Meet Demi Johnson

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

Demi, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

I love creating. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved creating and making art as a way to express myself. However, one thing I love more than creating is sharing my creations with others.

I view creating food in the same way. I make baked goods and desserts as a way to express myself and my creativity, and I love sharing what I make with others and getting to see the joy on their face when they eat one of my desserts! That’s my motivation behind making my bakery a reality: The art of baking, the joy of sharing food, and feeding others!

It does get discouraging when a bake sale doesn’t go well, or when events don’t turn out the way I would hope, but my love for creation and my love for my bakery keeps me going and gets me through tough times!

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

During the weekdays, I work at a small graphics company as a Sales Representative. During my free time, I’m either working on my home bakery or I’m working on making glasses chains or art!

I’m always creating something to keep my hands and mind busy, so I’m usually crafting something if I’m not baking or drawing. I make and sell glasses chains and other accessories alongside my baked goods when I show up to events or Farmer’s Markets, so I usually sell whatever I can create!

I believe that’s what makes my bakery unique. I don’t try to fit in to what a bakery “should” be, but I try to operate my business as an extension of what I love and what I enjoy. Do you like baked goods and desserts? We have it! Do you want cute glasses chains or accessories? I can make it!

My bakery represents me and I represent my bakery. It really is an extension of me that I’m eager to share with the world!

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?

I’m still learning and trying to improve every single day. My journey is ongoing, so I can’t speak as if I’ve already reached success when I’m still on my way there. Still, flexibility, persistence, and being outgoing are a few things that have helped me throughout my journey up to this point!

It’s always important to be flexible. If you don’t know how to bend, you’ll break. Plans are constantly changing and opportunities can arise at unexpected moments, so being able to know how to switch gears, go with the flow, and seize opportunities whenever they come is very important!

Being persistent is also a good quality to have. Sometimes opportunities won’t arise unless you’re always out looking for them! Never giving up is arguably one of the most important qualities to have as a business owner, because tough times and rough spots can make someone give up if they’re not constantly trying. I know it’s difficult to stay persistent all the time, believe me, but it does pay off in the long run.

Lastly, being outgoing is a good quality to have. You have to be able to go out and get people to pay attention to your craft/business/passion, because they won’t know about it unless you make it know! Go out there and be loud and proud about your passions!

If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?

As someone who comes from a town in Deep East Texas, prejudice and racism still exists in the area. As a black woman, it is difficult trying to get others to support and boost your business when they don’t want you there to begin with. It’s not everyone, but it’s definitely noticible when you’re trying to sell something and the customer’s interest of the product turns into disgust when they see the color of the hands who made it. I try not to let this affect me, since there’s five customers for every one customer loss, but it still disturbs me that people let hate keep them from trying new things and supporting others.

However, I do believe that there is still good out there. There are people who are very supportive despite my race, and there are people who uplift me when others try to put me down. I’m very grateful to those who support and believe in me despite those who try to put me down, so I’ll keep my head up and keep trying to make my dream a reality!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: MoondropCafeandBakery
• Facebook: MoondropCafeandBakery