Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tiana Mutts. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Tiana, thanks for joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

There are numerous things that play a role in being successful. Patience for the process has been key number one. Sometimes we hope that success can come overnight, but that isn’t the reality for most. Having an understanding that things take time to come together can help in the journey towards your goal. Dedication and discipline are also important. Staying dedicated to a craft that you enjoy doing no matter what road bumps you come across shows discipline as well. The easy thing to do is give in when things aren’t going the way that we want them to. However, having the discipline to stay consistent and push forward is what will drive you to the goal you have set for yourself. Cheesecake Wonders has not been an easy journey. It has taken lots of patience, promoting, word of mouth, and even getting out of my comfort zone to put what I have out there. If I am being completely honest, I am still working towards my goals with my business. What I can say is that over time, the process has helped me learn more about myself, my business, and my growth. So the biggest takeaway of what it takes to be successful is, YOU HAVE TO WANT IT.

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 Tiana and I am someone who has several different hobbies that I enjoy. I am really big on fitness, love to cook, and LOVE to bake. I have always enjoyed baking when I was younger, but it wasn’t until I took culinary my junior and senior year of high school, where I attended Gilbert A. Dater, that ignited an even bigger spark. Learning to make food from scratch was a whole new ballpark for me. I knew that I enjoyed making food, but if I could do it from scratch it would add an extra layer of love. I have always been big on food being the key to the soul. After high school, I would always bake for friends and family, but never had the confidence the sell any of my products.

A couple of years ago, my husband and I were at home and he wanted to create content using his camera. I told him that I would make some cheesecake jars and have fun with them so that he could practice creating content for food items. I made more jars than what we needed between him and I, so I posted the rest of what I had online when he was done. As soon as I posted the 30+ jars I had made, they sold out within a couple of hours. That is when the light bulb went off in my head. So I experimented the next day and made almost 50 jars. Those also sold out just as quickly! With this realization, I thought to myself, “What else can I do?”

I eventually began creating several different flavors of cheesecake jars and over time orders grew bigger and bigger. So, we decided to come up with a name and make it a business. Tiana’s Cheesecake Wonders was officially born. I came up with this name in the beginning because cheesecake is my absolute favorite dessert and that is what the basis of the business was, making cheesecake.

I did get to a point where I wanted to expand the menu a little more, so I started advertising more of the baked goods that I knew how to make. Cakes, cookies, pies, cupcakes, pastries, and anything that I could challenge myself to try and bake up.

I am most proud of myself for putting myself and my goods out there for others to enjoy. I am happy that I gave myself a chance and stopped doubting my potential as a baker. Others have seen and tasted the potential I have which has pushed me towards bigger events and more clientele that order from me consistently. I truly enjoy what I do, not only because it is a business, but because it allows me to connect with many different people while spreading positive vibes through my baked goods.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

My most effective strategy has been to be genuine, always. When I come across clientele, I try to be as positive as I can. When new clientele, or current, purchase goods from me, I like to follow up. It is important for me to know whether or not the goods met their expectations and if there is ever a situation where it doesn’t, I want to know what could have been better so I can grow as a baker and make it better the next time. Listening is also a big one. Sometimes I have clientele that want orders for special events and sometimes get into a conversation about the reason for the event or how important it is to them. For some, knowing your baker cares about the small or big details in your life can make someone’s day just a little better. :)

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Building an audience on social media was a matter of creating content and being consistent with it. Also, creating content where the audience can engage and have a say in suggestions or menu items was a great technique for others to feel included and heard. My advice for anyone when it comes to social media platforms is to remain consistent with content, but do not only depend on social media. Put yourself out into the world by doing events that allow you to showcase what you have. Focus on word of mouth as well. If people are buying from you, give out business cards, and don’t be afraid to ask them to let others know about you.

Contact Info:

• Website: tianascheesecakewonders.com
• Instagram: tianascheesecakewonders
• Facebook: Tiana’s Cheesecake Wonders

Image Credits
Parry Stover Instagram: livelife_studios