We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Natalia Luke a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Natalia , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?
In 2022, my mom and step-dad invested into a custom built lemonade stand for me that they found on FB marketplace. I was already selling lemonade whenever my mom would do yard sales, so the entrepreneur spirit was already in because I loved making my own money. The lemonade stand was an eye catcher and would attract a lot of attention, it helped me to increase my sales because people could tell that it wasn’t your average lemonade stand. I also sold chips and candy. That same year my parents introduced me to an event for young entrepreneurs, it was ” 5th Annual Kid Posium”. It was put on by a non profit called Kids Rule NOW! I had the opportunity to meet and learn from a 15 year old Author and CEO of her own company that earned six-figure a year that she started with her mother called “Gabby Bows”. That was very inspiring to me as well as seeing all of the other young entrepreneurs with vendor booths set displaying products from their businesses and hearing from other successful business owners. That’s when I knew that I wanted to be an entrepreneur and be my own boss too. I’ve always had a passion for baking since I received an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas when I was about 5 years old, but that passion grew after taking baking classes this summer with my mentor Cierra Crudup, owner of Delicious Sweets Bakeshop. I took two 4-week classes and learned everything from your classic cookie recipes, how to bake a cake from scratch, make frosting, and how to work with fondant. With the skills that I learned and confidence that I gained, I launched my business on July 29th of 2023 at a “Youth Entrepreneurship Expo” another “Kids Rule NOW!” event coordinated by Rhonda Alexia Webb who is another mentor of mine. Since the initial launch of my business, it has really taken off. Being a vendor at several different events over the summer helped me gain better communication skills and experience serving customers. My business is continuing to grow, thanks to the support and generosity of my community, and a local small business by the name of “Gilly’s Bistro” located at 1023 N. Johnson St. in Bay City,MI. Customers can purchase my products there during their normal business hours until they are sold out. My business wouldn’t be the success that it is without all of the people that I mentioned. My parents, and Nana are my biggest supporters and provide opportunities for me to learn and grow beyond my comfort zone. I recently participated in a youth pitch competition (Dare to Dream) with 7 other finalists and was selected as the winner by a panel of 6 judges and awarded a check for $1,000 by Duperon Education. Now I’m competing in the “Greatest Baker” competition for a chance to win $10,000, be on the cover of “Baked from Scratch” magazine, and meet Buddy Valastro, the “Cake Boss” himself! This is all a dream come true within the first 6th months of my business. In 2024, I plan on joining the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce as their youngest member thanks to the sponsorship of 6th ward Commissioner, Christopher Girard.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Natalia Luke and I’m a 13 year old (soon to be 14) entrepreneur and owner of Natalia’s Sweets D’light. I’m an 8th grade student at Handy Middle School, and I enjoy volleyball, swimming, and hanging out with my friends when I’m not baking and experimenting with new recipes. Natalia’s Sweets D’light specializes in serving an array of delectable fresh baked goods and customized sweet treats made to order for any of your special events. We fulfill and cure all”Sweet tooth” cravings! Besides the quality ingredients, unique flavors, and freshness of my products, being a teenager involved in multiple sports and maintaining good grades in school sets me apart from most other business owners in my industry. I’m most proud about maintaining my grades while doing all the things that I love, and having the money to invest into my business and buy the things that I want and need for it on my own. My parents are raising me to be independent. I’m shy, but strong willed and determined. I’m dedicated to my business, but school comes first. I put my all into my baking so that my customers can experience the taste of “love in each bite” every single time they enjoy one or many of Natalia’s Sweets D’light products.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
My social media business page was created before the launch of my business and that helped to build momentum for it to grow fast. Plus having the support of my mom and step-dad to share my page and posts to both of their audiences. Having some type of support system is key. Followers have had the opportunity to watch each step of my journey through my parents’ social media channels before the creation of my own page and leading up until the official launch of my business which built anticipation for my products. I’ve learned that growing an audience takes consistency from watching my step-dad build his real estate brand. It also takes content that is exciting to make people want to stay engaged. By my parents constantly seeking different opportunities for me to be involved in to develop my skills, it provided content to help grow my following as well. You don’t see a lot of teenage business owners, so It tends to help me stand out on social media. My youth is an advantage because that’s where customers’ curiosity starts, but once they try my products for the first time, they know that I’ve had some type of training in the kitchen. I have added a list of my top 5 tips for anyone looking to start building a social media presence below.
1. Get your supporters involved.
2. Know who you want to reach and attract.
3. Post fun content and engage w/followers
4. Provide valuable information
5. Promote positivity.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
The best source for new customers for my business has definitely been word of mouth. One customer telling the next potential customer how amazingly delicious that my products are. Providing my cupcakes and cookies for large events and donating to worthy causes has increased the number of people that come into contact with my products, helping my business to grow rapidly. Also, when posting online, I will post to groups and community pages to attract new followers and customers.
Contact Info:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NataliasSweetsDlight?mibextid=ZbWKwL
- Other: Vote Natalia’s Sweets D’light to be named the “Greatest Baker” until January 7th. https://greatestbaker.com/2023/natalia-luke?fbclid=IwAR2tGJJi_rJTOKEZ7QkhOFEWfLBJJ6pOmfX3IjLEwcnzpwWPmAEGWPc1opY
Image Credits
Cierra Crudup Ali Smith Nicole Dyer Unknown photographer Youssef Elghoul (Studio Ghoul)