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

Kariann, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.

I think almost all of us would go back and do things differently if we could with the knowledge we have now. If I were able to start from day one of Cake Dame again, the main thing I would tell myself is to just have confidence. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and to do the things that scare you. I’ve learned so much and come so far even just in the last couple of months. My business is growing and booming and it’s so exciting. I can’t go back though, so I’m doing it now!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My cake fun started at Parson’s Bakery in Bountiful. When I was in High School I was able to secure a job there during a work release period. I did quite a few different jobs and then found cake decorating. It was so much fun, I couldn’t get enough. (Which I think was quite confusing to my mother because I was such a tom boy but enjoyed this crafty little outlet). I soon started helping on bigger, fancier cakes and loved it. Participated in outside classes and then grew to where I could do this from home which was the ultimate goal since I started having kids and wanted to stay home with them.
It did grow slowly, but became a very nice source of income for my family as well as a passion and love for me.
I love helping clients figure out a design if they don’t already have one, or tweaking it a bit to be their own and not a copycat. We want the cake to not only look amazing, but taste amazing also. A lot of time is put into assembly and decorating but many hours of thought and calculating go into each cake as well.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I highly recommend when building a business that you build yourself up as well. You are not only selling your product, but in a way yourself. Your product may speak for itself but it’s very helpful if you also can speak for your product. Have confidence and a love for yourself as well as for what you are doing and creating. Build from the inside out and you will see not only your business grow, but yourself also, which in turn will only help your business be more successful!

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I would say that I was very lucky with how my business started and grew. It did start out very small and very slow so I was able to acquire product and inventory as needed and did not need a ton of capital from the start. A great home support system was very helpful also. I have a husband who believed in me and stood by me with what I wanted to achieve. At the time I had no idea it would grow into what it has today. I’m very grateful!!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.CakeDame.com
• Instagram: @CakeDame
• Facebook: Cake Dame

Image Credits
Photographer: A Moment’s Reflection