Meet Terina J. Hicks, Mpm

We recently connected with Terina J. Hicks, Mpm and have shared our conversation below.

Terina J., thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

First and foremost, my resilience comes from my Lord, Savior Jesus Christ. Without Him I can do nothing. It is in Him that I move, live and have my being. Secondly, I drew a lot of strength from my mother. I watched her as I was growing up the things that she endured. Never, having know her mother because died five days after her birth. Her dad remarried and never raised her, so she was bounced around from home to home. I watched her how she stayed in a marriage to a man, my dad, who was an alcoholic for as long as I can remember. It was her prayers that sustained her. It was her prayers, that my father turned his life around. It was her prayers in which I saw the God move on her behalf. So, it was her example that has made me the person that I am today. Therefore, all that I endure, personally and professionally, I know that I can overcome what may seem like insurmountable odds because of the example she set before me.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am the owner of CobblerWorld Baked Goods. We are a company that is bringing back the nostalgic confections and introducing them to a new generation. Products like coconut cream pies, pineapple upside down cakes, lemon meringue, banana pudding, to name a few. However, we also put our own unique spin on the traditional confections. Making things like chocolate mousse cheesecake, cherry chocolate chip mini bundts, and we make a sweet potato shortcake that will one forget about the strawberry shortcake.

Two of our products are in three local grocery stores and they are looking to expand our product line into all of their stores. However, that is where a co-packer is needed. There is no way humanly possible to fulfill the demands of some many stores. We will be meeting with a co-packing company in February to see if they fit the bill.

Additionally, we opened our second location in December, CobblerWorld Cafe Grab ‘n Go. We serve breakfast and lunch daily. I work with some of my chef colleagues/friends to showcase some of their products as well.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Three qualities, skills or areas of knowledge that are imperative is that one must possess boldness. As an entrepreneur one cannot be shy, afraid to ask questions because that will cause one to become stagnant and stunt any and all growth.

Having mentors and peer mentors is extremely important to provide insight and guidance. They can see things from a different perspective because oftentimes we are too close and cannot see what it is that others see.

Finally, to become an expert in your field one should have some understanding and education in that field. So, reading is fundamental as they used to say back in my day. Learning how others overcame hurdles and what pitfalls they avoided. How they grew they company to where it is today. There are plenty of business/inspirational books available to help a person grow and learn.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

I know that is is better to go all in on the strengths that we possess. Trying to do it all on your own is futile! No one can be an expert in everything, which is why you surround yourself with others who possess the strengths that you do not. For example, if my greatest strength is in building websites and not keeping the books, I need to hire an accountant for that need. If I am skilled in fundraising and not IT, I need to hire a tech person.

You always want to hire and bring on board those who are smarter than you. Why, because you never want to be the smartest person in the room. Bring individuals on board who are experts in their fields! That is the way you build a team and a company that can grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cobblerworld.com
• Instagram: @CobblerWorld
• Facebook: @CobblerWorldllc
• Linkedin: Terina J. Hicks
• Youtube: CobblerWorld
• Yelp: CobblerWorld
• Other: TikTok @CobblerWorld