We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lise Bonin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lise below.
Lise, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Everyone has crazy stuff happen to them, but often small business owners and creatives, artists and others who are doing something off the beaten path are often hit with things (positive or negative) that are so out there, so unpredictable and unexpected. Can you share a crazy story from your journey?
One day I received a rather strong email accusing me of stealing someone else’s business name. The email went on to state that I must terminate my business immediately due to this overreach. When I first established my business in 2011, I registered as an LLC with the state as was recommended for a variety of reasons. Even though I had started on what I believed to be solid ground, it all seemed to be evaporating rather quickly. Now, let me say first of all that there was no infringement since our businesses were quite different and also significantly separated geographically. I’m not sure how it was viewed as problematic, but there we were. A bit overwhelmed and in fear of losing what I had worked so hard to attain, I reached out to a kind friend who taught business entrepreneurship, who then contacted some legal consultants about the matter.After a bit of digging, we discovered that the challenging business’ charter was actually filed 8 days after mine, thus invalidating any claim of infringement! Whew! Bullet dodged! That provided a huge sigh of relief. I am to this day so very grateful to those individuals who helped me successfully navigate this challenge.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
Bespoke cakes is the complete endgame for my small business. What does the word “bespoke” even mean? It refers to something made specifically for a particular person. When I meet with my clients, I try to gain a sense of the elements that define their dream cake…from the color temperature of the bridal gown to the flowers that evoke childhood memories or maybe the proposal setting. These details may not mean much to the guests, but they help create the most memorable cakes for the bride & groom. I’ve always been a “detail” person, and my attention to specifics can be seen in my sugar flower work as well as the finely honed recipes that set my work apart from the same old wedding cakes we’ve all seen time and again. Why not do something different? Many years of tweaking and fine tuning techniques and recipes, incorporating locally sourced fruit and other handmade flavorings yield nothing but the best cakes for weddings and other large events. Go beyond vanilla, chocolate, & strawberry. Maybe a Peachy Cobbler Cake? Or a Caramel Butter Cake with Browned Butter & Honey Buttercream? Yes, please.
Details also extend to matching sugar flowers to the bride’s bouquet and wedding decor. Have an unusual flower arrangement or color scheme? Not a problem. That’s the whole point of bespoke cakes. You’re not ordering off of a menu or choosing the same cake that everyone else has seen on social media or at every other wedding this season. This is YOUR cake. Make it special. Make it memorable.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
The wedding industry is a little tricky in that you don’t/shouldn’t necessarily have repeat clients. The average bride is a 20-something who may or may not have attended friends’ or family members’ weddings. That’s about the extent of her familiarity with weddings. Typically, media print isn’t the best market for most brides. Same is true for other standard marketing media unless you’re reaching out to her mom. Yes, brides often peruse various social media platforms and may have some ideas but where to start at the local level? In my experience, “word-of-mouth” is the best advertisement. The challenge is how to get one’s business credentials into a very competitive and ever changing market. Networking with other wedding industry professionals in the marketplace is key, but your product must be memorable and strong. My goal has always been to provide a keenly fresh and distinctive product. Customers, venue owners, and event planners remember the unique flavors and detailed sugar work of Cake Doctor. “You’re the one that did that amazing sea turtle cake!” Or marbled sculpted wedding cake or geode cake or redfish cake or roses cake…..the list goes on and on. Bottom line, the best source of new clients is me. Do I consistently provide the best product? Do I provide the ideal relationship of reliability to my clients and their planners? Am I willing to accommodate busy schedules for tastings and design sessions? Do I communicate professionally with my clients as well as others in the industry? Is my website well maintained and current, providing a strong showcase and helpful information? These are the elements that bring in new clients and require my best effort on all levels.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
One of the most common questions I hear is “How long did it take you to make that cake?” This is a tough question because so many hours of staging and planning must be done anything even hits the oven. Beyond the design phase, all of the elements must be prepped before anything comes together. This means making the sugarpaste, rolling out each individual petal and then shaping and nudging it into a specific form, dusting those petals, steaming them, & finally arranging them on the cake. Of course this happens many times over in a variety of techniques for cakes with a cascade of sugar flowers. Or maybe it’s making the parts of a military transport truck or a sugar sculpted Longhorn. It all takes time. It’s certainly very rewarding to see it all finally come together, but even more than that, the look on the client’s face is the best source of satisfaction on a job well done. I’ve had a few teary eyes and some very grand smiles. You see, people don’t request a particular design or style unless they’re very familiar with it. They have the idea in their mind of how the cake should look. As a cake artist, I have to become an expert on that design element as well, whether it’s a Western Diamondback rattlesnake or a Cappucino Rose. I don’t always get to see my client’s reactions, but I often hear from them or their planner later on. They’re blown away. Yeah. That’s it. That’s the reward. And what better job is there than to bring someone joy?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cakedoctorphd.weebly.com
- Instagram: Cakedoctorllc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/CakeDoctorLLC
- Twitter: @CakeDoctorLLC
Image Credits
Ford Mustang cake created with the permission of the Ford Motor Company.