We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Acuarius Barreto a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Acuarius, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I lived many years wondering what the purpose of life was. For a while in my early 20’s I really thought that finding God was the answer, yet the more I looked for God the less things made sense and it became difficult to believe in God even though I really wanted to. I would look at the sky as I grabbed the straps of my backpack tightly. I went from one classroom to another at my campus in MSU Denver feeling as though my life was meaningless. I was studying marketing at that time and as I listened to the lectures about “convincing people that they need something they do not need” I wondered what my life had come to. So I would work hard and beat the ground and then die one day and thats it? My memory would then later disappear from those whom I loved and life would go on as if in a dream… I had no idea what to think of life anymore and I felt extremely lost. One day a sweet girl named Sophia Bang stopped me on campus and invited me to a beautiful bible study about God the Mother. I was intrigued as I had never heard of this before but I was too busy to make the time for it. Still those words remained in my heart and mind full of curiosity. A year later as I was in the midst of an existential crisis I was stopped by two girls who also mentioned God the Mother. At this point my curiosity got the best of me and I agreed to go to a bible study. Skeptical, science minded, and arrogant I argued with every interpretation but to my surprise they showed me everything in the bible. I was amazed and I slowly began to believe that God did in fact actually exist. I learned about the veil, the Sabbath Day, Passover, Heaven, but most importantly who God is. Anyone can know God exists but who can know the heart of God? At the World Mission Society Church of God I learned my purpose in life, I learned how to love, how to consider others, humility, perseverance, forgiveness, self control, empathy, acts of service, and so much more. I realized that my purpose in life is to use my God given talents to display Gods glory regardless of where I was in life. My church leaders and the brothers and sisters truly inspired me to be the best version of myself. At this moment in my life God has permitted me to have a business and to share my creativity through my desserts. I love God and I did not find my purpose in life but God made it clear to me for which I am thankful for. Regardless of what I do, I believe that God will allow me to prosper if it is Gods will and if I make my efforts.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Hello, I own a small baking business called Frost Bite Bakery LLC. Professionally, I am working on creating more brand awareness and spreading the word on what I do. I make custom cakes and desserts and specialize in bite size desserts. I call my mini desserts “Frost Bites”.
I have been baking for most of my life and doing art most of my life but I did not register my business until June 06, 2024. I think that the most exciting thing about my business is that I am a baby biz who just started out! I am still working on perfecting my menu options and business model but all I know is that I make my desserts with love, care, and a unique touch.
My desserts come in special shapes, colors, and unique flavors making them stand out! If you love trying new things then my baked goods are for you! I make cake pops, muffins, baby cakes, custom cakes, and cake push pops.
If you catch me at a vendor event I have free dessert for a follow on instagram and tiktok!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The personality quality of perseverance, the skill of creativity, and the knowledge of networking are what I believe are the most impactful.
According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, perseverance is defined as: The quality of continuing to make an effort to achieve a goal, even when faced with difficulties and delays.
According to ChatGPT perseverance is defined as: The continued effort to achieve something or overcome difficulties, despite challenges, failures, or obstacles. It reflects determination and persistence in pursuing a goal over time, even when the process is difficult or progress is slow.
And according to the Merriam- Webster Dictionary perseverance is defined as: The act of continuing to try to achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition. It can also be defined as the condition of being steadfast.
Finally, according to me, perseverance is the belief that anything is possible because if there is a will there is a way.
What I am trying to say about perseverance is that no matter what you do in life, you will always find yourself with difficulties, failures, disappointment, etc. These types of obstacles cannot be the reason to stop trying. It, of course, is easier said than done. The bible says that we much be thankful in all circumstances and give thanks always and this is something I put into practice every day even if it’s for the things we take for granted like breathing, seeing colors, being able to walk, etc. Some days are harder than others, some days you want to quit and give up, some days you feel sad for no reason, some days you do great! But we cannot allow ourselves to stop because of an emotion that will soon fade away. So once you have set your mind and heart on a goal just know why you’re doing what you are doing and on the hard days remember to keep going.
I believe the skill of creativity is very important for any new endeavor. This world is full of rules and norms but life is rarely so black and white. Having the ability to be creative when it’s easy to fall into a comfort zone or in a day to day routine is actually terrifying. Creativity is going into the unknown and coming up with something new with what you know. I love being creative in an artistic kind of way but creativity does not fall short in only the category of art. Any business venture requires the scary step to put your creativity to work. In my business I have to be creative in my marketing, my business website, the way I dress at events, dessert designs, flavors, etc. I love taking risks and trying new flavors and new designs! It not only keeps things interesting but it also keeps others intrigued! It is an amazing thing when people fall in love with what you love and created!
