Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Roshale Thompson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Roshale , appreciate you joining us today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?
Definitely, I wish that I would’ve started my business sooner. I was raised with the mentality of graduate from college, obtain a great paying job, and work my way up. However, that’s easier said than done. I spent countless years in college earning both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees and studying as a doctoral student. What I found out is no matter how much education I obtained, I would never be good enough or valued by an employer. Every day, I was faced with many challenges and stumbling blocks regardless of how hard I worked in my career. By nature, I’m an ambitious go-getter and overachiever, so I love good competition. But, I slowly realized that although I demonstrated that I understood the assignment, I was still stagnant in my career. From that point forward, I poured all of my heart, mind, and soul into my business and continued to make great sacrifices. I promised myself that if I was going to work hard in life, I was going to make it advantageous for me. This was the most pivotable point in my life and career. As I closely approached the finish line, my vision became crystal clear, and I was hungry for success. Victory was finally mine as all of my efforts finally came to fruition. Due to passion and consistency, success started to follow me in every aspect as I was no longer chasing opportunities. Although education has made me who I am today, being an entrepreneur opens the door to endless possibilities in my life.
As I look back, I regret not starting sooner because I would have already gone through the growing pains and be well established by now. Due to the fact I started my business later in life, I feel like I’m beginning a second career instead of the moving up to the next level. I advise anyone who has the heart, dedication, and drive to start a business to go for without hesitation because time waits for no one. The objective is to start up, level up, and achieve the highest success.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?
As a young child, I was inspired by both my mom and dad who shaped me into the person I am today. My mother was a stay at home mom, and my father owned a local business. I spent many days alongside my mother as she taught me how to bake homemade desserts, cook, sew, and take care of home. My father always lectured me about graduating from college, being business minded, and remaining independent throughout life. After graduating from college, I started a full-time career as educator and was a hobby baker. I baked during the holidays and special occasions for close friends and family. Word of mouth began to spread about my delectable desserts, and people started to request orders. However, I was hesitant because I didn’t have a business name. In January 2017 after leaving work, I drove to the courthouse and registered my business name as Divalicious Delights, and two years later I filed for a LLC. At this point, I had decided that I would open up a bakery once I retired from education. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, I had no idea that I would not return to work after spring break. Business increased dramatically, and I had to make the most important decision of my life as I had no option but to retire from 20 years of education with my husband’s blessings.
Divalicious Delights LLC is your “One Stop” custom bakery as we provide deliciousness for all occasions! We specialize in themed custom cakes, cupcakes, cakepops, cakesicles, decorated cookies, strawberries, pretzels, Rice Krispies treats, Oreos, candy apples, chocolate apples, and gourmet apples as well as dessert shooters (banana pudding, peach cobbler, & cake), poundcake, and grandma’s cookies. Our goal is to make it easy and stress-free for our customers during their event planning process as we cater the entire dessert table for birthday parties, corporate events, sports events, graduations, engagement parties, bridal showers, weddings, gender reveals, baby showers, ect.
We pride ourselves on catering to our customer needs. Our question to our customer is always, “How can we serve you?” We listen to our customers, execute their request, and give them a wow factor in both taste and design that leaves an everlasting memory of their special occasion.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I created my first two social media pages in 2017, which were Facebook and Instagram. One thing that I have learned is that consistency is key to social media. Post daily no matter what, and create engaging stories. Your followers want to hear from you and see your work.
In addition, do not give up even when you don’t see the results that you would like. Focus more on content and your target audience and less on the number of followers and likes. As long as you’re putting the content out, your target audience will be drawn to you. Often times, they watch your work, then eventually place an order or request a service. When I look at our timeline, I see how we’ve grown. Nothing is ever going to be perfect, and everything takes time. Think about the process that a diamond goes through as it does not start out shiny. It has to go through pressure to become spectacular.
Lastly, have fun and be innovative with your brand/services. Social media gives you the freedom to be creative while reaching your followers. You’ll attract who you’re supposed to. Remember that your brand is a reflection of you!
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
Our brand loyalty is fostered through excellent customer service, customer rewards, and great product as we stand 100% behind our product.
Furthermore, we keep in contact with our customers via email and social media. We keep them updated regarding any new changes, specials, discounts, holiday hours/days, and anything else that we need to communicate.
Contact Info:
- Website: mydivaliciousdelights.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/divalicious_delights?igshid=1evuphdzkai1a
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DivaliciousDelightsLLC/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/divadelightsllc
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC9ISs_391Oz5FtcMxmkrbHA
- Other: TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMLdM6DkS/ Pinterest: https://pin.it/jZAmMLL