Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jennifer Wenderott. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Jennifer with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
To me work ethic has a few different meanings. A person’s work ethic can be different in different situations or senarios. Growing up I watched my parents work at hard jobs. My dad worked for the rail raod which meant shift type hours, overnight hours and even gone several days at a time. This left my mom to care for the house, us girls, and herself while going to her full time job. My dad would often help local farmer & ranchers during planting, harvest and calving season to help with some extra income. Seeing your parents work hard as a kid gives you a sense of what work ethic is. Having parents that expect you to have that same work ethic is the drive behind my own. In high school I usually had three or four jobs during the summer because if my dad could work his regular job all night and go help a farmer combine during the day I could work in an office during the morning and be a lifegaurd all afternoon and then babysit a couple of kids that evening. During the school months I played sports and was very active in clubs. This also played into building my work ethic as I became an adult. Learning how to be part of a team, showing up to practice, being committed off the court or out of the classroom are all building blocks to being a successful adult. As I decided to open my own business I knew it would be hard work. I knew I would be the only one doing it all. When you are a small, homebased business you are it. In my world I am the baker, the creator, the dishwasher, the grocery getter, the one who takes care of ordering supplies, box maker, delivery girl, accountant, bill collector and on and on and on. If you don’t have work ethic already in your bones you will never make it as a business owner. If you don’t know the value of hard work and the satisfaction of a job well done you have no work ethic.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I own a custom cake business. When I first started out about 10 years ago I really didn’t have a focus on what I wanted my business to be. I knew I wanted to make everything from scratch. I knew I wanted to be the one that did it from start to finish. And I knew I wanted it to be custom made orders. So at that time I was happy to take any orders that came my way. I took orders for any all occassion cakes I could get; birthdays, retirement, anniversary, office party. I did early mornings in the kitchen making fresh cinnamon rolls or muffins for school kids. But as I begin to grow and was able to promote myself more I realized I have a true passion for creating custom wedding cakes. About five years ago I really began to focus more on the wedding side of the baking industry. I soon discovered there was a lack of really good wedding cake bakers in my area. I had found my focus, my niche you could say. The last two years 90% of my work has been in the wedding world. My passion is in meeting new clients and creating a cake just for that bride and groom. Using inspirations they have to create something special. Sometimes that is in the flavor of cake or the disign. I do a lot of research on up and coming trends. color palettes, styles, and of course new receipe develoment. Being a custom cake baker is just baking all day and frosting cakes. There is a lot research, web surfing, social media buzzes and such that keep you on top of the game. If a bride comes to me and says she wants a certain style I need to know what she is talking about and how to create that. I need to have looked at photos and videos of an upcoming trend before it hits the midwest. (sometimes we can a bit behind the curve here. LOL) I recently hosted my second Bridal Showcase in my small hometown. I had around 20 vendors that are all part of the wedding industy and about 50 people come through. I know it’s not a huge show, but it was a great show. Putting on events like this help to keep my name front and center in that wedding world. At the beginning of each new year I make a plan on how I want the year to go, how many weddings I want to book, how many new clients I hope to meet. This year I meet the goal on how many cakes I wanted to book for the year by mid January. I have exceeded my expectations for this year already. I am now focused on a new set of goals for growing. Part of my goal for this year is to launch a blog with a recipe catalog, cooking/baking tutorials and creating my own YouTube Channel. I had the opportunity to do a 12 part cooking show last fall and hope to grow from that.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Turning a “side gig” or hobby into a business is not for the faint of hear. I think the three biggest things that helped me become successful is the fact that I love a challenge. If someone tells me “you can’t do that” or “that’s not a good idea” it becomes my missin to prove them wrong. I want to be able to say “look what I did” and “what a great idea that turned out to be”. I think the thing behind loving challenge is the drive I have to be successful. I have a true passion for what I do and when I decide I want to do something I’m all in. There is no 50%, it’s 110% or nothing. I have a pretty determined mind set when it comes to things. I also have a very thick skin. I think this is the key to being able to do something when others are trying to tear you down. If I am being talked about it tells me, most of the time, that I am doing something right. I don’t let the jealousy of others stand in my way of reaching my goals.
When you are starting on a new journey the biggest thing I can tell someone is to believe in yourself. Trust your gut and follow your heart. And remember, it’s not a race all the time. Sometimes you do have to slow down and let the others clear out a bit. You don’t always have to be sprinting ahead. Building a business is about what is right for you. And sometimes you have to take a side road that is bumpy and not the prettiest to get to the next level. I have had plenty of sleepless nights, days of dirty dishes, missed lunches with friends and more. But now that I have to started to find success I am able to be a bit more “picky” about the jobs I take on and the hours I work. Just remember you must have a lot of grit and determination to build a business. It is not an overnight thing, it is not a “in a year” thing. It is a years of building, trying, losing, and getting back up. And then when you think you have found success it is setting the bar higher.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
The biggest area of growth for me in the past year is how I have been able to slow down on the small orders and really focus on wedding clients. I used to take every order I could get and when I decided a few years back I really wanted to focus on being a custom wedding cake baker it was hard for me to turn down other types of orders. I do love doing the occasional birthday, anniversary, retirement cake. I love the difference in design from a wedding cake. I like being able to use the bright colors and techniques not often seen on wedding cakes. But knowing I am able to really just focus on weddings and not have to fill in the gaps with smaller orders has been the biggest growth for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thesimplysweetbakery.com
- Instagram: simplysweetks
- Facebook: facebook.com/simplysweetkansas