Finally the knowledge of networking is extremely important. There is a saying “It is not what you know but who you know”. This saying holds much truth as opportunities are usually snagged by a trusted peer, family member, or friend. I really believe that I am an introverted extrovert. I love socializing and meeting people and hearing peoples stories but if you ask my closest friends and family members you will find that I spend a lot of my free time alone, leave social gatherings early, or disappear in the middle of the gathering for a while and then come back. I life to describe myself as a cat. I come out when I want to and hide when I want to. I mention this because when people think of networking they think of extroverted people or social butterflies. I believe the most important aspect of networking is reaching the heart of others and sincerely connecting with others. I know that the corporate ladder is usually run by those who step on others to benefit themselves. I, however, learned in the bible that the way to connect and gain others is through humility and servitude. Everyone wants to feel important, seen, valued, heard, respected, and loved. No one likes to feel controlled nor feel used for their benefit. I try my best to make my interactions sincere and have genuine connections. The reason I do this is because I feel that those relationships are much more valuable than any other. It of course is hurtful when people think they can take advantage of you but this is where healthy boundaries are important. I believe a true networking skill is one where two or more parties genuinely want to help one another and see each-other succeed even exceed you- when someone else’s success is also your success. When you really show someone you care like this and build trust- that person will never forget you.
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 love this question, I honestly would say that it depends on the circumstance and situation. Answering this question in an objective perspective I would say that one needs to know their own strengths and nurture these strengths and then turn and work with others who can work along side you with other strengths. This is true cooperation and a great way to bring growth, trust, and compatibility with working with others. A person who wants to do it all can never do anything right and will spend a lot of time doing bits and pieces and never truly accomplish as much.
Take for example my business, my older sister Venus Barreto really admires the work that I do and is even afraid to touch my final product in fear that she will mess it up. She does not understand how I have the patience to decorate each and every one of my mini desserts nor how I come up with my recipes. A few days before my first event I was overwhelmed with baking and decorating and she wanted to help me but was not sure how. Instead of trying to go hands in on my desserts she decided to help me create some labels as she is good at graphic design and also helped me with cleaning. She felt as though she did not do much to help me but for me it was a humungous help. This, to me is true team work and cooperation. My sister knows that baking and decorating are not her forte but she knew how to design a sign for me and knows how to clean. Like this we could combine forces and work together!
Yet, looking at it in another perspective I also believe that being well rounded is valuable. However, being well rounded takes a tremendous amount of time and patience and effort.
When I first started my business I wanted to be like a one stop shop for all baked goods! You can request any flavor, any shape, any design! The idea sounded amazing until someone ordered Hello Kitty Conchas… I took on the order thinking that I could do anything as long as I YouTubed it right? WRONG. Making the Conchas in itself was a whole new adventure and process that is much different to making muffins. Long story short, I did not sleep that night slaving away in the kitchen trying to make these conchas only to fail. I tried a couple more times and failed again and found that I was wasting precious time, resources, and energy in something I simply was not ready for. I also tried making steamed buns, which I have made in the past, but when I let the dough sit to rise I got busy and forgot about it. Thinking that the dough would be fine after 2 days of letting it rise and rest the dough was not as workable and my steamed buns all cracked. Here was another example of realizing that I cannot do everything! I tried donuts and it was also not a huge success. I came to realize that I just cannot do everything even if I wanted to. I decided I would slowly reduce my menu to desserts that sold more, desserts I enjoyed making, and desserts that I was good at. Once I have perfected my menu and menu options I plan to maybe add something else but I do not want to over do it again. For now my menu consists of muffins, cupcakes and cakes to order, cookie kits to order, cakes, cake push pops, and cake pops. For vendor events I just take what I can and try not to stress over what I was not able to make. So maybe be well rounded in a selected amount of things and accept when something is just out of reach. Another thing I came to realize is that it is better when you allow others to grow alongside you rather than wanting to do everything and be the best at everything. Now I would rather work with other vendors who are experts in other areas instead of suffering trying to get something right. This way everyone is happy!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.Frost-Bite-Bakery.com
- Instagram: @FrostBiteBakeryLtd
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrostBiteBakeryLtd
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/frost-bite-bakery-denver-2
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
