Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Celinda Damiana Cruz-Arce. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Celinda Damiana, 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?
I get my resilience from my familia and clients. I love how I grew up around genuine love, loyalty and respect. Everyone in my family has their own story to share and I carry a piece of each of them in my heart. I always get excited when someone asks me “what motivated you to start your own baking business?” I never hesitate to share my family’s story because it’s one of my favorites to share! For as long as I can remember, growing up I would see my whole family sell different merchandise, clean houses or sell food out of our home to make extra money. I remember when I was 9 years old, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to my father’s homeland with my older sister. Mexico City is such a beautiful place. The food, the music, the people are so loving and sooo welcoming. I remember never wanting to come back. We would wake up at 7-8 in the morning with my family to go help them set up their puesto. My family has different puestos in Mexico City where they sell candy, toys, clothes, smoking accessories and different merchandise. Something I would never forget is falling in love with the hustle and selling out my grandmothers table every holiday. Valentine’s Day and Christmas was the busiest times of the year. My cousins, sister and I would walk around selling the balloons until we sold out. This motivated me to want to start something out here in the states. Look at what we have created so far familia!
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a Latina Baker and Floral Designer born and raised in Highland Park, Los Angeles. I specialize in custom birthday cakes, gourmet treats, dessert tables and custom floral arrangements for any special occasion. My bakery/floral business is known to be OVER THE TOP when it comes to my floral arrangements, custom cakes and gourmet treats. All of my desserts are freshly handmade everyday. I use only the best quality ingredients when it comes to my chocolate, edible glitters, packaging and anything I use in general for my business. I do all my research and test out certain items before I put them on my menu just because I would never recommend or sell something that is not Cellys Sweets approved. Some of my BEST SELLING items on the menu are the mini cakes, cake pops, stuffed cheesecake mazapan strawberries and our extra decorated birthday cakes.
I started baking when I was seven years old. I was always determined to make someone’s day more special. Over the years, I started to make my friends birthday cakes and custom floral arrangements for my family members. I later came out with this crazy idea to start my own baking/floral business. I remember when my university got shut down, I didn’t have a choice but to start my business. The second week I got out of school it was time to execute my business and start taking pre-orders for Valentine’s Day before it was too late. I didn’t have a business page at the time nor did I want to make one because I wasn’t even sure if this is what I really wanted to do. I started taking pre-orders through my personal social media accounts, my moms Facebook and my sisters social media accounts. I wasn’t really keeping track of the amount of orders I was getting because I didn’t think it would be that many until a week before I counted out 150 pre-orders. I was completely shocked and didn’t believe it because I was afraid that nobody would order. This didn’t stop me from making sure I got all the supplies for all the orders and staying in contact with all my clients. I do have to say that running a business is all about taking risks. My family supporting and recommending my business has definitely played a big role in my business because there has been times where I don’t know how to do a certain dessert or arrangement that a client asks me and I teach myself or have my family help until it’s perfect just to make sure the clients are satisfied with their order. I can either fail until I get it right or lose a client. I remember when I posted my first birthday cake back in 2021 everyone started to message me how much I charge for birthday cakes and the different flavors I offer. I did my first birthday cake for my cousins 7th birthday. Little did I know I would be adding cakes to my menu and now be doing baby shower cakes, wedding cakes and quince cakes. Take those risks or you’ll lose the chance to be great.
We are currently in 2 restaurants in Los Angeles, we got a recognition from the state for our business and we recently hosted an open poetry night which we sold out. We had 4 amazing speakers and 8 poets who shared their poetry. It was an amazing event. Everyone loved it so much that they are asking for more events. We will be having another event in May.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back the three important areas of knowledge I always keep in mind are scared money doesn’t make you any money, time management is very important and remember you’re always doing what you love.
When I first started my business back in 2020, I was fresh out of college and scared to waste my money on things that would not bring me more income. I was stuck between wanting to go party or wanting to start a business. I remember having to quit one of my jobs because my lecture halls were making me miss work a lot. This became an issue with my expenses so I had the crazy idea to create the flyer on Canva. My biggest advice is to not be afraid to invest in yourself and your business because it will be the best thing ever.
Time management is also very important when you’re running your own business. It is important to have a planner and calendar to keep track of all of your clients lists, inventory, pre-orders, content and business expenses. It is very important to keep track of all of your expenses from the moment you start your business because you can later deduct certain things you use for your business. For example, you can deduct your business meals, office space, cell phone bill, etc. It is very important to keep track of everything from the start so, you’re not struggling later on.
It is also important to keep track of all of your orders and clients. You do not want to forget about an order last minute.
Last but not least, make sure you’re doing what you love: You want to wake up happy and with the positive energy of wanting to go to work. When I wake up. I wake up excited to go into my kitchen and create and amazing arrangement or cake for my clients. It makes me happy knowing that my dessert is going to be eaten by the end of the night. My pastry is going to make someone’s birthday extra special. This is why I do what I do. Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
I honestly feel deep down in my heart that my family and the community I have built over the years on my platform is what has helped me overcome challenges needed to be successful over the years. When I first started this baking/floral business, I was afraid that people in the same industry would not want to see me succeed. I was definitely wrong because the people that I have met along the way and all the people I continue to work with on the daily basis are amazing. It is important to surround yourself with loyal, respectful, responsible, independent , and open minded individuals. If you want to learn new things It is important to keep in mind that other businesses are not afraid to show you.
Something I have always struggled with growing up is asking for help and imposter syndrome. I am the second oldest out of 5 wonderful sisters. It has definitely been a battle overcoming my business, school and personal life. Let me tell you that my sisters play a huge role in keeping my business and life together. I don’t think I thank them enough but I love the friendship we have created over the years. The age gaps are definitely a huge difference but we make it work. I love you sissy’s! The world is ours!
Our family with their puestos in the streets of Mexico City and our family with their business our here in Los Angeles are very proud of how far we have come so far. Started from the bottom now we here 🇲🇽
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cellys_sweets/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100050647981753
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/cellyssweets?lang=en
Image Credits
@cellys_sweets
