We were lucky to catch up with Kimberly Knight recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kimberly, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love for you to start by sharing your thoughts about the pros and cons of family businesses.

Being an entreprenuer runs in my family. Growing up, I watched my uncles and aunts build a resturant business from the ground up. From selling church dinners, to owning their own restrurant for 11 years. I witnessed gatherings, building relationships that turned into long lasting friendships. “Dabneys Resturant” was a place that many African Americans families dined in and celebrated lifes special events and moments. Gimme Pound slogan is “Tasting the memories with each bite”. I bake because it brings families together.

Kimberly, 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?

For people who know me, baking was not on my agenda growing up. In Hanover County, I’m known as one of the singing Fox Sisters. Along with my 2 older sisters, I sung in church and performed in grade school. I grew up around cooks and enjoyed watching my grandmothers slay in the kitchen, but it wasn’t something I saw myself doing. My dream was to be a famous singer/performer/actress. I studied music at VCU and landed a few theater gigs after graduation. Still, becoming a baker was not on my mind. It wasn’t until, I was in the kitchen with my Mom during Thanksgiving when I decided to test out a recipe from my moms friend who used to bake us pound cakes every holiday. While waiting for it to cool, my Dad came in the house from hunting with his friends. He cut up half of the cake and took it outside to his hunting buddies. Just when I was about to run outside to get him, he came back in and said with a handful of money “Can you bake 10 more cakes? I got orders!”. After going back and forth, I eventually made pound cakes for the holidays calling myself “Cakes By Kim”. It was something fun to do. In 2018, I realized I was ready to step out on faith and make it official, but I needed a name. There were thousands of small businesses names Cakes by “somebody”. I wanted to stand out and be different. I wanted people to know who I was and what my company was all about. My brand was pound cakes, so my brother law gave me the name “Gimme Pound”. I started creating pound cakes in different varieties. I didnt want to add 50 million types of desserts. I branded myself to one item. As reviews began to pour in. I was blown away by the response but I noticed something similiar in each message. Everyone enjoyed their cakes amongst family and friends. I was reading stories of my cake being the reason why family members who hadn’t spoken in years, began having conversations again. Tearful stories of memories of past loved ones who also baked pound cake. Stories of how tasting my cake made them feel like they were back at home. It became clear of what my mission was and still is. I’m bringing families together. I’m helping people remember what family feels like. I’m helping people step back into a time where families stuck together. Thats what i’m the most proud of. My love for what family means goes into every single pound cake that I bake. It’s a staple for many people. Pound Cake, the Gimme Way.

How did you build your audience on social media?

As a performer, I incorporate my skillz into my post and video’s for my social media audience. I’m different! lol! I want people to see someone relatable and also to see a baker that’s not afraid to have fun from time to time. Social media can be too serious and people need to understand that being authentic never dies. Folks appreciate realness! Glits and glam are okay if you have it, but just being who you are is worth more than gold.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

My mother always taught me that your name is worth a thousand words and how you treat people will determine what words will placed by yours. I would say how I treat people is why my name travels and why I’ve been so successful these past few years. Nobody wants to work with difficult people! No one really wants to deal with folks with bad attitudes. No matter what situation I am in, I know how to treat people. Nothing makes me happier than being able to refer someone or send help to people I know. My biggest referrals have been from folks that I have come across at other events and functions. I’m forever grateful for those connections and long lasting relationship.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/GimmePound
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GimmePound