We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Katie Koehler a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Katie, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?
It seems that in this business, trends come and go quicker than the tide changes. Being on top of trends is of utmost importance. Being in tune to social media is key to this in my opinion. Joining different social media platforms, engaging with other like-minded business owners, attending events hosted by social media influencers, etc really helps! Being able to put yourself out there is so helpful as well in this business. Try something you think might work, if it doesn’t; move on and try something else! You think this certain trend won’t last too long? Try it anyway! You think this upcoming trend might be huge? Try it! Don’t be afraid to take chances. In my experience, it almost always pays off. In the baking business specifically there are several trends going on right now. Small “lunchbox style” cakes, cake pops, printed super-detailed decorated sugar cookies, decorate-your-own cookie kits, and ultra personalized treats.
Katie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My business started on the Marine Corps Base in 29 Palms, and continued here on Camp Pendleton in Oceanside due to word of mouth within the military community.
I’ve worked with various organizations who deliver packages and baked goods to Marines and Sailors in the barracks.
I’ve also worked with the Military Spouse Association, multiple unit Deployment Readiness Coordinators and hosted cookie decorating classes for children of deployed service members. I’ve worked with local libraries, helped with fundraisers, with the Exceptional Family Member Program offered through the military, local school systems, the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society, and many more amazing organizations.
More recently I was hired to provide decorated sugar cookies for The First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden while she was in town visiting the Cohen Clinic in Oceanside, which provides much needed mental health resources for our Veterans and their families.
I would not have had these amazing opportunities if it was not for our tight-knit military community that I am so thankful for.
I am most proud of all of the friends and connections I have made through serving my community through something I love, baking!
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
Fostering brand loyalty is of utmost importance to me. Keeping customers coming back to me as opposed to another similar business is such a joy that I take pride in! Providing the best experience from initial communication, to following up throughout the baking/decorating process, to ensuring they loved the product they received from me is key. I personally do not believe you can over-communicate when it comes to something someone is spending their hard-earned money on for a special occasion. I take pride in each order, each customer interaction, each quote I put together, by purchasing top-tier ingredients, and having attention to detail in packaging their order, and I believe it shows.
I have several different ways for customers to contact me, and I strive to respond within 24 hours at the latest. I am on several social media platforms, an active email account, as well as my website.
Communication, quality, consistency. Those three things are what keeps customers coming back for more!
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
This business definitely started as a hobby for me. I’ve baked my entire life, but never knew my hobby would turn in to a full time gig!
When I first got started, I was just baking for my friends and family, and people that attended those parties started asking me to bake for their special occasions. The momentum from there on out was amazing! I decided that if I wanted to take this seriously, there were a few things I needed to do. I first needed to get licensed so I could legally sell my products. That took an extremely long time but was well worth it. Kitchen inspections, county paperwork, housing paperwork, tax assessments, etc. It seemed never-ending but had to be done.
From there, I started creating my social media accounts, posting on Facebook pages, giving my business cards to anyone who would take them. I wasn’t afraid to put myself out there. Once I started integrating myself deeper within the military community, my business turned full-time and I haven’t looked back since!
Contact Info:
- Website: sweettreatsbykatie.com
- Instagram: @SweetTreatsByKt
- Facebook: @SweetTreatsByKt