Jennifer, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you take vacations? How do you keep things going – any advice for entrepreneurs who feel like they can’t step away from their business for a short vacation?

One of the biggest challenges I face as a small business owner is the feeling of being tethered to the shop at all times. Particularly in this day and age of instant connectivity, it’s hard to turn off all the alerts and emails in order to get a break. I’ve learned that taking a vacation with my family once or twice a year gives me a valuable re-set to return to the shop with renewed focus. I’m a parent as well as a business owner, so when I am on vacation with my kids I want to be able to give them my full attention. I am extremely fortunate to have a talented and thoughtful staff that can manage without me for a week. It does take some careful planning to make sure that I am leaving them with the tools they need to excel without me. I still like to make sure I am available to them by phone in case they have a time sensitive issue. I want them to know that I am always there to support them even if I’m away.
That being said, I do turn off my email alerts and trust that my team will keep tabs on everything and only reach out if absolutely necessary. I’ve learned that if the emails are popping up on my phone, I have a hard time ignoring them and letting others take the lead on responding. I honestly don’t know if there will ever be a point where I truly unplug, but I’ve been able to enjoy my family time while still making sure my staff knows that I am there for them, too.

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 opened the Frosted Fox Cake Shop with my husband in 2015. We specialize in making custom decorated cakes for milestone events like weddings, baby showers, birthdays, and other celebrations. We own and operate a brick and mortar bakery in Northwest Philadelphia where we employ a small staff of about 9 people. I originally learned to decorate cakes after attending culinary school at the Culinary Institute of America. It was my dream to open my own business. I am extremely proud of the reputation we have and for our clients that have been with us for years. It’s been such a treat to watch families grow from engagements, to weddings, to baby showers, and first birthdays. We provide clients with the confidence that their showcase dessert is going to look stunning and taste delicious.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I met my cofounder during an ice breaker activity in culinary school. Sean was one of only a handful of other students that had preciously graduated from college. We became fast friends. He was studying culinary arts while I studied in pastry arts. We eventually married in 2010 and in 2014 I decided that I wanted to open my own shop. I convinced Sean to take the leap with me and he left his corporate catering job and I taught him to bake. Now the shop has been open for 7 years and Sean has moved into a customer facing position while I still decorate and manage the business operations of the shop.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

We work very hard to make sure that all of our customers have a positive service experience with our staff. We try to be as reliable as possible and make sure we are available. We always make sure to return calls and emails in a timely fashion. Over time our customers have kept coming back thanks to our consistently delicious baked goods and eye for detail.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.frostedfoxcakeshop.com
• Instagram: @frostedfoxcakeshop
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/frostedfoxcakeshop

Image Credits
Alex Medvic Photo, Emily Wren Photo, Emily Busch, Katie Trauffer Photo, Heather Fowler Photo, All My Love Photography,