We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Katherine Genova a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Katherine, thanks for joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

I’ve always enjoyed baking for fun, and I’ve always been good at it. I’ve had friends in the past tell me that I should try and sell my desserts at farmers markets and to neighbors, and it was always just “a bug in my ear.” However, when my county started to adopt educational programs that had completed lessons already made for me, I found myself using my baked goods as the means for my creative outlet. I became more focused on learning new texhniques, and I grew more confident in my abilities to be a home baker that people would buy from. When I first decided I was going to try and sell my baked goods as a side job, a year ago now, I thought it was going to be a much easier process than it really was. I started researching on my own at night after a long day of teaching children, and slowly started to discover I knew nothing about starting, or owning, a business. Thankfully, a close friend and her mother (who has a catering background) gave their guidance for free. Their advice was to begin by reviewing the cottage laws and obtaining a cottage food license. It took me about a week to research the cottage laws, which are the laws placed on cottage food products that home bakers can and cannot sell. (Items such as cakes, cookies, jams, jellies, breads, etc.) The laws are not black and white so I found myself on the phone with the Department of Agriculture trying to figure out answers to questions like whether or not buttercream was an item I could sell. Next, I had to obtain a cottage food license to cover myself in case of a food allergy, or lawsuit. To get the cottage food license, I had to have a home inspection, obtain a Food Handlers certificate, and complete the paperwork needed. This process took about a month to complete. The home inspector came and viewed my kitchen and appliances to ensure they met code, and the food handlers course required me to learn facts about dealing with all foods and felt more suitable for the restaurant industry than a home baking business. Once the application was approved, it took about a week to come in. When I thought that was all I needed, I discovered that to create a business on the Department of Revenue website, I needed to first ensure that I was zoned for a business in my county. After a few phone calls to the county clerk, I discovered I was but would need to go through the same procedures that a commercial business would go through to obtain a business license.I had to complete a million documents to apply for a business license, set up and purchase a state income tax ID, and purchase a labor poster. About a week later, I finally received my business license. It took me a little more than a month afterwards to create my own website, design my own logo, create an Instagram and Facebook account, purchase business cards, and begin establishing myself as a home baker/business owner.
I have had some people question why I jumped through all of those hoops just to sell cookies and cakes out of my house, and there are even moments where I question it myself, but I wanted to follow the law and establish my business the right way. It was challenging to research at night when I was tired, and it was more expensive than I ever imagined to get started- it felt as if every time I turned around I needed to cover the cost of something else. However, it has also been an extreme accomplishment to know that I was able to build a real business from the ground up after knowing nothing about the process a few months prior. Because of my decision to dive in and commit, I’ve been able to pursue a passion of mine and share it with others.

