We were lucky to catch up with Quanishia Dixon recently and have shared our conversation below.
Quanishia, appreciate you joining us today. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.
Knowing what I know now, If I had to start over the things that I would do differently is market research, diverse revenue streams effective budgeting and have a strong online presence. When I first started out, I didn’t do any research on the market for baking, or even ways to target audience, I just went in blindly. Now I would do the research to find ways to target my audience so that I can come up with desserts that they would want. My two biggest things that I would do differently is effective budgeting and coming up with a diverse revenue stream. When I first started out, I had no budget, or financial plan. Doing this would have saved me a lot of unnecessary expenses and give me the ability to get resources more effectively. When I say have a dives revenue stream, I mean like forming partnerships with other businesses that may need the services I offer, offering different products outside baked goods that coincide with different types of events such as custom packing.
Quanishia, 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?
My name is Quanishia, but you can call me Nishia. I am from Atlanta, GA. I am a Social Worker by trade and a baker afterwards. I got into baking as little kid watching my great grandmother bake different things. She taught me the importance of not giving up on something just because it does not turn out right the first time. As a kid she would allow me to bake things and if it did not turn out right, she would throw it away and make me start over, then I didn’t see the importance of the lesson she was trying to teach me. I didn’t really get into baking things until I reached high school, and I was taking the culinary arts class. I joined FCCLA and we traveled to Athens, GA to compete in baking competitions. After high school I didn’t really do much baking other than for home. In 2021 I thought to myself, why am I sitting on a talent instead of using it. I made the decision to start my business up and I’ve been going ever since. I am most proud of my growth as a business owner as well as a dessert maker. Hi Sa’Weetness have sweets for every occasion, custom cakes, cookies, chocolate covered treats, freshly squeezed lemonades, homemade ice cream, cupcakes, and more.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Self-expression, Connecting with other, Personal growth and exploration, and the joy of creating. Self-expression allows me to share my ideas in a unique and personal way. Connecting with others through my work allows me to collaborate with my customers to incorporate their ideas/visions into my work as well. Personal growth/exploration would be my favorite because seeing the idea/vision come to life and turning your imagination into something real is very rewarding.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
I believe the most effective strategy for growing my clientele is when I am trying new product, I give it out for free for so that people can give me their feedback on the product, what needs to be changed, what stays the same etc. Another most effective strategy I use is rolling out good product and my client’s word of mouth. Understanding the needs of my targeted audience, and just simply networking has worked wonders for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hisaweetness.org
- Instagram: hisaweetness
- Facebook: hisaweetness
- Other: tiktok: hisaweetness