We were lucky to catch up with Shavonna Madison recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shavonna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

My mission is to serve my community by providing tasty custom desserts for all special occasions to make my customers day a little sweeter with a great centerpiece. I love to give, whether that is my time, gift, or sweets. To see the smile that comes on an individuals face from receiving brings me joy. Growing up I was in and out of the hospital a lot due to having sickle cell. Receiving help from the nurses, doctors, and staff in the hospital on days that I felt at my worst, even though it is their job, made it easier to receive treatment. I could tell that some nurses went out of their way to see me smile. even helping my parents cope at these difficult stages was heartwarming. It is not easy living with a disorder that is unpredictable and causes restrictions on your life at any given moment. Cake decorating is something that allows me to have free range and do what I want without feeling confined to a space in a sense. It brings joy to me as well as my customer.
As a baker, I tend to do a little extra for some customers despite them paying for the added details because I want to. Customers notice those things and that just adds on to having great customer service. The excitement that they get and all the great feed back I receive, especially when I am there setting up, makes doing my job that much joyous! I know that I will not always get the reaction that I am looking for out of my customers but I love what I do and I know the more I learn and critique myself, the crowd I am aiming for will come my way.

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

I am the owner and baker of my small business. My passion started as a child and grew as I got older. Baking has always been apart of me since I could remember having an easy bake oven. Both of my grandmas baked quite a bit when I was growing up and my mom would say that I get it from them. I always knew that I loved to bake more than I liked cooking. I started baking in middle school for family and friends for small events and gatherings. Sweet Inspirations was established June 2019, shortly after I graduated college. I am a self taught baker who believes that God has given me this passion and talent to spread love and joy in the best way I know how. I never attended culinary school, but my mentor taught me everything I needed to know to get me on my way. Soon after, that opened my mind into exploring the realm of custom cakes. Everything I make is made from scratch and that allows me to put a little extra loving in my treats as my customers say, lol! I got into the industry even more when covid hit because people were stuck at home and had money to spend so that helped me out during a difficult time to practice my craft a little more. I used to want to make everything in the world for everyone but I learned that having a wide variety of options doesn’t help narrow the audience you are looking for or the sales you could potentially make. I narrowed my options to custom cakes and cupcakes, along with dessert table options of chocolate covered Oreos, pretzels, Rice Krispies, and strawberries. December of 2022, I started getting myself into popup events. At those I sell desserts in a jar that include cheesecake, peach cobbler, cake, and banana pudding along with some cookies. Lol for the most part I still have a wide range but I mainly focus on custom desserts. I am most proud of getting myself into the wedding industry and looking forward to being apart of the Bridal Expo in Dallas for May 2023. I looking to continue to grow my brand bigger than I can ever imagine.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Receiving negative feedback can either push you to do better or break you, but it is up to you on how you use it. I recall a time that one of my customers purchased a large cake from me and said that it was one of the best cakes she has ever had. Everyone at the party enjoyed it and she would be returning to order more. Well, one of her family members was looking to get a custom cake made for her son’s 1st birthday. I spoke with the individual and we went over all the details and flavors and she was excited. I spent a lot of time on this cake because I wanted it to not only taste great but to look great. I delivered it to the party and set it up. The parents and party guest were happy about it. The next morning I received a text from the mother stating that I ruined her son’s 1st birthday, the cake was the worst thing ever, and she wanted all her money back. This kind of hurt me in the beginning and I asked what she didn’t like about it and what did she think was fair and she just kept stating that I ruined the party. I didn’t allow her to defeat me and stop doing something I’m passionate about because she wasn’t pleased with my services. I reminded myself that not everyone will like your product just like certain individuals choose certain fast food places over others. I learned to never doubt myself or talent based off one negative person.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients will have to be my family, Facebook and current customers spreading by word of mouth. The clients that have come to me multiple times within the year are the ones that refer me to others and help me get more business. Lol, they have essentially become free advertisers by mouth and through Facebook. My hands-on crew help bring in a lot of the customers at my events. I greatly appreciate all of them helping me grow my business in whatever way possible!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sweetinspirationsbyvonna.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetinspirations_vonna/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetinspirationsbyvonna/
• Other: email: [email protected]