Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Muyly Miller. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Muyly, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

This concept of decorating cakes while sipping chardonnay popped up in my head one weekend when I realized that, heck, there are a lot of people out there that LOVE to decorate cakes, but have no reason to really decorate a cake. I am giving them a reason- WINE. Just kidding. No the idea is to get together with your pals, socialize, and have a great evening getting creative, learning, eating, and laughing.

My first step was an email to the DABC to ask them what I need as an instructor to make this happen, and they were the ones that suggested i Partner with someone who already has a wine and liqour license. I didn’t hesitate to contact We Olive and Wine Bar in Trolley Square ( now closed) as I remembered them from a foodie blogger event I attended at their site.

I did B2B sales in my days, so I knew how my pitch would go, and it was offering a benefit to them ie foot traffic, revenue, advertising, in exchange for venue space once a month. Two weeks later, we came to an agreement to hold Cake and Wine Night on a slower walk in night they normally have during the week, Tuesday , Wednesday, or Thursday.

The next step was how to get cakes. At first I was going to bake all of the layers but my husband came up with the idea to outsource it to a production bakery in the area. I contacted several bakeries but they were just a little to high in cost and/or put off by the fact i just need a plain cake to teach cake decorating on myself.

My last attempt was with a smaller known bakery in the area, City Cakes. and Nanette and David were fully on board right from the beginning. Again the pitch was similar offering value such as word of mouth advertising and mention on social platforms.

Third obstacle to get over was supplies. I knew I wanted to be able to provide all the cake decorating supplies and aprons but in a way that wasn’t cumbersome to transport. This part of the process took me about three weeks as I needed to research and think out of the box. Finally, the hardware store came up with some answers for turntables and the local restaurant supply stores for the rest. I did not source anything from amazon or online it was all field shopping and testing utensils. Hands on is really the best way to figure it out.
How was I going to pay for all the upfront costs? I literally had to bootstrap everything and, from being in media for a while in my prior years, I picked up some tips on obtaining a sponsor. B2B skills came back into play and I pitched Smith’s market place, again adding value and details on what I would provide in exchange. I didn’t ask for an exorbitant amount, I knew that if I did that, it would be a turn off, I asked for just a small amount to cover costs and I even accepted their gift cards as sponsor payment instead of cash. It all worked out as I was able to get sprinkles, frosting ingredients, untensils and more and was able to market my classes with a well known chain brand as a community sponsor that fosters learning new skills.

The Idea started in July and my first class was scheduled in October. I quickly had to teach myself how to create flyers on picmonkey and figure out how to portray simple cake designs on it. My sketching skills were okay but it is amazing what picmonkey could make it all look like.

The very last thing I had to consider was frosting. I made my own for the first 6 classes and decided my time wasn’t worth that effort anymore , I even had one batch of gingerbread frosting that failed and I still had to just roll with it, making sure that attendees were there for the socializing and not the quality of my frosting. very embarrassing indeed. I outsourced the frosting through a local club store and it was such a time saver and plus it made me feel more safe serving it cause then I could put liability on that batch of frosting that belonged to them and not me.

My pilot class was in october, it was lengthy, but my steps i initialized with that first class i still implement now. I had to edit some of the features of the class, such as music- it was hard to hear me and I them. Initially I didn’t offer boxes because I wasn’t confident people could carry a cake box out with 3 glasses of wine in them, I had them take their cakes and a grippy shelf liner and made sure they put their cakes on the floor their car on top of the shelf liner. The instruciton was to immediatley put the cake in the fridge and loosely wrap with foil. If you are rolling your eyes- many people actually understood. I only had one out of 6 classes, one person who opposed this idea. But I did eventually get cake boxes, and it had been kind of hysterical to watch people fold cake boxes and then plop their cakes in it. I used this instance as a joke and called it their sobriety test, folding a cake box properly.

2 and half years into Cake and Wine night and I was selling out classes and packing in people and enjoying the events so much. teaching adults how to decorate a cake and watching them enjoy a girls night, a date night , or just a fun co workers night out. It was fun to see repeat attendees and I would get to know them and their personalities. I was offering kids classes too and that was so rewarding! My relationships with my sponsor and my venue and my cake supplier were positive and building.

Then the pandemic hit. And we all had to learn that pivot method. I offered two take home kits but after that I just stopped all together. eventually We olive closed down as well. Right after lockdown was lifted my family and i moved to Cache Valley. I had to start all over, from idea to execution. and you would think it would be the same, but the community here was just , smaller. but I figured it out and am able to offer Cake and Wine Night here now with Barrel and Stave in Logan Utah.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

MUYLY MILLER Muyly started her own wedding and event planning business in 2011, The Muyly Miller Company. Under her company, she has branched into a host of lifestyle interests, including food and baking, and teaching. She has been asked to appear on a number of local, daytime TV shows to share her expertise. Her most recent, and ongoing, project is teaching cake decorating classes to sold-out groups at a local wine bar, in addition to being an Associate Instructor for Cake Decorating at University of Utah, Lifelong Learning programs. Her baking won a blue ribbon at the Utah State Fair cake contest and County Fair, and she was, most notably, commissioned to do a cake for Governor Herbert and the First Lady for a private event.

Muyly’s prior years as a professional wedding and event planner, owner of Muyly Miller Company, led into an array of unique business ventures under her company. She has made repeat appearances on local lifestyle TV programs such as 2 News Fresh Living, and Fox 13’s The Place to educate audiences on wedding tips and current baking trends. She can also be seen on popular local and national wedding websites, such as Salt Lake/Park City Bride and Groom, Utah Valley Bride, Hey Wedding Lady and Artfully Wed, showcasing her real client weddings and inspirational wedding shoots. She has also been mentioned in Salt Lake City Weekly and the Salt Lake Tribune. Her life’s passions have inspired her to shape entrepreneurial efforts in several areas including children’s fashion, cookbook writing, and mobile app development.

In an earlier life, Muyly pursued studies as a cosmetologist, sold real estate, and was a licensed securities broker. Her multifaceted background and skillset has served her well in her ability help bring people together.

Muyly was born and raised in the Salt Lake area, and her love and commitment to her community has been demonstrated in her work to plan events for a local charitable organization, PTA involvement and being an active board member of Love Lake City.

In her free time, Muyly enjoys watching cooking shows, blogging, and coordinating styled photo shoots. Her most demanding yet rewarding job of all, is being mother to her two kids, and a wife to her husband – Muyly and her family live in Logan, Utah.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Understanding my niche for Cake and Wine Night. I knew it would be a demographic of women , and those who enjoyed spirits and wine, and those that also enjoyed socializing. As I would put flyers together and captions for Facebook and Instagram I would use things like ” moms night out” Girls night out , date night, wine’o’clock etc. and target my ads to age groups between 30-50 years old. And when I met the attendees, they fit all the demographics I pictured in my head. I also made sure I made the class fun, and impart humor and real life skills they could take into their homes. I wanted everyone to feel like they learned something and felt comfortable, and because of that I was able to see repeat customers regularly.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Facebook and Instagram have continued to be my reliable sources. however, when the venues I work with also put my in their newsletters or give me a mention on social media, I do find an uptick in sales and followers.

Contact Info:

• Website: muylymillerco.com, cakeandwinenight.com
• Instagram: @mmc_bakesandcakes
• Facebook: Muyly Miller Co

Image Credits
barrel and stave we olive and wine bar visionary homes