Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Taishi Ligon. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Taishi thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I spent 22 years in healthcare as a dental practice administrator as well as the director of a dental assisting program at a technical college, and I did enjoy my job. My husband took a job in another city so we moved, and there wasn’t really a market for what I was doing previously in our new town. I took a ‘starter’ job so that I could decide what I wanted to do next, and was incredibly unhappy with this position. I took maternity leave from this job and, as my leave came close to ending, I decided to quit and bake as a side hustle until I found something I didn’t hate so much! I had always enjoyed baking and had previously made cakes occasionally for friends or family. Well the side hustle really exploded and I decided to do it as a full time job. I pivoted from cakes and decided to focus on custom cookies and I have now been making them for almost seven years. While it can be hard sometimes, I am very fulfilled and absolutely love what I do now.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a custom cookie artist. I make decorated sugar cookies for events and holidays, and I also offer cookie decorating classes, as well as live ‘cookie photo’ events. Decorated cookies have become incredibly popular in the last five to ten years, and I wanted to take advantage of this phenomenon as I have always enjoyed creating things in the kitchen. The thing I am the most proud of is that I have created employment for myself; I have created a thriving business on my own! I also won a baking competition on Food Network and I’m pretty proud of that, too!
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
This one is easy: you have to be the best. From day one, I always wanted to stand out as the best cookie artist in town. I take care to make a great product: it looks great and tastes great. I treat my clients with respect and I expect the same from them. I offer what no one else in town can offer, and that is how I have grown and KEEP my clientele.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
The one thing that shows resilience for me personally with being a business owner and a creative, is balancing that with motherhood/family. It sounds cliche but it is absolutely the truth. I have a husband and two small kids and that alone is a full time job. Add in the many hours it takes to shop, prep, bake, decorate, photograph, package, meet and speak with clients, answer emails, build a website, record, edit, and post content, remain active in the community. . . it is incredibly difficult. But I have worked hard to build my business to where it is today and I don’t want to quit now! The resilience of a determined mother is unmatched.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thecookiejoy.com
- Instagram: @cookiejoysanangelo
Image Credits
N/A. These are all my photos