We were lucky to catch up with Jenae’ Criswell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jenae’, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

The biggest risk I’ve taken was starting my business and going full-time. I’ve had various jobs since graduating college and I had been at my last job for almost 7 years. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I decided to leave my job. I stepped out on faith to pursue, what was at the time a side business, as my full-time income. Baking is something that I just enjoy doing! I would make my son’s birthday cakes as well as baked goods for other family members. I started looking up different techniques and being already artistically talented, I was intrigued at seeing bakers turn images into edible art.

Initially, I was only baking for family and I started showing my co-workers some of my work which led to them ordering. Then I joined a couple of local moms groups and started posting my work and commenting on statuses asking for bakers. Eventually it led to a couple of more orders. I struggled with doubts that I could grow my business in the earlier phases but my family and a couple of friends kept pushing and motivating me to put myself out there. Now, within a year, I’ve steadily seen my business grow. Right now, the risk was worth taking because through all the long hours and late nights, I’ve truly found what I am passionate about.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Jenae’ and I am a local cottage baker/business owner in Cincinnati, OH. I’ve enjoyed baking from a early age and started making custom desserts for my close friends and family in 2020. Due to the many business closures of the pandemic, I used that time to perfect my skills and build my business. I officially opened my business in August 2021 and pursued baking as my primary career in January 2022. I have two bachelors degrees (Nursing and Psychology) and enjoy the arts (especially Broadway and drawing), reading, movies, and spending time with my family. Fun fact: she’s not the biggest fan of cakes for herself! Instead, she opts for either an ice cream cake or cheesecake for her own birthdays.

Tink’s Sweet Shoppe is affectionately named after a nickname given to me by my maternal grandmother who passed in 2008. I specialize in decorated cookies, cakes, cupcakes, and cake pops. All sweets are made from scratch using high-quality ingredients, decorated with an attentive eye, and filled with love. What I provide for my clientele is luxury, custom-made edible pieces of art to display at their events, to gift to someone, or just to enjoy themselves. My favorite part is getting to see the reactions during pick up, it truly brings joy to my day to know I’m a small part of some of their most joyous moments in life.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I started building my business on social media by creating an album on my personal page and adding all of my photos to that album. Then I joined a couple of baking groups that suggested joining local moms and neighborhood groups. A lot of the groups I’m in do not allow self-promotion which I completely understand. I started searching with key words and tagging myself on recommendation posts. Next came building my page, I’m constantly sharing my work and trying to stay engaged with my audience on my page. I also follow other pages that give awesome advice on how to grow your following and increase your social media presence. It definitely takes time and investment into growing your business on social media. Within a year, I’ve seen my Facebook following reach 1,000 and my Instagram and TikTok following increases daily! I get the majority of my clientele from social media so I definitely make sure to stay consistent.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

For my market, it’s all about having a quality product and great customer service. With each order, I am growing my portfolio to showcase my skills and promote my work. Doing markets and vendor events allows me to branch out and try new flavors and different techniques that I can sell on an individual basis. I’ve gotten a lot of orders just from word of mouth and gained new customers who attended an event that my treats were showcased. Between recommendations, self-promotion, and social media, the majority of my business comes from those three avenues.

Outside of marketing and having a quality product, I believe customer service is really important. I’ve had various experiences thus far and it definitely makes a difference with how you approach a situation, especially in a difficult one. I always try to give my best customer service no matter the circumstance because I know how I would want to be treated being as a consumer.      

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.tinkssweetshoppe.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/tinksweetshoppe
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tinksweetshoppe
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tinksweetshoppe