We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jashanti Jones. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jashanti below.

Alright, Jashanti thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I had another small business (kreationzbyj) where I sold resin items such as keychains, coasters and etc. but I always had a love for baking rather it be me making something for family or simply making something to cure my sweet tooth the passion was all ways there! I shopped around trying other desserts and figured why not make my own which would save me money and potentially put money in my pockets, I would see other treat makers on instagram and thought how hard could it really be to make a business out of it all. That’s when I started my deep dive from following a ton of treat maker accounts to watching hours of videos on YouTube on how to properly dip and decorate strawberries. Once I felt confident enough I went to stores gathering the materials/ingredients that would be needed to successfully execute a test run of chocolate covered strawberries. I made my first batch and started a instagram page, promoted my first batch and page. I gained a little following and some inquiries from people wanting to buy/try my strawberries. At the time I was living at home with my mom and only had a small corner of the kitchen to work with and with that I made the best out of what I had. The first official day of launching Berriesbyjay_ was on Jan 16th 2023, a little over a month before Valentines so with the holiday coming up I started to create “Valentine’s Day Options” and for my first Valentine’s Day Sale I had about 6-8 orders, you can only imagine the excitement I had! From there on I would host giveaways for reaching a certain amount of followers and just trying new things/flavors that everyone would be able to enjoy!

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.

My name is Jashanti, I’m 22 years old and I started my business a little over 2 years ago. I’ve always had a passion for baking/treat making and one day I just decided to take everything seriously and create a business out of it. When I first started I was just making chocolate covered strawberries now I do that and then some such as treats consisting of Rice Kripsys, Pretzel Rods, Cakepops/Cakesicles and Candied Grapes. I also offer party packages for events such as babyshowers, birthdays, graduations, etc. I strive to give my customers nothing but the best treat wise and communication wise. My top priority is keeping my customers happy and my treats tasty always leaving the customer/consumer wanting more! Although there is a lot of people doing the same thing that I do, I would say something that separates me from the rest is my originality I don’t try to copy the trends or do things that others do, I simply do what I do because I enjoy what i’m doing. I don’t do this to earn a quick buck, I do this because I want to go somewhere with it!

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

I am still learning this lesson and it would have to be “comparison is a theft of joy” it’s hard especially in this type of business to not compare your work/following to others but everyone has their own techniques and ways they go about their business so i’m trying my best to post my work/create content to continue to boost my engagement and following as well as being actively engaged with my customers rather that be through interactive stories, having giveaways or etc.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

As previously mentioned I started my instagram page from scratch having 0 followers as the time went on people would follow me and I would host giveaways that help boost my following as well. I decided to also create a Facebook page for customers who don’t have instagram, I started posting on Tiktok and people have started following me after coming across my videos. My biggest advice for gaining views/followers would be the boost your post feature on Instagram it’s very helpful at least to me it is and to remain consistent. Since the growth of my business I have created a website for people to order through there rather than sending a message via DM. I would also recommend the “Bakesy” app to anyone who sells products such as sweets or food!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bakesy.shop/b/berriesbyjay_
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/berriesbyjay_?igsh=MWhmaTQ3dnNoaTdoMA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1EQQNf5sds/?mibextid=wwXIfr