We recently connected with Melisa Allen and have shared our conversation below.
Melisa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I started taking cake decorating lessons at a local craft store because I wanted to make my daughter’s first birthday cake. As a self-professed control freak, I did not have any confidence that a grocery store was going to get my vision right. After I completed all the classes they offered, I turned to YouTube and soaked up every video I could find. There were a lot of, “Oh, your son is having a birthday…Sounds like you need a cake!” while I was starting out and still had corporate job. I invested in a lot of dummy cakes and tried out any technique that looked interesting. It was challenging at first having a full time job, being a mother to two young kids, and starting a business – there were a lot of late nights where only me and the oven were on. I think the most essential skills I learned in those early days were to hone my recipes and the fundamentals of decorating because you use those on every single cake.
Melisa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
95% of the desserts Sweet By Design creates is for weddings. I provide wedding and groom’s cake, cupcakes, and other dessert table treats to couples on one of the most significant days of their lives. A memorable cake takes both great flavor and design; otherwise it’s just some forgettable end to the meal. I strive to provide my clients with a dessert centerpiece for their event which their guests rave about long after the big day. I operate under the Texas Cottage Food Laws, and as such, I am a very small business run out of my home kitchen. I am really a one woman show, although 13 years after that very first cake, my daughter has starting to assist with deliveries now. I won’t do more than one wedding a day, and I like being this size. I feel I can really focus on each order this way. Also, the rest of my family likes to use the kitchen sometimes too.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
When I was in college, I took a marketing 101 type course, and the professor went on and on about one book. Customers for Life by Carl Sewell. Yes, the car dealership Sewell. I’m pretty sure she referenced it in every class; however, she never actually made us read it. I picked up a copy a few years later when I had a sales job, and every point he made was a great reminder that if you do not take care of your customer, you can’t expect them to take care of your business. Customer service seems to be on the decline today. When was the last time you looked at social media without seeing someone post about an awful experience they had at a store or restaurant. I hear in my reviews that my clients really enjoy the experience they have with my business, and I think this book has really helped me keep that customer first attitude.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I love when I open my refrigerator and it is full of layers of baked cakes just waiting to be decorated. This is when the fun begins. At this point my client’s vision starts to become reality. I can absolutely use a photo the bride found on Pinterest as inspiration to make her cake, but this time is especially exciting if the order is truly custom. Like if the only direction I’m given is, “we want to coordinate with the invitations,” or ,”I want the cake to look like my dress.” I have creative license to make something unique for only that couple. I love seeing the client’s reaction when I deliver the cake too. You can see that their vision has come to life in flour, sugar, and buttercream.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sweetbydesigncakes.com/
- Instagram: sweetbydesigncakes
- Facebook: SweetByDesignCakesTX