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

Alright, MIKE thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you manage your own social media?

I started my business by running my social media, and I currently still run my social media for my business. I made the choice I did in the beginning because I was a small home business, and I didn’t have the funds to pay somebody else to run social media channels for me.

So far the results have been great for me, I think people really enjoy and connect better with a business when the business will comment back to something a customer/future customer commented on a social post. I see sometimes when people comment on other businesses posts, it is left to hang there. If somebody is taking the time to interact with you and your business socials, I think it is only fair to interact back as well.

It can get overwhelming sometimes that is for sure, but what I do that helps, I will set a time aside during the day, and reply and comment back to my socials. I don’t interrupt my day random times to keep replying, I set a down time aside, and take care of it at that time.

Social media has come so far, and there are so many tools at your disposal to help you manage your own business. You can schedule posts out, meaning you can pick a date for something to post, and schedule it. If you are on vacation, your posts can still be posted with scheduling tools. There are lots of tools, you just have to really dive into them and use them at your disposal.

MIKE, 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?

I run a Veteran Owned Small Business called, Men Bake Cookies. I got into the cookie business very randomly about 2 years ago. My daughter was having a birthday party, and I decided on a whim that I would make decorated sugar cookies for the party. I had never made, nor decorated sugar cookies before this time.

I read a lot of articles, watched many videos, and was ready to tackle this project. When her party came, I had cookies made, decorated, and sealed! It was my very first win with my mixer. People loved the cookies, the taste, and the look. I then decided what a great side hustle this would be. I started to offer cookies for sale on my Facebook page, on different swap groups, and when summer approached a few months later, I decided I wanted to try my hands at the local farmers market selling my products.

I knew that custom sugar cookies would take time, and be tough, to produce week to week for a market, so I had to come up with something that I could make more of, in less time. So I introduced a line of Gourmet Cookies, and I came up with a business name. Men Bake Cookies was born. It was a name that stood out to me, especially in the cookie world, where there is not a ton of men.

I now had 2 products in my lineup, custom sugar cookies, and Gourmet Cookies. This is what I think separates me from other Gourmet cookie companies, as I also do custom sugar cookies as well. I often have people order cookies for events, and they want some decorated, but also want some custom sugar cookies to go with it. There is something classic about a sugar cookie, and I am able to provide that classic , along with gourmet cookie flavors that are always rotating.

I am most proud of how my business has grown, and taken off. Granted it is not spoon-fed, it takes lots of work. I spend every Saturday from May till October doing a farmers market. That is where my client base started, and how I was able to continue to do this for 2 years now.

I am at a stage in my business, where I am working on opening my first brick and mortar store. Men Bake Cookies, cookie cafe will be open in a few months. Now clients and customers will be able to walk in, get some coffee, sit at a table, and enjoy cookies, or if they are in a hurry, they can grab them to go.

One thing I want people to know is, even with a business location looming, my standards and visons are not changing. I am still a from scratch cookie shop. I am still small batch. My cookies will not be rolled/cut with a machine, each cookie is still going to be weighed out, and hand rolled. It is what sets my cookies apart from so many others that are in this business. Is it hard, and could it be done easier, yes., but that’s okay. I want people to know Men Bake Cookies is product I put my heart and soul into.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I built my audience, very organically. I react and comment back to every comment on my posts, myself. I do not farm that out to a social media manager.

I interact with local business, being sure to comment and mention stuff on their posts, and their socials as well. It takes time, but eventually word of mouth will work in your favor.

Somebody will see a store that posted something, see the comments, see your business name, and be intrigued, and click on it, because that’s how people are. Next thing you know, they now know about your business, they are looking at your page, etc.

It is a great way to get people to interact with your socials. I also use email marketing, as a great tool for socials. Email marketing can be your best friend, especially in the case a social network ever goes down. You do not want your business to suffer, you have another tool at your disposal to help you reach customers.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

Interacting with customers on social media, remembering their names when I see them at events. I have a lot of repeat customers, I get to know them, make small talk, their children, and we carry on conversations. This is a great way for brand loyalty to grow, because the clients know you.

Could I have somebody else run my farmers market booth, sure I could, but then the clients wouldn’t be seeing my face week to week, interacting with me.

Email marketing is also a great way for brand loyalty. My clients have to email me to create custom cookies. We build a relationship while designing a custom set. I learn who it is for, what the occasion is, and I put my thought into every set I create knowing it is for a special event.

I get emails from past clients, telling me how a cookie they took to somebody has changed their day, or made their day so much better because they just love a certain flavor of cookie. When you have open communication, you can really build a true brand loyalty with clients.    

Contact Info:

• Website: www.MenBakeCookies.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/MenBakeCookies
• Facebook: FACEBOOK.COM/MenBakeCookies
• Email: [email protected]