We recently connected with Stephanie Gibson and have shared our conversation below.

Stephanie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

If I could go back in time, I would have started my business sooner. I officially started my business in 2022 even though I had been baking and selling for a few years prior. I had known for years that I wanted to own my own bakery and I knew if I should ever quit or get laid off from my job, I would start my bakery. In 2020, right before the pandemic, I got my chance. I was laid off from my job in the fashion industry after being with a well-known retailer for 17 years. I was not upset by it at all. I knew this was going to be my chance to live my dream. The only regret I have is that I had 17 years to do as much research and gain as much knowledge as I could possibly get and yet I didn’t do that. I wish I had started while I had a full-time job so that I wouldn’t have been scrambling so much once I wasn’t working. If I had my business operating while I was at that job. not only would I have been making extra income, but I also would have been prepared by the time I had gotten laid off. With that being said, everything happens as it’s supposed to, when it’s supposed to.

Stephanie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Like a lot of bakers, I started when I was a kid. I started with box cake mixes and the chocolate chip cookie recipe on the back of the Nestle tollhouse chocolate chip bag. My cookies were so hard and overbaked back then, but we ate them, and we loved them. Once I grew older, I began refining my techniques and baking from scratch, specifically my mom’s cream cheese pound cake. I would take one to every party I was invited to, and it was always a hit! The guests would fight over the crumbs! Eventually, I realized my passion was not fashion. It was baking. I was laid off from my job in 2020 and thought, this is my time to shine! I never wanted a storefront bakery, so I decided to open a home-based bakery. I got a coach, a website, put systems in place and officially started my home-based bakery in 2022 named Love, London Sweets, named after my daughter London.

My home bakery is located in the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. My bakery is set apart by offering small celebration cakes and cake decorating parties. Celebration cakes are best for those customers who need a small, quick, not too fancy, last minute birthday cake. The flavors are simple in chocolate and vanilla which allows for the quick turnaround for forgotten birthday cake.
Cake decorating parties offer a fun alternative for birthday parties for kids and adults, bachelorette parties, girls’ night out, corporate team building and the list goes on and on. I provide the cake, the icing, and all supplies as well as instruction on how to decorate your own cake. I also show guests how to cut and keep their cakes once they get home. These parties are fun and relaxing. Throw in some bubbly and now you have a real party!

I am proud that I actually took the leap and started my business. I mean, I have an actual business! I am an LLC! I have every system in place as a storefront. I am proud to show my daughter what it is to pour into a business. As a Black woman, I am teaching her how to rely on herself in order to survive. She will know that, you never have to work for a company that doesn’t respect you, pay you your worth or value your time if the company you work for belongs to YOU!

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

If you want to get your name out there, for any business, but especially a home-based business, you must start a Google business profile. If someone is searching for your service or product on Google, your business will show up in the search.
For example, my analytics tell me that people usually search for bakeries near me, desserts in my neighborhood, or baked goods in my area. If they live within a certain radius, my bakery will pop up in their search, However, I have had quite a few people contact me thinking I was in London!
You can set your hours, your attributes like accessibility or restrooms on site, upload photos, specials and events. The list is endless. You can put out as many updates as you desire. The more you update, the more times your name will show up when potential clients do a search. They will find you organically. The best part is that it’s free and that’s especially important when you’re a start-up.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

Currently, I have a Wix website that was created with the help of a web designer who specializes in the Wix platform. My baking business coach, Chef Amanda Schonberg, suggests several sites we can use, but feels that Wix is best for my type of product.
I love using Wix and once my designer handed it over to me, he taught me everything I need to know about updating it and maintaining it.
Even as easy as it is, it’s one of the last things I want to do. I spend way too many hours when updating it, I move things out of place, I can’t make it look like my vision…Website maintenance is just not for me. I have ideas but would love for someone else to execute. I’d rather be baking. That should go on a t-shirt!
Otherwise, my site gets the job done. My customers can go on, see what I offer, place their orders and it helps with building email lists too.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lovelondonsweets.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovelondonsweets_bk

Image Credits

Chad Hilliard