We recently connected with Sarah Martinez and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Sarah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Is your team able to work remotely? If so, how have you made it work? What, if any, have been the pitfalls? What have been the non-obvious benefits?

Sweet Sarah’s is a home-based bakery, so I have technically always been remote! I am the sole owner and operator behind my bakery AND a mother of three kids 10 and under! Starting a home-based business was a huge priority for me. Having just celebrated Sweet Sarah’s 5th anniversary, my children were very young when I began this adventure! Besides my work, I am a stay-at-home mom so working at home offered the flexibility I need and while it’s convenient, sometimes working at home with kids can be a huge struggle. Balancing the needs of my kids and my business simultaneously is definitely like being on a teeter-totter. There are days when everything goes perfectly, and then days when everything that could go wrong, goes wrong. For example, my youngest son was hospitalized for a couple days in 2019 for pneumonia, I had a huge order due during all of the chaos and had to come home/take shifts with my husband to work when I could, while taking care of the other kids! It was so overwhelming, but in the end, everything worked out. This has taught me the importance of planning ahead and being ultra organized.

Sarah, 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?

Sweet Sarah’s is a home-based bakery in Westerville, Ohio. I specialize in bespoke wedding cakes! Sweet Sarah’s was born from the frustrations of a typical 9-5 and the desire to be home with my young children. My youngest son had been born within a year and I just wanted to be home with him (and my other son!). I have always had a knack for baking, so I just jumped in with both feet and didn’t look back! Thanks to a lot of supportive friends and family, my business grew quickly!

Sweet Sarah’s started by specializing in custom cakes and other treats and eventually evolved into wedding cakes. The character/themed cakes just weren’t bringing me joy, or the money deserved for such detailed work. So, for now, I am only offering wedding cakes, cupcakes and other small treats! (Think dessert table full of bite sized sweets!) I take pride in the fact that I am mostly a referral-based business and couldn’t be more thankful to my customers. Every order is just as important as the last or next one.

I offer free wedding consultations/tastings in my home, which I think really sets me apart from other bakeries. Welcoming a couple into my home and making them feel comfortable with me allows a real relationship to form. We talk about their story and how they were engaged, what their wedding vision is and how I can bring it to life. It’s really fulfilling to meet a couple face to face and learn about their likes and dislikes. I know it sounds corny, but I love love! The tastings usually last an hour or less, and I typically offer 6-7 flavors ranging from lighter flavors like almond raspberry and lemon to rich chocolates.

I typically send confirmation emails to my customers 30-60 days before their wedding. I do this so everyone involved knows exactly what is being provided and allows time for last minute changes. On wedding day, I do my very best to deliver AND set up my treats! I have an eye for detail and want everything to be arranged perfectly, because that’s what I would want (and got!) on MY wedding day! I love being sent pictures from the reception (whether they are professional shots or fun candids!!)

I want past, present and future customers know that I am fully invested in making their wedding cake dream come true and put 100% into every order I take.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I actually have a pretty funny/ironic/frustrating story about my social media. For years, I mainly used Facebook and Instagram for business dealings. My personal Facebook was hacked about three years ago and I lost access to my business page. I felt like my world was going to end right then and there. Knowing how long it had taken to build up the number of followers I had felt like such a kick in the butt. I tried to no avail to re access my page. So, I just had to start from scratch. I’m not nearly where I was, but followers don’t equal sales. I have many loyal customers — quality over quantity any day!

About two years ago, I created a TikTok account and honestly wasn’t super into posting – mostly wanted to watch videos. I shared a cupcake “hack” – one of my very first videos. The editing was awful, the lighting was awful, it was just not good! But it went SUPER viral! I’m talking at least 1 million views within a couple hours. And since then, 6ish million views. Which brings me to another video I shared last year, that brought in 29.4 million views, 117k followers and multiple orders from people willing to drive up to two hours for my cake!! I continue to post videos of fun and colorful cakes when I can, but I make it a point to not get consumed by my social media. Social media can be really effective for small businesses, but also very toxic if you don’t have control of it. Thankfully, I didn’t grow up with social media or internet until I was a teenager (yikes! showing my age lol) so I am pretty capable of checking myself if I’m getting too wrapped up on “content”.

TikTok @sweetsarahs

I would advise new businesses creating a social media presence to just post relatable content and do what feels right to you! Don’t follow a rulebook that some random influencer lays out for you. Example: “you must post once an hour or 4 times a week to grow your business!” – NO. Being authentic and true to yourself will be what makes you successful.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I currently have a five-star rating across all social sites. I think putting in total effort and attention to detail for each order speaks for itself. I try to respond to customer inquiries in a timely manner, explain myself/thought process fully, and listen to the needs of my customers. I have established a good relationship with fellow bakers around town and we all refer customers to one another if one of us isn’t available. It’s incredibly flattering when a baker I admire, asks if she can refer her customers to me. Being kind and graceful to not only your customers, but also fellow business owners within my industry is an invaluable skill.

Contact Info:

• Website: sweetsarahsllc.com
• Instagram: sweetsarahs
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/sweetsarahswesterville
• Other: TikTok @sweetsarahs

Image Credits
Food shots taken by me, headshot taken by Danielle Ford.