We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Julianna Alexander a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Julianna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge in regards to profitability in my industry has been recent inflation of cost of materials. Inflation has forced my prices to raise in the past year and while I’ve remained profitable, I know sometimes those prices can deter business. At the end of the day, there’s no way to cut corners when it comes to pricing material and product however my speciality in Cupcake Bouquets and it’s high demand has been able to keep my small business thriving.
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 Julianna and my small business is Stay Frosty. I specialize in baking, designing and creating cupcake bouquets.
Cupcake bouquets are cupcakes that I pipe with buttercream with hyper realistic flowers and then I arrange and wrap them to resemble a traditional floral bouquet.
I began my small business in spring of 2022 in North Carolina. Since then I’ve been able to serve clients in Maryland, California and now currently Utah.
I get asked a lot how I got started and where I learned to do what I do. I first saw a cupcake bouquet on my Instagram feed and immediately fell in love. I was determined to figure out how to create my own and I heavily relied on online tutorials.
The first dozen bouquets were rough and un refined, but with time and practice I’ve been able to gain the skillset I needed to produce the bouquets I create today.
My small business was originally just a hobby with no intention of growing to be the size it is today. But I’m incredibly grateful for all the support and encouragement I’ve received from family, friends and customers.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Cupcake bouquets aren’t commonly done and are a niche in the baking community. I’m grateful to be able to have found that niche and cater to those who are interested in it. I’ve had generous feedback from clients who graciously praise not only my talent but also the taste of my cupcakes. Unfortunately, some bakeries you can have one or the other. But I’m grateful to have been able to figure out a balance in both presentation and quality of taste.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
Fortunately my business did not take a great amount of funds upfront to get going. Like I mentioned, it started as a hobby and I funded it as that. However as it grew and my confidence grew, I became more comfortable in taking financial leaps to invest in the future of my business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bakesy.shop/b/stay-frosty
- Instagram: @Stayfrostyshop
- Facebook: Stay Frosty