We were lucky to catch up with Olivia Fox recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Olivia, thanks for joining us today. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your business and how did you resolve those issues?
In all businesses there are unexpected problems that pop up. However I think we can all agree that has been particularly true of this year. With the continuing raise of inflation rates as well as the bird flu epidemic that occurred earlier on this past year, it has defiantly been a hard year for bakers. Inflation has been tugging at the heartstrings of everyone’s wallet, resulting in a lower demand for specialty cakes, or even Christmas cookies this past holiday season. It is definitely is a luxury item (no matter how delicious!) and there simply isn’t room in everyone’s budget this year. Another result of inflation is the continually raising food prices. This time last year one pound of butter cost roughly $2.89; now that cost is upwards of $5.97.
Another thing everyone has been talking about is the price of eggs. Typically a cheap.good source of protein, a dozen eggs have risen from $1.28 to $6.23. This is not only a result of inflation but also the ravaging epidemic of the bird flu earlier on in 2022. Farmers are legally required to “de-populate” an entire flock of chickens if even one bird gets infected. This results in a “shortage” of chickens whom are of egg-laying capabilities. Its all about supply and demand.
The combination of these two things have been extra hard on bakers in particular, as we rely so heavily on egg and butter, the core ingredients of most if not all our recipes. The only way to adapt and stay open is to raise prices. We have to accommodate the increase in food cost, to ensure it doesn’t affect our bottom line.
But its not all a lose, as many of our customers have been amazing, taking it all in stride, and continuing to make sure to support our small business. The baking community itself has been so incredibly supportive of each other, posting where to get the best deal on butter, or referring customers to each other when we are too booked to take their order.
Olivia, 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?
Unlike many, my family didn’t actually cook or bake a lot, and all my grandparents are overseas, so I didn’t have that familial influence. Instead I had Aaron on The Holiday Baking Championship. It was the season finale, and they had the challenge of recreating a childhood memory completely out of gingerbread. This extremely talented lady goes and recreates an entire functioning tea set. From the tea cups, spoons, and little desserts, to saucers, even the tea pot itself with candy steam coming out of it. It was an eye opener and my first introduction to the actual limitless possibilities of baking. It doesn’t just have to be your grandma’s chocolate chip cookies and banana bread. Baking can become these gorgeous (and just as delicious) creations. From that moment on I knew what I wanted to do. I completed a two year culinary program through my high school academy, and then proceeded to follow my dream and went to university at The Culinary Institute of America, where I studied Baking and Pastry.
Our main focus here at Olivias Small Batch Bakery is specialty, custom cakes and decorated royal icing cookies. We love crafting unique flavors such as Lavender, or Italian Cream. And for those less adventurous, we have our most popular, tried and true flavor, Classic Vanilla. We are happy to accommodate any theme or design (feel free to give us a challenge! That’s where we shine the most!), and have helped so many celebrate every occasion from weddings, to baby showers, and of course Birthdays! And don’t miss out on our seasonal pre-sales, and special holiday give-always! From teachers gifts, to Mothers day cookie bouquets, we are always baking something sweet in the kitchen! (You’d be surprised how many holidays there are!)
A big part of our goal is making sure EVERYONE can enjoy a slice of birthday cake. Many people with allergies can think back to that dreaded moment at a birthday party…the cutting of the cake. Where they have to explain yet again why they can’t have a slice and sadly watch as everyone else devours the moist, ever so sweet tradition that is birthday cake. I actually am diagnosed with Celiac disease so I am very limited in my diet (especially when it comes to birthday cake), and remember missing out at parties and events, the stress and worry, not only for those with allergies but those also serving the food. So I went ahead and tested, tried, and tasted tons of different recipes until I reached my perfect set. I am able to fully accommodate almost any allergies, with the exception of egg (still working on that one-to be perfected soon!- in the meantime I have a couple great recommendations for completely vegan to bakeries!) and can’t wait for you to enjoy a stress free, safe, and VERY delicious birthday!
Besides being very allergen friendly, we aren’t just your next door neighbor baking a cake. We pride ourselves in our clean and safe practices. While I am still a cottage law bakery (at-home), I have an in-depth understanding of safe food practices and have the following certifications: ServSafe* Food Handlers, ServSafe Managers, ServSafe Allergen, ServSafe COVID-19, in addition to maintaining my Texas Food Handlers Certificate. But what does this all mean? It simply put ensures I am fully knowledgeable and able to maintain a safe, clean kitchen that produces clean,safe, and oh so delicious food! *ServSafe is a nationally recognized certificate program, required in all restaurants in order to be approved by the Health Inspector.
