We recently connected with Luciana Toriello and have shared our conversation below.
Luciana , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about how you got your first non-friend, non-family client. Paint the picture for us so we can feel the same excitement you felt on that day.
After baking for a year for friends and family, my sister told me i needed to creat a business selling my baked goods. I was afraid to start another business as I had one very unsuccessful business in the fashion world and was concerned that this idea would also flop. My sister who is also my cheerleader and rock said that she was going to make this happen for me because i had something that i needed to share with the world. Ironically during the same time she was pushing me to become another business owner she was also the maid of honor to her friend who was getting married. The bride to be was telling my sister Emily that she wanted to make her own wedding cake and my sister shut that down instantly. Emily came to me and said this was the perfect opportunity to get my first client and even though i was reluctant i agreed to speak with her friend. I came up with some pricing’s and some flavors for the bride to taste and set up my first tasting. The bride, groom, and sister all came over and after tasting the cakes they were in love. I booked my first order ever and was ecstatic! After the initial booking I did all the necessary steps to become a legit business and got my DBA, ordered stickers with a logo on it, got all the materials for the cake, and figured out how to stack a cake as i have never made anything bigger then a 9” cake. After all the steps and months of planing the day had finally arrived. I showed up to the venue which was a lovely little ranch in then hills of Malibu and started to set up the cake while the ceremony was happening. I brought one of my friends with me to help out and off to work we went. The best part of all of this was that I was given the opportunity to stay and cut the cake and get the reactions of the guest. Here i am looking at this gorgeous three tier semi naked cake covered in succulents surrounded by three 8” semi naked cakes with the Malibu mountains in the background and i thought i was going to cry. Something i had always wanted was to creat a work of art for others to enjoy and here it was. Cake cutting time came and everyone comes up to me complimenting the cake, wanting another slice, and figuring out how they can book me for their upcoming events. I left that night knowing i had found my calling and my medium. I always loved to creat and wanted to be an artist but could never get a hold of the perfect medium until that day. Sugar, flour, and frosting became my new medium. Lulu’s Custom Cakery Started that day and it was all thanks to a maid of honor who refused to have a bride maker her own wedding cake.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Lulu’s Custom Cakery is a one woman bakery created out of the home of my father who i take care of. In exchange i get full access to the kitchen and can creat all my master pieces there. I make cakes and desserts for special occasions and events such as birthdays, weddings, parties, and corporate events. I will customize the cake and desserts to match the theme or style that the customer wants. I will take the ideas they have and help that idea become a reality. I have a large selection of flavors to choose from such as snickerdoodle, hibiscus, lavender, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch along with a list of a variety of desserts like, tartlets, lemon bars, and cream puffs. I am self taught and have mastered my art with a lot of trial and error. I have a huge sweet tooth but have never loved over sweet and super rich desserts and cakes. I also have a love for the unique and different and wanted to give my customers the same experience. I love working with trends but when my customers ask for something out of left field i am so up for the challenge. I have seen and heard a lot of bakers say there are things they refuse to do and i understand but for me i want to see what my limits are and to keep setting my bar higher and higher. Challenges make life interesting. Yes sometimes i fall flat on my face and have to pick myself up and keep trying. When something doesn’t go the way id like I don’t give up i just say ok what did I learn from this and how can i make it better next time. I have worked so hard to get where i am and treat all my customers the same. I will do what i can to make sure they are heard and that they get the honest answer to every question they have. I work really closely with them all and love being part if their special events.
Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?
When I first started out back in 2018 I needed a way to find clients since working from home I didn’t have a store front and needed to get my name out there. I decided to become a part of the wedding wire as I have always been in the wedding industry and wanted to get into the wedding cake part of the business. After being on wedding wire for a couple of months i was approached by them to be a part of their wedding salon shows. These are wedding expos that travel through major cities and help brides and grooms finalize wedding plans and find vendors they still need. I was terrified to do this as i needed to make a large amount of desserts and creat a space that would be appealing to the people. I had never done this before and knew that i may not get anything out of it. I put my big girl pants on and put on my apron and went to0 work. I made 400 mini cupcakes, a four tier dummy cake, and created an aesthetically pleasing space for brides and grooms to enjoy. I showed up to the Beverly Wilshire hotel in the middle of February and prayed this would work out. If I didn’t book at least one cake id be out hundreds of dollars and possibly feel defeated as this was my first major leap into the marketing world. I set up everything in the corner of the room on a 4” round table and and prayed to the baking gods that people would come and talk to me. At the time i had purple blue hair and tattoos and thought that i did not fit in at this beautiful Beverly Hills hotel with all these professional vendors. As the event opened and my heart tried to jump out of its chest i put on my best smile and got to work. My first couple came up to me and we chatted as they tried my mini cupcakes. They loved them and took my card and said they would contact me in a couple of days. Score i made it through my first couple. As the night progressed i got so busy with so many people wanting to try my mini cupcakes, asking me questions about the cake i had brought, and awing over my work. I left that night with so many people wanting to book me for their event and leaving with 20 mini cupcakes. I felt like I was on top of the world. I did end up booking quite a bit of weddings form that show and have been asked back to that show every year since. It was one of the scariest risks i have ever taken and one of the best. I am still part of the wedding wire/the knot and have been able to find other means of marketing that help me get my name out there.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
I have found that the best source of clients for me come form marketing platforms. I have been part of thumbtack, Nextdoor, and wedding wire/the knot for many many years and have been the best place to find clients. I am able to showcase my business and have people see what i can do knowing I am on a trusted platform. They can reach me on these platforms, ask questions, and get to know me through these platforms knowing they are safe. It has been very pleasant and these platforms has helped me connect to so many wonderful people that i would have never meet anywhere else. My clients that I’ve met from these platforms have also helped spread the word about my business and i get a lot of word of mouth from the events I’ve worked. These platforms have really helped me grow my business and get me to where i am know.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://luluscustomcakery.com/index.html
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luluscustomcakery?igsh=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lulus-Custom-Cakery-100084804315823/?paipv=0&eav=AfZqt7p0uiOFoBROzS5P_mWfwnk7GJbmsyE6iuFg460q-SENi3H23wposQ2jowU7pV8
- Twitter: @luluscustomcky
- Youtube: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lulu-s-custom-cakery-pacific-palisades