We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Laura Biolo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Laura below.

Alright, Laura thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Along with taking care of clients, taking care of our team is one of the most important things we can do as leaders. Looking back on your journey, did you have a boss that was really great? Maybe you can tell us about that boss and what made them a wonderful person to work for?

The best boss I ever had is the owner of a restaurant in Duesseldorf, Germany. I worked for Stephanie right after high school- I had moved to Germany, knew very little of the language and was frantically trying to get a job and get situated in such a new environment. After dozens of interviews that lead to no offers, I was lucky enough to get a call from her asking me to come in and have an introductory talk. Somehow, despite my very broken German and the fact that the job required me to speak to guests in the language, she took a leap of faith and hired me. This was also my very first job in the service industry, where I learned very valuable lessons on how to cater to all kinds of guests, work under pressure, and help setting up large events. With Stephanie’s help (and the rest of the team), I became pretty fluent within 6 months, took on more responsibilities and would help guiding the rest of the team when the boss wasn’t present (what we would call “assistant manager” here). I’ll always be grateful to her for being so caring, kind, trustworthy, and for creating a “home away from home” for me there!

Laura, 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?

I founded Laly’s Bakery in late 2019, when I moved to the States. I always loved American style bakery (I’m from Italy and there’s very little of it over there!), so I started selling all kind of cupcakes, cakes and fondant work, cakepops.. pretty much anything my clients would ask for. A couple of months in, I found a picture of some fall sugar cookies and wanted to try my hand at it. I realized shortly after how much I loved creating these little treats, and in May 2020 I re-branded and decided to quit cakes and offer custom cookies exclusively. Focusing on cookies allowed me to really develop my skills and offer the best products for my clients’ most special days. I am now also teaching classes online to fellow bakers back in Italy, as well as in person classes for local professionals and hobby bakers alike, who want to learn more about the magic of cookies and royal icing. During the holidays I host cookie decorating workshops for teenagers and adults, and offer private cookie parties for team building, kids’ birthdays, bachelorette, ladies night, and other occasions! Laly’s bakery is the only shop in Houston offering over 40 different flavors of sugar cookies, and endless design possibilities! I cater to all types of parties, from small orders for intimate gatherings to large corporate events.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

In the summer of 2021, I was a vendor at a farmer’s market in the Austin area, right before moving to Houston. The farmer’s market, whether because of the location or the increasingly hot weather, had been very slow for some time. I decided to take a risk and turn my weekly stall into a themed “pop-up” experience. I created lots of social media buzz, shared the news in moms groups on FB and hoped for the best. I didn’t have many expectations, but I was hoping to sell a least half of my stock of cookies (I baked and decorated LOADS of them!). The morning of the market, I arrived and started setting up my booth. It was so hot that I began to feel discouraged, thinking no one would show up under such weather conditions. However, shortly after, I realized a line had started to form- an hour prior to the start of the event. By the time I was ready to welcome customers, the line wrapped around the park, and remained steady for a couple of hours. I completely sold out in less than three hours, and a news company came to interview me. I couldn’t believe it! To this day, that pop up event remains close to my heart and is by far my favorite experience. Oh, the power of social media!

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

The best thing I’ve done to grow my clientele has been participating at farmer’s markets, get to know prospective clients as well as having them meet me and find out who makes the products they are interested in purchasing! I love meeting fellow bakers, artisans, and clients and sharing my passion with them! Another focal strategy- if not the most important thing I do- is ensuring my products are always the best possible creations can offer. I spend a lot of time developing new recipes, testing different ingredients, and working with local suppliers when possible, so that my clients can have high quality, stunning treats for their special occasions. Word of mouth has been one of the best ways for me to gain new business, so I really appreciate and value my current customers most of all!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lalysbakery.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/lalyysbakery
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/lalyysbakery

Image Credits
Cookie Class pictures (in yellow apron) – Lois Campos Fotography