We were lucky to catch up with Salome Kyei recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Salome, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

It all really started my Senior Year of College. I loved baking as a child and when I started college I didn’t have access to my own kitchen. Senior Year we were able to rent a townhouse which meant my very own kitchen and I started stress baking. It was a wonderful form of stress relief and I enjoyed watching others eat my food. It gave me a bit of purpose at the time where I was unsure of a lot of aspects in my life. Fast forward about three years and I had the opportunity to cater for my sister July 4th party and I found that love again and decided to actively pursue baking and formed my LLC, Afua’s Sweets. The name Afua is actually part of my middle name and I thought it perfect for this new endeavor.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I got into baking as a way to escape and to find peace from all that was going on in the world. It took me a really long time to come to terms with what I wanted in life and follow my dreams. I was originally in the medical field and was a Registered Nurse and to pay for Nursing School I started a job in Hospitality. This is where I was introduced to the macaron and started researching about French pastries ,which lead to other desserts. I little fact about me is I am severely lactose intolerant and not an overall fan of cake but I enjoy without a doubt creating delicious flavor profile for my clients. So I did suffer a bit to come up with my go to cake recipes but I would do it all over again because my goal is to make my clients events beautiful, memorable and delicious.

And so from the small French pastry I went on to cupcakes, cookies, pies and finally cakes for every occasion!

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

When I originally started I baking I had a full time job in Hospitality so I deemed my dream ” a hobby”. So I actually ended up using money from my paycheck to fund my hobby. I did not realize I was actually doing this until COVID hit. I lost my job but I still had baking which happened to be the push I needed to register my LLC. Well I learned that I had been extremely underpricing and not paying myself. Now I needed my hobby to pay for all the items my previous 9-5 was paying and I ended up maxing out my credit cards and had to go in to my savings to pay for my utilities and health care. It came to a point where I wasn’t sure how I was going to put food on the table. I have always been the one in the family who was good with money and I just was not sure what to do. I was taking on more orders but due to the fact that I was not pricing properly I was working myself to death but not seeing much change. And I was at a point where what I used to love just brought me despair and I was on the verge of closing. I got help from a close baker friend who could tell by my posts that I was about to give up. She referred me to a coaching program catered to home businesses. The cost was steep and I used what little funds I had left as I believed tis was my last chance. And truthfully it was my best investment. As a new business owner, no one really tells you what to do and you have to figure it out on your own, and there are often a few pitfalls. I felt like I was drowning and I finally finally was able to make it up for a breath of air. The tools I received during my coaching session put me on the right track to getting out of despair.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

My time during my Coaching Program with Porsha Kimble pulled me in the right direction. One of the main aspects I learned was my value! As a home baker we often get looked down on if we don’t have a store front and are often thought that we should be the cheaper option. However as a business owner, my goal is to provide exceptional work for each of my clients and by doing so I should be valuing myself. I learned to quiet the self- doubt, set proper boundaries so that not only my business but my personal life prospers, and also how to properly price so that business can prosper and not be labeled as an” expensive hobby”. I was able to get back in the Kitchen and be happy, create and not feel that dread I unfortunately began to associate with what used to be my love for baking,

Contact Info:

• Website: www.afuassweets.com
• Instagram: @afuas_sweet_creations

Image Credits
Salome Kyei