We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Wendy Silverman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Wendy, appreciate you joining us today. Do you manage your own social media?

I manage my own social media presence. I have found that it can be hard to find a balance – how much time should I spend setting up the perfect photo or editing a reel versus engaging with my customers and perfecting my product. On one hand, social media takes time away from the real work of creating custom dessert decor for my customers. On the other, social media is one of the best ways to bring in new customers, share ideas, and showcase what others are doing for their events. I make a big effort to post something every day so that new and former customers remember to order, but also know that in the end it’s really about the quality of the product itself.

Wendy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I began a career in advertising in 1999. I worked at a variety of agencies and with many different clients, met some of the smartest people I know, and was relatively successful. After 15 years, I was physically and emotionally drained.

Throughout this time, I would find some solace in baking. I enjoyed searching for new recipes and giving them on a try at the end of the week. In my last marketing job, I began letting people know they could hit me up if they needed desserts for an event. At the time, I thought I’d make a wide range of drop cookies – classics like chocolate chip along with other fun choices like monster bars and s’mores bars. I took on a few small jobs, built a website and social media pages, and launched Peace.Love.Cookies.

I never intended to try making decorated sugar cookies. I’d seen the beautiful pictures of these cookies – true edible art – and was certain I could never do it. But as requests came in for decorated cookies I said yes, figuring I’d figure it out along the way. In the beginning, things like making royal icing, developing colors, and figuring out how to translate a logo to a cookie were a true challenge!

When COVID hit in 2020, the requests for decorated cookies increased (individual packaging!) and cake orders rolled in (comfort food!). Cake was another thing I never planned on doing – but I said yes! My first few cakes were a mess, but with time and practice they got better in both taste and design.

French macarons are a personal passion and there’s nothing I love more than when a customer shares and appreciation for these simply but finicky cookies. They are their own little works of art, with some science mixed in to get the perfect result.

I am so proud of how much my business has grown. To this day I’m still surprised whenever a new order rolls in, or when my calendar is booked 6 weeks out. I have poured my heart and soul into this little business in every way – to make a beautiful and delicious product, to make it profitable, and to keep adding new ideas and designs along the way.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

As I was just getting started, I did a few small jobs for my local NFL team. It was absolutely thrilling to fill these orders – I was so new to decorated sugar cookies and it was through a few mutual connections that the team learned of my business. After filling two jobs I thought the work with the team had probably passed but was still so proud of the work. And then, I received a call asking for 1200 cookies. Keep in mind that every single cookie is decorated by hand. Dough and icing is made from scratch, the cookies are but and baked, and they decorated – it’s a long and detailed process! I was totally freaked out. But I said yes! Twelve hundred decorated cookies were delivered in full and on time. It was a huge risk for me since I still had so much to learn, but I asked for help where I needed and made it work. I continue to draw from that experience when I feel overwhelmed.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Building a social media presence is an ongoing process! In the beginning and still to this day, I engage in local community groups with giveaways and freebies whenever possible. This was a huge help in building that initial audience. I try to keep up with social media trends and algorithm updates, but truthfully those things mostly remain a mystery to me.

When I worked in advertising, the president and co-founder at one agency used to end every new business pitch by asking for the business. He would gracefully and tactfully remind the potential clients that, not only was our work the best for the, but that we would simply love to do work for them. I use this lesson in building my own social media presence – I ask customers at an individual level to follow, like and share. Some never do, and others have led to load of new follows and interest. It’s worth taking the time to ask!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.plcdesserts.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/Peace_love_cookies_llc
• Facebook: Facebook.com/PLCdesserts