We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rebecca LaBeaume a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Rebecca , appreciate you joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

I would absolutely start my business at the exact same time! Looking back on all the experience I have gained working alongside some of the most talented and experienced artists and creators in the industry- I never would have come to the table with the wisdom and know-how I have to offer with my own business today. Although I’d give almost anything to pair that strong and youthful twenty-something body with the experience I’ve gained – that’s apparently not an option! Of the two, I would pick the wisdom and confidence that comes with age any day! So definitely that’s a now for me!

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 background is very broadly in art, design, installation, ambient decor, I have always been drawn to taking part in creating anything beautiful, and I’ve rarely limited myself to a certain medium. During the pandemic, I found beauty in confectioning. Shiny, beautifully colored lollys with edible glitter and gold foil, billowy giant squares of vanilla bean and rosewater marshmallow, and eventually French macarons. Beauty translates well on social media, and during the pandemic, many of our interactions were limited to social media. It was during this time while furloughed I decided to fill in some financial gaps by making confections and selling them online. They were such a hit! By the time my job was available again I had surpassed my prior income, but more importantly I’d fallen in love with working for myself and making French macarons with an emphasis on beauty. I hand painted Art Nouveau themed macarons. I made macaron splash cakes. I dedicated time to teaching myself everything I could about how to make them as delicious as they were beautiful, and people loved them! I believe very firmly, as most confections go, they should look and taste like a celebration. Each time you have one should be a tiny occasion. And I believe La Beaume Co Macarons, by only offering one thing, gets the opportunity to provide this to the customer in ways that larger patisseries and bakeries cannot.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Giving my customers an amazing experience each and every time that meets or exceeds their expectations is the number one thing that I have done to grow my business. Social media platforms do come and go, and paid marketing is always going to be a risk. But putting everything you have into your product and gaining business via word of mouth is absolutely the most valuable and concrete way to achieve growth. Definitely promote what you do in other little ways when you can, but skill, hard work and great customer service are what brought me to where I am today.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I think the pandemic provided a platform for many creatives to experiment with their side hustle. Many of us had ideas we had been sidelining for years, and unlike many of the already established businesses, we did not have the expense of overhead and payroll, we did not have to grind our existing businesses to a halt and pivot, lots of advantages. I started out making confections for friends and family during the holidays. Because of the tremendous support I found in my friends, and in my community, what I was doing very quickly turned into a larger operation. I was approached by a local cafe to provide macarons. This lit a fire within my business, and I think, is when I personally started believing in myself. The first time I saw the name of the company in print on a menu was unbelievable. Being recognized by my city (St Louis’) food magazine as a rising star within the food scene was the biggest milestone. Finding myself working with people I idolize has been surreal. And it’s all surreal, really. Imposter syndrome is strong. But I do find that quiet competence is taking root and that has been the biggest marker of growth yet.

Contact Info:

• Website: LaBeaumeCoMacarons.com
• Instagram: La__Beaume_Co_Macarons
• Facebook: La Beaume Co Macarons

Image Credits
Blue macaron tower credit Bethany and Zack photography St Louis, Mo