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

Alright, Travis thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

I started baking many years ago just because I wanted to learn how to bake and it was a creative outlet during a difficult time in my life. I would also bake chasing the taste of something I had. The chocolate chunk cookie, which is my best seller, came about from the concept of recreating a cookie I had from a vendor’s wife. but I wanted to put my own spin on it. Over the years I perfected it, making adjustments as I learned more baking techniques and adjusting the ingredients. I soon had really good feedback from people who ate them. This had been a time in life where I was trying to figure out what to do with my passions and how I should move forward. I decided to take a business course for women who wanted to start a side hustle and from there I set up my business and LLC in 2020.
I had a good friend preach about doing what’s in front of us, using the gifts and talents we have. That put me into execution mode. I finally got serious and took the leap to just “do what was in front of me” Aug 2021. One day this same friend asked me to mail some cookies to her fiancé and for some strange reason that paralyzed me, lol. I was like, just ship it. Yeah! So I did. That propelled me to open up online ordering on my website, offer shipping and to participate in local markets selling my cookies. And so we are here!

Don’t forget to order yours today!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

I am Travis Mitchel and I really enjoy sweets, lol. I work as a Physical Therapist Assistant by day and baker by night. I baked my first home made cake 12 years ago which was carrot cake and from then on my family insisted that it had to be made. I continued to bake, teaching myself as a creative outlet during a rough season in my life. I learned how to bake through tv, cookbooks and loved ones and I am still learning today. I currently sell cookies and pies.

My most proud and coveted is the Chocolate Chunk Cookie which has dark chocolate, pecans, macadamias, and walnuts, then is finished off with flakey sea salt, yum!

My confections are based on traditional and childhood favorites, things I grew up eating like creole style pralines and tea cake cookies. I bake with a twist of my interpretation.

The sweet potato pie has become a crowd favorite for the holiday. This was not a pie I was excited to bake but I did it at the request of a customer. I wanted to make the pie in a way that I would enjoy, with not so traditional finishes. So I decided to finish off the pie with a marshmallow meringue and make the foundation a graham cracker crust instead of a pastry crust.

The reaction of pleasure and joy when someone bites into the desserts I make is affirming.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Growing my clientele has consisted of but not limited to, networking with other business owners in a natural way, participating in markets and growing my email list.

The most effective for me has been meeting other women in business and doing collaborative events with them and participating in markets. I do engage in social media so there is a landing spot for people to see what I’m baking, to stay engaged and for there to be a visual for folks to refer to.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Resources that have helped propel me and encouraged me have been prayer, The Bible and a podcast called Side Hustle Pro. The host Nicaila Matthews-Okome interviews women of color who have started a side hustle while working a full time job. It’s really encouraging and informative!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sweetsoireenow.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetsoireenow/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sweetsoireenow
• Other: The West Tenth App

Image Credits
A spark of color photography