We were lucky to catch up with Sydnie Williams recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sydnie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Have you ever had an amazing boss, mentor or leader leading you? Can you us a story or anecdote that helps illustrate why this person was such a great leader and the impact they had on you or their team?

For me I am luck enough to say that I’ve had a few amazing bosses in my life. But the most relevant would be my boss while working for Great American Cookie. Her name was Simone. Her and her husband Al owned the store. While working there they gave me the opportunity to truly experiment with my art on a brand new canvas. They pushed my creativity, taught me how yo problem solve, deal with “fun” (lol difficult) customers and how to network. They gave me an opportunity to grow and I’ll forever be grateful.

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

My name is Sydnie Williams, but everyone just calls me Syd. I am a wife, mother, business owner, baker, artist and self taught cake decorator. I’ve always enjoyed baking and had a knack for anything artistic. Though it wasn’t until I became a parent that I’ve ever had the urge to combine the two…and even longer before my light bulb clicked to profit off of the combination. Another 10 years to be exact. Before then all of the cakes, cupcakes, etc. I ever made were truly just gifts. Though with that in mind I hope everyone understands it is never to late to make a change, chase a dream, or try something new. As here I am 5 years into starting Sweet Addiction Cakery and I and forever happy I did. Sweet Addiction allows me the opportunity to to use me craft to bring so much join to my customers and the people around me.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

Oh, forsure. The side hustle is now 100% my full-time career. In the beginning I can truly say that it was a blessing to have colleagues that enjoyed my baking and were happy to support. Though after having my daughter, my husband and I decided it would be best for me not to return from maternity leave. So now what? I literally just cut off access to my entire customer base. Like some still order, but definitely not like having those weekly purchases of cupcakes, cake pops and occasional cakes. This is the moment I started pushing myself on social media. Some have worked more than others, but the point was exposure. In the mean time I was also gathering all of the necessary requirements to become a weekly vendor for farmer’s markets and other vending events. That was a game changer. Markets opened many doors for networking and direct contact with local customers. So much so that within a years time I could no longer actually do weekly markets. I’d gotten to a level of having so many weekly orders that it would be impossible to keep up with orders and prepare for markets.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The moment I see the joy that my artistry brings to someone else. Whether they’re my customer or potential future customer, to see them light up from something I poured myself into is a reward beyond measure.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sweetaddictioncakery.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/sydthecaketress
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/sydthecaketress
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/sydthecaketress
• Yelp: Sweet Addiction Cakery

Image Credits
Becca Wood Haak of Bex Wood Luxe Portraits