We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Steph Krueger. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Steph below.

Alright, Steph thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

Growing up I have always been super tall, usually towering over everyone! As a joke my grandpa would call me “Shortie”. It just has always stuck and my mom & dad still call me to this day. That is how I came up with the first part of my small bakery. My bakery name is Shortie’s Sweets ‘n Treats. I sell a variety of sweets!

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.

Shortie’s started out in 2019 as my husband and I were looking to try to become debt free. Baking was a talent that I thought I could share to others! Ever since the idea to start a baking business, we haven’t looked back. My Grandpa gave me the the nickname growing up of “Shortie” even though I was always taller than most my age and the name just stuck. So here I am, always looking to create a fun treat to share! I bake things from cake pops and bars to giant stuffed cookies. People refer to my stuffed cookies as the “juicy Lucy” of the baking world! I take pride in my work and am always striving to better myself by taking classes to learn more about baking or even how to manage social media. I enjoy entering my baked goods into county fairs and even the state fair. I am very proud of all my ribbons I have won, but my blueberry muffins are my most proud ribbon. I took home first place for my muffins and that was my first ever blue ribbon.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

My social media following didn’t happen overnight. It definitely takes months even years. I started out on Facebook and then added Instagram and now TikTok! Posting consistently is my number 1 advice. Post a simple picture of your ingredients, your actual product or even a selfie. I keep it real with my customers. They see the good, bad and ugly! By showing it all, it really helps your customers relate to you and real life. I love interacting with my customers through it all. We exchange recipes, ‘hellos’, and so much more. When you can connect to your customers they start sharing your posts, products and commenting on your posts. Another good thing to help boost your social media presence is by posting in your local neighborhood groups, passing out business cards to neighbors, friends and family.

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

I try my best to keep up with the trends, so bringing new fun treats to farmers markets, events or my pop ups. I have been at the same farmers market for 4 years now and that has definitely helped me build my reputation. People know that they can find my delicious treats at the purple tent! I also make amazing almost half-pound stuffed cookies. I change the stuffings insides of the cookies to keep bringing new and fun stuffed cookies. People love the cookies so they talk about them on social media and to their friends.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shortiessweetsntreats.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shortiessweetsntreats/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shortiessweetsntreats
• Other: TikTok: @shortiessweets

Image Credits
Steph Krueger Sarah Chacos Saira Moore