We were lucky to catch up with Dee Williams recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Dee, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
My mother and grandmother taught me to work hard to achieve my goals in life. I was born in Oakland, Ca and raised in the bay area in the 80’s- early 2000’s. During that time the bay area was very fast paced and most of my peers and I had to grow up pretty fast due to the circumstances of our environment. By the time I was in High School, I already experienced certain situations that most young adults haven’t even gone through yet.
Growing up as an only child in a single parent household, my mother worked very hard; at times 2 jobs to make sure we had a stable life. We moved around a lot throughout my childhood, but she made sure that each place we lived in was better than the last. There were times that we struggled, but she always made sure that I was always kept out of harms way. She instilled in me that you have to work hard for what you want, and get through tough times by keeping your “head in the game.” My mother taught me it’s ok to cry and feel emotional when life can overwhelm you, but after you have that moment of sadness, you have dry your tears and keep going, that’s the only way you can succeed in life. That wisdom she had was passed down to her by my grandmother.
My grandmother and grandfather had 8 children and raised them all in a small 2 bedroom house in one of the roughest neighborhoods in Oakland. Both of them made sure that each of their children had a good education and the ability to be self sufficient once they reached adulthood. I was taught the same thing, more from my grandmother since my grandfather passed away when I was 5.
Every lesson that I’ve learned from both of them, I used throughout my life. Every job that I have had, I made sure I worked hard at it. Now that I am a small business owner, the same work ethic applies. It’s been some very hard times, I’ve even experienced self doubt and lack of motivation, but I always remember the wisdom from my mother and grandmother to continue to strive for excellence.
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?
I am owner of Elegant Impressions Bakery, an home/online bakery and dessert catering company in Moreno Valley California. I offer macarons, cupcakes and dessert tables for special occasions. I have been operating my home baking business since 2014 which I started part-time while working in corporate. In 2020 during the pandemic, I was laid off and I was able to pursue my baking business full time.
As a home baker, my customers are extremely vital for my business and I have met some really awesome people throughout the years. It’s exciting to help people celebrate their occasions with desserts and bring joy to their lives. I have built my business around excellent customer service and going above and beyond for everyone who supports my business.
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?
Three qualities that I have learned throughout my life is discipline, self accountability, and resilience. When you are disciplined, you will be able to keep yourself from making repetitive mistakes, and use the mistakes as learning lessons. To improve self accountability and resilience, you have to own up to negative situations you may have put yourself in and be strong enough to move forward with your life.
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
Anyone who has a small business who offers products, knows that inflation is hitting us hard right now. I am experiencing a financial hardship due to the lack of sales and rising cost of basically everything. This is the first time in my business where I am struggling to make ends meet and keep operations moving. Even though I am facing this financial hardship, I have to keep a positive mindset and look for ways to generate multiple streams of income in my business.
I recently purchased an online class that will teach me how to generate more sales, and improve my presence on social media. I also have plans on teaching baking classes to supplement income when I am not busy with customer orders. Owning a business and working for myself has been a long time dream of mine and I refuse to give up. Instead of feeling depressed and defeated, I have to keep faith that I will make it through this dark time.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.elegantimpressionsbakery.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/elegantimpressionsbakery
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/elegantimpressionsbakery
- Yelp: www.yelp.com/elegantimpressionsbakery
