We were lucky to catch up with Kristian Njeri recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristian, thanks for joining us today. What’s something crazy on unexpected that’s happened to you or your business

One of the craziest but positive experiences I’ve had as a business owner is when I participated in Dessert Wars Atlanta. I saw an ad for the competition where it stated it was the largest dessert festival in America. I applied even though I was fairly new to being an entrepreneur. A few weeks later I got a call from the creator of Dessert Wars stating that out of 3,000 applications my application was accepted. I was so shocked because I am still new and not a lot of people know about my business. I was excited yet scared because I have never competed in a baking competition. But I decided that no matter what I would see it through. On competition day, I thankfully had a team full of family to help my small bakery business show up in a big way. Though I didn’t win, the real treat was meeting so many people who enjoyed my creations, my desserts.

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?

I got started in this industry simply by making cheesecake for family and friends. They would encourage me for years to start a business but I didn’t know how. Until one day in 2020, I decided to make it official. I really wanted to get the name and the cheesecake bites out there. I would map out places on the weekend to drop off samples and reach out to different businesses to push my business out there. Eventually I ended up at a lot of events across Atlanta.

Overall the cheesecake bites are a concept of taking a very decadent dessert and making it where people can enjoy it by just picking them and taking a bite. Also the flavors on the menu are a combination of favorites amongst family and friends.

The thing I am most proud of is how confident entrepreneurship has made me. It continues to pull me out my comfort zone in a positive way.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn was having expectations. Just because my cheesecake tastes great, doesn’t mean that everyone is going to immediately be on board. I had to learn to focus on the journey and the process and embrace the outcome, good or bad. In the beginning I thought since people loved it, then it would be easy. But I learned quickly that I needed to shift my focus.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

When it comes to managing a team and maintaining high morale remember that these people are helping you build your dream, so treat them as if they are working with you, not for you. Also a compliment and encouragement can go a long way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.njerischeesecakebites.com/
• Instagram: @njeris_cheesecake_bites

Image Credits
Blake Hampton