We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shauntise Weeks. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shauntise below.
Shauntise , we’ve been so fortunate to work with so many incredible folks and one common thread we have seen is that those who have built amazing lives for themselves are also often the folks who are most generous. Where do you think your generosity comes from?
Wow! This is an amazing question. In the past 4/5 years I went through some of my darkest moments with 2019 and 2022 being some of the toughest years. In 2019 I started TUCF full time and moved my family into my mom’s basement. Then in 2022 we moved out the basement and was living from hotel to hotel. I felt completely broken and defeated. I literally felt like I was drowning. But God always had a way to show us he is Always there. One time we only had $20 dollars to our name. We was trying to spend 10 on food and put 10 in our Jeep . There was a guy at the gas station that needed a jump. Well, we thought our jeep is in no shape to jump anyone car. We were very hesitant and he kept saying I’ll pay you please. So my husband gave him a jump and he tried to pay us and we said no thank you. He insisted and he ended up giving us $40. We had $20 for food, $20 for gas, and an extra $20 to save. So it’s little things like that, that would happen to us that would make us reconsider how hard life was.
Now that things are better it’s much easier to be generous. It was other people’s generosity that helped my family and I get out of our dark space. My generosity comes from my heart, it comes from God.
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?
Contrary to our name, “The Ugly Cake Factory,” our cupcakes and cakes are actually very appealing! We are a small family ran business out of Washington D.C. Started by Shauntise Weeks, who was inspired by her late grandmother Roseann Gray.
Shauntise is a native of Washington, D.C. She graduated with her Bachelor’s in Community Health Education focusing on HIV in the Minority Community. After graduating, she landed what seemed to be her dream job at Whitman-Walker Health doing HIV Research in 2016. In 2019,Shauntise decided to leave her job to focus on her rapidly growing business The Ugly Cake Factory. The Ugly Cake Factory is known for its soft “melt in your mouth” cupcakes. TUCF specializes in cupcakes that are topped with fresh berries, cookies, or premium candies.TUCF prides itself on flavor, texture, and presentation. TUCF also guarantees great customer service!
“We are home to Thee Best Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes”
Our Mission Statement: Connecting Beautiful People Through The Power Of Joy, Kindness, & Cupcakes!
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?
-Self Awareness – Determination
– Effective Communication
– You have to be self aware of your strengthens and weaknesses. You need to do self reflection and evaluate yourself. Come up with a plan to better you everyday. Humble yourself.
– All the odds will be against you but you have to stay 10 toes down and be determined to never give up! It’s no easy way or quick way! Just do the work, Pray, and keep going!
-We have to learn how to communicate what we want respectfully in business, we must be able to listen to wisdom and network
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
My biggest growth or improvement is to be more Intentional! I can be a procrastinator especially when I feel overwhelmed not realizing my procrastination is the root of my anxiety. So now I just get it done and be intentional about getting things done.
Contact Info:
- Website: Theuglycakefactorydc.com
- Instagram: Theuglycakefactoryllc
- Youtube: @thefactoryfamily4668
- Other: [email protected]
