We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Victoria Lasley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Victoria thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?
I hope my legacy is left to something not monetary related. My legacy is not my company, or the assets that I will gather on my way through life. My legacy is what I leave behind with my family and friends, and specifically my nieces & nephews.
I hope I leave behind a value of spending quality time, eating quality food, with people you love. I can only hope my impact reaches others that I have shared meals with, or provided those meals for. I want my legacy to be felt at the table when you’re surrounded by people you love.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Victoria Lizabeth. I am the owner of Sugar Honey, a traveling macaron purveyor based out of Metro Detroit, Michigan. We specialize in handcrafted macarons, using as many high-quality, seasonal, & locally sourced ingredients as possible. The Mac Truck started with converting a vintage horse trailer into a micro-business! Sugar Honey started to pop-up at Metro Detroit small businesses in May 2021, and by November of 2022 we released the Mac Truck into the community. –
I had grown up being in the kitchen with my grandmas, where I developed a love for pastry from a young age. After I fought with myself in early adulthood on whether to pick the more “unstable” career path of pastry vs. something more stable like accounting, I finally chose to accept an internship at a local American bakery in my area. Here is where my professional career started, and I relearned all of my skills on a “professional & commercial” level. I was given the opportunity to develop my skills & hone in on my interests, which was incredible experience. I felt an education in business management would be more useful to me in the long run instead of attending pastry school. After completing my college education, I had the pleasure of consulting & developing with several other small businesses in Metro Detroit. I put my heart & soul into helping other entrepreneurs have their dreams come to life so they could make an impact. Being a consultant chef is so fulfilling to me as I am always learning from the entrepreneurs I am there to assist with. But when COVID hit and took away a lot of our work due to lack in demand, I finally was forced to slow down and evaluate my wants, and my personal dreams.
Just like that, Sugar Honey got started so I could fulfill my own dreams and make the impact I wanted to for other small businesses, families, and my surrounding community.
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I am most proud to have developed a business that allows me to maintain the relationships I want with people who are important to me and to provide a medium for people to gather around. I get to do something I enjoy every single day – not everyone gets that privilege. I am forever grateful for the effort & time I have put into this life, and for the efforts from those supporting me. Big props to my nieces & nephews being so supportive and proud to see me excited about what I do.
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Now I realize my dreams might not be exactly as I originally thought. I have the ability to potentially help a lot of other people meet that same goal & dream that I have. People could have the option to develop a business where they could maintain their personal life, be with their families, have hobbies, and grow their relationship with food. We’re working towards a ghost kitchen that can be accessible for other entrepreneurs, and at a reasonable price because starting.your.own.business.is.expensive. But I support you, and you should do it!
On a personal side note: you guys, eat the cake. Have a brownie. Enjoy an ice cream cone. It’s alright to enjoy yourself sometimes.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
You guys, I am going to be REAL honest here because it is not always pretty starting a business and more people should be honest about this portion. For some people, it really isn’t even feasible because of circumstances & barriers. I was lucky to have held a good career in pastry before I started my business, so I had an income that allowed me to save and set some funds aside. BUT no matter how you prepare, you will probably run into situations where you need more funds. Business credit cards (research the ones with good kickbacks & benefits!), helpful friends & family, and most importantly, time. It takes time when you’re funding your own business.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
I personally think it is worth it to put effort & time into knowing the team you’re developing or hiring. For some people, it isn’t just a job – but its a step in their career. If you put forth effort in a person/team and help them develop their niche interests, you can end with a team who enjoys what they do everyday instead of dreading their workplace. Chef world is notoriously ruthless & excruciating – but you can still enjoy being a part of it when you set boundaries. I kind of hate when workplaces say “we’re a family!” because let’s be honest, people should have a balance with their workplace & their homes. Allowing a team to find that balance for themselves maintains high morale.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sugarhoneytruck.com
- Instagram: @sugarhoneytruck
- Other: Personal Instagram : @vic_lizabeth_
Image Credits
Green Holly Photography