Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Malina Lee. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Malina, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome is something I think a lot of people in creative industries struggle with. In particular, in the baking world there is so many great ideas at our fingertips that I think it is easy to compare yourself to others. I learned that in order to stand out and be successful I needed to be confident in my business and my talents, that confidence in myself allowed my clients to have confidence in me and my ability to bring their visions to life.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Sweet Grace started as my daydream. I was unhappy in my career and would often find myself daydreaming about doing something creative that made people happy. I can truly say that Sweet Grace is my dream come true. Being a Native Hawaiian woman, it was always important to me that I honor my culture and my people by discovering what I love and chasing after that. It has been my honor to work hard and grow Sweet Grace into the thriving business it is today.
Sweet Grace is shifting gears and focusing more on large events like weddings, corporate events, and private classes. We specialize in doing large custom cakes, desserts tables, logo cookies, and private cookie or cupcake classes We still offer custom desserts for every event no matter the size but have found a true passion in creating desserts for weddings and business events. Our private classes are the newest addition to Sweet Grace and it combines my love for teaching with my love for baking. Private cookie or cupcake classes are completely customized to your event and are perfect for events like birthday parties, corporate retreats, team bonding, and private parties.
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 believe the 3 most important qualities any small business owner must possess are a willingness to work hard, passion for your field, and a genuine care for your clientele. The best advice I can offer anyone who is early on in their business is to focus on the quality of their products and their customer service. Successful small businesses are all about setting yourself apart from your competition and being someone that your clients can trust. Consistency is a key to developing that trust. I also remind everyone that people talk, and when they talk about you it needs to be positive. Thats the key to gaining consistent clientele and growing your business. If you want people to talk about your business positively then you need to focus on making every interaction with your customers a good one.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Sweet Grace is always open to future collaborations especially on our TikTok. Ideal collaborations would be companies and brand who could be seamlessly integrated into our existing series. Those brands could be baking brands, apparel brands, audio companies, or local San Antonio companies. Although, Sweet Grace is open to any collaborations. If you would like to learn more about our TikTok please find us @sweetgrace.sa. To reach out for future collaborations please email us at sweetgrace.sa@gmail.com
Contact Info:
- Website: sweetgracesa.com
- Instagram: @sweetgrace.sa
- Facebook: @sweetgrace.sa
- Other: TikTok: @sweetgrace.sa
