Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to LaCarissa Hampton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

LaCarissa , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

I have often asked myself this very question multiple times. Sometimes I do wish I had started my business earlier, but then again sometimes I feel I started right on time. I started Koated Treats in January of 2023. I have always had a passion for cooking food but never did I think my passion would end up on the treat/dessert end of the spectrum. If I would have started sooner I would have a bigger clientele at this point and would be doing this full-time instead of part time, lol. That is my only regret about not starting sooner. Everything is working according to God’s timing though so I have to keep reminding myself that.

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.

When I graduated high school in 2007 I decided to go to Le Cordon Bleu in Austin based on my love for cooking. I was told back then that your career should be something you love to do so it doesn’t feel like work. At the time cooking was my passion. I transferred to Le Cordon Bleu of Dallas in 2008 and graduated while working a full time job. Afterwards, my friend and I started a catering business which we both maintain working full-time jobs. Life happened and I had to walk away from the business venture but cooking never left my heart. Fast forward to 2021, I started a clothing business called Funsyze Clothing. However, this venture was a short-lived business. Although I loved it, my heart wasn’t in it. At the end of 2022 my desire to follow my first true love returned with an overpowering feeling. I decided to get back in the kitchen and do just that. I took a treat class to improve my skills and surprised myself with how much I actually liked it. Since then I hit the ground running with Koated Treats and have never looked back.

Koated Treats motto is “Everything tastes better dipped in chocolate”! This is definitely a motto that I live by when it comes to my business. I specialize in making treats/desserts to help celebrate special moments in my clients life. Whether it be birthday parties, weddings, graduations, paint parties, or corporate events Koated Treats always aims to please. I do individual treat orders as well as vendor events. My menu consists of but is not limited to: chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate covered Oreos, chocolate covered Rice Krispies, cookie pudding, banana pudding, Texas Sheet Cake, Strawberry Lemonade cookies, caramel and chocolate covered apples.

I enjoy bringing my customers’ visions to life. They come to me with an idea or concept of how they would like their treats to look and I bring it to reality. My favorite is when they have themed parties for examples: Uno, Butterflies, Boss Baby, or Elephants just to name a few. I create custom treats for my customers and leave them with a lasting impression. I give my best and only my best to all of my customers. I truly believe that if I wouldn’t purchase it I wouldn’t sell it. I treat every customer as I would want to be treated when doing business with someone.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

One moment of resilience that I have experienced with Koated Treats was in my beginning stages; when I was trying to come up with one of my signature desserts. I remember staying up until the early morning hours racking my brain out trying to come up with something. I would watch videos and reels to see if anything would spark my interest. After many days of this routine I saw several reels that had one or two things that I liked. I decided to combine a few of these together to see what would happen. I remember being in the kitchen mixing ingredients together not really knowing if the end result would be something I would be proud of. Once I pulled the dessert out of the oven, the smells took over my house and had my kids running to the kitchen to see what I had created. If the smells could drive my kids crazy I couldn’t wait for someone to taste it. Later that day people were able to taste it and couldn’t stop raving about it. It went way better than I could have imagined. 100 times better to be exact. So good in fact that I let the same people who tasted my masterpiece name my dessert. After much deliberation I finally agreed with Cinna-Berry Cheesecake Bites. They even have a slogan “They will take you to heaven but they will bring you right back.”

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Growing my clientele has been an uphill battle but a fun one to say the least. One way I have grown my clientele is by doing A LOT of vendor events. By doing these vendor events all over the DFW I am able to grow my clientele across the metroplex. I am able to meet and mingle with my clientele and show my talent all at the same time. A lot of my clientele comes from family, friends, and word of mouth. I’ve learned it is imperative to treat each and everyone of my customers in the most respectful way and give nothing less than my best. This has allowed me to gain clientele from each treat table that I do as well. I never know who is watching and I always want to leave a lasting impression.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: koatedtreats
• Facebook: Koated Treats

Image Credits

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