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 Katherine Genova and I’m a 2nd grade teacher by day and a home baker by night. Like most teachers, I am very well-rounded, have a very creative spirit and a zest for life. A few of my passions are singing, painting, drawing, crafting, playing piano, decorating, etc. In general, I just like to create and often challenge my own limits. I find it hard to teach kids to reach for the stars if I cannot practice what I preach. Why baking? I have always loved baking and growing up I used it as a form of therapy. Stressed? Bake. Celebrating life’s great moments? Bake. Eating my feelings? Bake. It’s safe to say that over the years, my friends, coworkers, and family have reaped the benefits of my hobby, as I have never been able to consume my desserts all on my own. However, I have only been customizing my desserts for the past few years and that’s all due to a combination of late night Food Network binge watching sessions, and my social media addiction. I am the type of person that is strongly influenced by what I see. I have watched many Holiday Baking Challenges and Instagram reels that have left me with the feeling that I could recreate what I saw and that it would be “so easy.” It never was. The first time I saw a cakesicle on Instagram, I didn’t even know what a cakesicle was. I found myself googling cakesicles and watching youtube videos on how to mold chocolate, and fondant to use a decorations on them. Those same searches also led me to the discovery of the sprinkle pen and edible luster dust. From there, I went down a rabbit hole of ordering molds of every shape and size to create more. Cakesicles turned into oreo bites, and then a chocolate-covered high heel. That’s when I started getting more and more positive reactions from friends, and those reactions only fueled the
fire.
Along the way I discovered that one of my favorite things about baking is that no two baked goods are the same. Baking is always a challenge. You can make a recipe a million times and it may not turn out the way you wanted. Or maybe it does turn out, but you can decorate it differently or practice a different technique with the frosting or designs. When you bake, you can make anything you want- the options are endless. Baking is food art.
Because I am a self-taught food artist, I am learning as I go. I do not like to tell my clients that I am not able to fulfill their request, so I accept every order that comes my way and I learn what I need to learn by watching videos and practicing in my kitchen. A few of my greatest challenges so far have been learning how to differentiate between royal icing consistencies, teaching myself how to put fondant on a cake, and sculpting people out of fondant. All three tasks have tried my patience in ways I never imagined, but they have all felt really rewarding in the end. I like knowing that my creations bring smiles to others. And I like that I’ve been able to see a difference in the level of my work after a year of taking orders.
While my company is not a large establishment yet, my goal is to eventually combine my two greatest passions- education and baking- and use a portion of my profits to buy books and resources for schools and communities. I want my company to be a company with an influence as strong as the episodes and reels that had me hooked from the get-go, and I want to be able to give back to the profession and people that have been so good to me for the past ten years. When this goal becomes a reality is when I’ll know I’ve made it.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The lesson I had to learn to get where I am today is that I’m good enough. I’ve struggled with insecurities my whole life- from my appearance, to my weight, and to other people’s perceptions of me. I can be my own worst critic at times, but I’ve also had very negative influences in my life that lowered my self-esteem at a young age and made me feel as if I wasn’t enough. It wasn’t always noticeable by talking to me or looking at me. I am a people person so I hid it well, but deep down I was always insecure and self-conscious. Ironically enough, I also played sports and had a competitive edge. I wanted to win and be the best. As a teen this transpired into a series of failed relationships, which continued to shape my feelings of myself. While each relationship was a toxic one, I always blamed myself and labeled each separation as a failure. The older I got, the more I began reading personal development books. Books like, Girl Wash Your Face, and You Are a Badass, helped me learn how to change the narrative I was telling myself. I started to fight the negativity by living in a way that proved everyone wrong. Run a half marathon? No problem. Begin a doctorate degree? Easy peasy. I was on a journey to tackle every challenge I could. I also started to see a counselor and work on my mental health. Over time, I realized that I just liked finishing challenges. I liked the sense of pride I felt knowing that I was capable of doing whatever I put my mind to. I no longer needed the approval of others to feel good about myself, because I was learning that I was good on my own.
Had I never come to this realization, I may have never attempted to start a business. I would have been worried that no one would place an order, or like my decorations. I would have critiqued every mistake I made, or the way everything tasted. I would have been sweating over whether my prices were fair or if my logo was appealing, and I would’ve driven myself crazy.
I don’t have that fear anymore. I’m proud of my company and how far I’ve come. I don’t take it for granted. I had to live my past- it taught me to accept challenges and starting a business is full of challenges. I also had to learn how to believe in myself enough to see the process through.

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

For anyone looking to build a social media presence, I suggest creating reels of your product. I was, and still am, a sucker to them myself so I can say firsthand that they work. I have gained most of my followers by making reels that appeal to the masses. Your reel can be short, 60 seconds or less, but make sure the picture is high-quality, and clear. A filter and background music can also help to make it more appealing. Be careful when you share it though, as there are certain times of the day when social media experiences higher volumes of viewers. By learning the algorithm, and peak posting times for each day of the week, you can establish a regular social media presence online. If you are also able to pay for ads, I would suggest doing that as well and using many different hashtags that can be used to help find your post.

Contact Info:

• Website: sirensandsweetsllc.com
• Instagram: @sirensandsweetsllc
• Facebook: Sirens and Sweets LLC