We were lucky to catch up with Melissa VandenBerg recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Melissa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

For 28 years I worked in healthcare as an administrative assistant I loved baking in my down time but often felt like something was missing- like maybe I had missed my calling. About a year ago I was asked to mange and bake for a dessert bar in downtown Grand Rapids full time. I knew that I would always wonder what if so in a leap of unknown faith I took the job. When we fast forward a year from that day to now I am soon to be the proud owner of Sugar Bar

For three decades I worked behind the scenes- supporting teams and making sure things ran smoothly. It taught me compassion, patience and the importance to show up for people.

My history has defined how I view being a business owner I believe kindness can change the world Its showing up for people with a warm welcome, a safe space, and a place to be yourself with no judgement My genuine hope is that people that walk through the doors at Sugar Bar know that they matter. That they have a place to connect and find community.

Melissa, 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?

Sugar Bar is a dessert bar in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids. I always laugh and tell people I have the three vices: sugar, caffeine and booze. But in seriousness we specialize in desserts, cocktails, mocktails, coffee and seasonal drinks.

We are a destination with fun events, classes, a place to relax. We also do custom catering from cakes to macarons and everything in between.

It sounds like a sweet destination and it is. But the thing that makes this place sweeter is its mission. At the heart of who we are is our VIP team…..these are 6 beautiful women that have Down Syndrome. They work at Sugar Bar and make each day better just by being them. When you support Sugar Bar you are supporting so much more then just a place for a sweet treat- you are supporting the ability to give long lasting meaningful employment to these women and hopefully more in the future

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

I always tell my team not to call me boss- I love football Go LIONS but I liken it to this. Maybe I am the quarterback and I am calling the play but we are not winning if we don’t work together. We are a team above all else and so every win is ours not just mine

Lead with grace and kindness. You will never know what everyone is going through As a leader you only see a portion of their life.

I don’t ask my team to do anything that I am not willing to do.

Team recognition does not need to cost a lot but it does need to be personal, consistent, and meaningful.

Communication is key- in all aspects of the job

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

Customers are the number one key to this business. It starts the minute they walk in your door. A greeting- a smile- a kind word- ask them about their day.

If you get complaints and you will Make it right- try to offer something new or in our case sometimes you need to remake it

For repeat customers its good to consider a loyalty program or a future discount. You can also start an email campaign with upcoming events and releases.

Talk to everyone about your business- word of mouth will always be better then anything else

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sugarbargr.com

Image Credits

Portrait of me is from Heather Mahoney