We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kim Sims and Heather Brookshire a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kim and Heather, so great to have you on the platform and excited to have you share your wisdom with our community today. Communication skills often play a powerful role in our ability to be effective and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your communication skills.
As a partnership, great communication between us is absolutely necessary. When we started out, we came in with many ideas and a willingness to be flexible in our ideas and let the business take its own direction.
When we started teaching cookie classes together, we had only known each other about 6 months, but a deep friendship was developing. We were both bakers in the same area, and would help each other in our respective kitchens. We started supporting each other and networking together. Community over competition is our motto. After a few months we did a cake sculpting class, and found out we worked really well together. The cake was cohesive and both our talents had made something amazing. Because of the support and respect we had shown each other, and the success of our own businesses, we decided to try partnering together to teach classes.
To begin, we sat down and laid everything out including roles, availability and pay. We agreed to a plan and agreed to always be open about any concerns or needs. We agreed on 2 classes to see how things went, and we haven’t stopped. Once we had a good flow, we decided to give the classes its own entity, which allowed us to seperate classes from our own bakery businesses. This helped strengthen our partnership and secured our endeavors.
Throughout our partnership the key for our communication has been openness and respect. We came into the endeavor with an open mind, and willingness for failure. We are not afraid to voice our thoughts and concerns to one another, and are brave enough to ask each other for help when we need it. This extends to our own personal lives as well. Whether it’s celebrating Heather being on the Food network, or Kim stress crying about her newest business, we are there for each other.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourselves and what you’re working on?
What started as Kim asking Heather to meetup over coffee, has turned into a unique sugar filled experience for the community. Not only will you learn the basics of cookie decorating, you get access to 2 local professional bakers who specialize in different areas of the baking world.
These two bakers were brought together through the love of cookies, and want to share that joy with others. Our passion for the art is shown through our enjoyment of teaching others. Bakers are all about community.
People that attend classes are usually not looking to become a baker themselves, but create sweet memories. We have had couples, parents and children, girl friends, multigenerational families, and more. For us, cookie classes are just fun! We love watching people who have never picked up a piping bag, and create something they are proud of. With us, you’re not going to get just a step by step class, but a party full of silly jokes and lots of laughter.
The Woodlands Cookie Classes has at least one monthly event, with private classes scattered through the year. In classes, attendees learn everything from the dough to the icing and beyond. Everyone participates in step by step decorating, and leaves with their own works of art and resources to use in their own kitchens. So far, all the classes have been carefully curated for beginners and novices alike, but there is talk of more advanced classes in the future. We are currently working on a digital class all about royal icing, the key to cute decorated sugar cookies.
Coming this Summer, we will have a new permanent class location. We are very excited that we will be able to have even more class options, and also the possibility of different days and times.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
As a partnership, we have found success by playing to our skills and experience. Kim minored in graphic design and has a lot of digital experience, while Heather started her baking career by working in a commercial bakery. Because of this, Kim works on the digital side of the business, while Heather does all the physical preparations for classes. Splitting up responsibilities and having clear roles has made our working relationship simple and successful.
We also have a great understanding of marketing and have similar business practices and ideals. These skills were easily translated to our partnership. We don’t always agree on everything, but we give and take and are willing to compromise. We also respectfully listen to each other’s ideas, and talk through possibilities to come up with the best solution.
Lastly, we are actively involved with our community of local bakers. We are involved with many different groups in our area that promote community over competition. We believe we should lift up other women and small businesses. We are all working towards our dreams, and there is enough out there for everyone.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
Because of our success this past year, we solidified the business by acquiring an official partnership. We have found our groove, and our process has become second nature. We stress less than we did when we started, and play more than “work.” We have been able to look at our data and make changes to better our attendees’ experience. When something doesn’t land like we thought, we were able to quickly strike it out without pride getting in the way. We have been changing with the business and letting the flow lead us to where we need to go.
Contact Info:
- Website: Thewoodlandscookieclasses.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.woodlands.cookie.classes/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The.Woodlands.Cookie.Classes
- Other: Google- https://g.co/kgs/dYnCMsE
Image Credits
Twisted Oak Photography
