We were lucky to catch up with Nikki Anderson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Nikki, thanks for joining us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?
I will be honest, it’s not always rainbows and butterflies but I wouldn’t go back to a “regular” job if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. The freedom of being able to make my own schedule, set my pricing, decide what orders I want to take on and more makes it worth it. Taking pride in what I make and seeing the joy in my customer’s faces is another selling point. You just don’t get that at most desk jobs.
Nikki, 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 got into baking in 2018 because I couldn’t afford to buy a cake for a party of 100 people so I decided to make it myself to save some money. Even though it didn’t look pretty, it tasted great. With the support of my friends and family I decided to keep baking. Now, 4 years in, I am booking out months in advance and I couldn’t be more grateful.
My specialty is custom buttercream cakes but I also offer drop cookies, treats and more.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
A few things helped me get to where I’m at. Word of mouth, family/friends support, how I treat & respond to clients and the quality of my product.
Word of mouth plays a HUGE role in the success of a business. If you get people on your side, in a positive light, then they will gladly give your name out anytime they can.
How you treat your clients in good times and bad will determine if that word of mouth referral will be a good or bad one. I always remind myself to treat those the way you would like to be treated. That doesn’t mean you can’t stand your ground or say no to an order, it just means to do it respectfully and professionally.
The quality of my cakes/treats also helped me get those referrals that people so happily give. If someone is genuinely happy with what they received they will share it with their friends/family.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I’m a people pleaser. That means I have a hard time saying no or turning down a request. Even if I was overbooked I would continue to just say yes. That eventually burned me out and I started to make mistakes. I also hate making mistakes. This made me rethink and evaluate what I’ve been doing. I determined that I have to stand my ground and be strict with myself as well. This has made my workload way more bearable and I started to enjoy baking again.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: nikkis_sweet_cakes
- Facebook: VIP Nikki’s Sweet Cakes- https://www.facebook.com/groups/2703806259922719/?ref=share
- Other: My FB page is no longer being used, please join the VIP group