I am most proud of how much I have accomplished in this past year. I have learned so much and achieved things I didn’t even dare to dream. Not only on the business side, with learning invoicing, finances, how to build a website and brand; but even in my baking abilities. Never in a million years would I have ever have thought I could accomplished some of these cakes I have made. In particular, my Nike Sneaker Cake was a labor of love, taking almost 8 hours use to carve, sculpt, and paint. I learned SO much along the way (like how important it is to save your cake scraps in case you need to fix something!) and am truly proud of how it turned out. An even better example of this is my three-tier Moana cake. It was astonishing to see how far my fondant work has come, and I even tackled a new skill (Airbrushing) to achieve that free, grassy look! Overall, I am just so proud of having built this business from the ground up, in a completely new state, in just under a year. I can’t wait to see what else is in store.
If there was only ONE thing I would want potential clients to know, is that there is no risk. I have a 100% money back guarantee if you aren’t completely satisfied with your purchase, we will completely refund you. We are 100% confident that you will LOVE your goodies! We understand how important these occasions are, and we are absolutely honored to be a part of them! That is why we will always do everything in our power to make it perfectly delicious!
The only reason we are so successful and able to achieve all these amazing things, is our customers! We value our loyal customers, and have an email newsletter for those who enjoy sweet, sweet perks! Those whom subscribe are guaranteed first look at all of our pre-sales, updates, as well as freebies and giveaways! ( I have a few planned for each month!) We are also looking at launching cookie classes this coming year, and our email list will get first call on those few seats available! We are constantly updating our Facebook and Instagram page, keeping you up-to date on the latest happenings here at Olivias Small Batch Bakery, including our gorgeous orders of past weeks! We not only post about our up-coming pre-sales and happenings, but also local activities, holiday tips and tricks, and anything else we think might help our loyal audience! Plus we are constantly asking for your opinion on what you want to see next, wether it be a new flavor, or a particular holiday set!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
One hard lesson I had to unlearn as a business owner was the concept of trends, and what was popular two weeks, six months, or even two years, might not be popular now. A good example of this is DIY Cookie Kits and smaller cookie sets. If you think back to 2020 (just over two years ago!) It was the peak/beginning of the pandemic, when no one was even leaving their homes, much less gathering for any kind of occasion or holiday. Parents were struggling to keep kids occupied, and were willing to risk that sugar high if it meant twenty free minutes to finally shower.(Or watch an episode of Tiger King!) Compare this to present day where long gone are the days of mandatory face masks and one-way grocery aisles. Now everyone is running to leave their homes and gather for every possible occasion. This results in the demand completely switching from small individual sets to large party platters and tiered cakes meant to serve a crowd. Thus I had to “unlearn” the data trends from 2020 and focus more on the present and what my customers are looking for tomorrow versus yesterday.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
We have two main sources in which we get new clients. The first one if Facebook. Facebook is an amazing way for us to get right in front of our target audience. Through Facebook ad targeting, different community groups, and our own Olivias Small Batch Bakery Facebook page, we are able to spread awareness of our brand and products. In addition, our customers can leave us a review, and easily tag and share our page on pretty much any other platform, boosting our reach and loyal audience base. The best thing about Facebook is we can see when someone makes a post in a community group, asking for a custom birthday cake, and right there and then we can tag our page and attach our orders forms, website, and photos. We don’t have to worry about finding our audience, they are right there asking for our services The other main source in which we get new clients is actually through Chamberlins Steak and Fish Shops in Addison, just off of belt line. We actually have a partnership with Chamberlins where we supply the custom, speciality cakes for their parties, catering, and/or whenever any guest requests to order a birthday cake through the restaurant instead of bringing one in from outside. This helps us reach an audience we otherwise wouldn’t have access to otherwise. The bonus is, once they eat our cake, they always come back for me! And not just those who place the order, but all their guests. And some of these parties and events are for 150/200 people. We are so grateful for this partnership, and cherish every new connection we can make!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://OliviasSmallBatchBakery.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/oliviassmallbatchbakery
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/oliviassmallbatchbakery
- Other: Custom Cookies Order Form: https://form.jotform.com/223598482406161 Custom Cakes Order Form: https://form.jotform.com/223608754339160