then one I was having an incredibly bad day and the restaurant called and explained how they were looking for my cake slices everywhere. They misplaced the card but eventually found it when they weren’t looking. They offered to do a test run to see how it will work out. A few days later I delivered my cake slices. A week later they called and said can we please do business. My cake slices sold out within a week and people were calling to see if they had any more. Henley’s vintage kitchen and I have been in business for 1 year now and it has been an experience I will never forget.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I discovered Jane cakes 4 years ago. It started as a hobby and then I became really good. I would watch YouTube videos all day every day. Then I met a lady who wanted to purchase a cake. Of course, I panicked because this was something new and I would be taking on a new responsibility. I always ask myself what’s the worse that could happen. I sold her a cake and it was horrible. I had the concept but the presentation wasn’t neat. However, I didn’t let that stop me. I studied even harder. I would make cakes and give them away for free until I got the confidence I needed. I then got another order from a classmate. That also came out horrible. What was supposed to be the character Vampirina looked more like a cookie monster. Again I didn’t let that stop me. Shortly I got an order for a cowgirl cake. Now at this time, I have a little bit more skill and I learned from every failed cake. I took a deep breath and got to work. I was able to create a cowgirl hat and boot. I could not believe what I created and was in awe of myself. From that day on I created more and more pieces of art.
Now I specialize in realistic cakes and gourmet cake slices.
The thing I m most proud of is my ability to not give up. Being a business owner is hard and sometimes the instructions are unclear. I remember days I would cry to my husband about how hard it was and how I don’t want to continue. He would always encourage me and explain how it wasn’t always going to be rainy days. So I prepare for the sunny days. I always kept that in the back of mind and continue to push forward. The sunny days would always outweighed the rainy days.
I have built a great support system within my 4years of operating a business. I don’t call my customers followers or fans. I call them sprinkles. It’s a lot of creative bakers in my city but what makes me stand out is the relationship I build with my sprinkles. I sprinkle everyone with love when I provide them with one of my delicious cakes.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
In the beginning, a lot of business owners don’t know about grants or opportunities to help fund their small businesses. I didn’t know. At the time we were living off one income and it was my husband’s income. We are a family of 5 and times got hard. I had to think of a way to take $100 and turn it into $200. When my husband got paid, I would take a few dollars and purchase things I could use to raise money. I would buy a cake board, boxes, and sprinkles. It started to become a burden because I begin needing more things like a printer, edible ink, and edible paper. Amazon toppers were beginning to get expensive so now we needed something to help make toppers. Everything was adding up so fast and it was always leaving us in the negatives. I decided I needed more knowledge because it’s no way my business was not making any profit. The 1st person I talked to said oh that’s normal. It didn’t feel normal so I asked another business owner and they said the same thing. Except they added that until the business has running steadily for 6 months and I established a business banking account and business credit, you will not see any profit. II continued to do my research and it was all accurate along with good personal credit.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I never knew that you can advertise on social media. I always assumed that you had to know people who already have an established business. I realized that people sell things all the time on the Facebook market place so I decided to try. Surprisingly they allowed it and people started inquiring a lot about my cakes. I would then find groups I can advertise in and post on days they allowed. I was in every group you could think of. People became interested in my cakes and begin following my personal Facebook page. I begin posting all of the cakes and people begin sharing my cakes. More and more people came and I realized I needed to keep them separate from my page. I made a business page and instructed everyone to follow it. They begin sharing and supporting me and soon I created a sprinkle village.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: jane_cakesLLC
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaneCakesLLC?mibextid=LQQJ4d