We recently connected with Keisha Gaines and have shared our conversation below.
Keisha, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
It would be a lie to say that I overcame imposter syndrome, but I am actively working on getting better with that issue. I think this is something that a lot of entrepreneurs deal with it especially black women. We tend to feel like we don’t measure up because we are comparing ourselves to someone else’s journey and just not feeling like we belong in some spaces. A big catalyst with me dealing with imposter syndrome was getting accepted into the prestigious Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women: Black In Business program. I was chosen out of many applicants to be a part of this amazing program that gave us the knowledge and support we needed to scale our businesses. It was in one of our sessions at Goldman Sachs Headquarters in NYC that I felt that oh so familiar feeling that I didn’t belong here. All I kept hearing from the speakers is that I was chosen to be here and that I belonged in that space. It took the reassurance of these amazing, accomplished women that spoke to plant that seed to change my mindset. Also, many conversations with my business advisor, Kathey Porter, during the program also helped because she encouraged me that I got this and that I have a million-dollar business! It was life changing hearing all those women for 10 weeks speak life into me and my business. Now I’m a lot more confident because I know I belong in whatever room I find myself in. I know who I am and who’s I am. God gave me this gift of creating cake art and this business, so I plan on walking in that confidence that no matter other’s opinions of me or any doubts I have of myself, there is bigger purpose on my life.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Keisha Cakes is a luxury custom cake and cupcake company providing dope, delicious, unique cakes for any and every occasion. We bring customers’ visions to life and elevate their events with a show-stopping, edible centerpiece. Our creations are the wow factor at every celebration we have been a part of. Not only do our cakes look great but they taste amazing too. What excites me is the opportunity to utilize my artistic skills to create beautifully crafted cake art, that helps to bring joy to people’s lives. I exceed expectations by going above and beyond for every order with the extra effort we put into including personal details.
Our products include custom cakes, cupcakes, banana pudding and cake decorating classes. We pride ourselves on great customer service, delivering to our customers their dream cakes and providing creative, unique techniques and details. I’m so proud to have been a baking contestant on Netflix’s Sugar Rush season 1 episode 8, interviewed on WPTV live news, featured in articles, created cakes for major brands and most recently became an American Cake Awards 2023 people’s choice finalist!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three qualities that have been the most impactful to me in my journey are persistence, humility, and being intentional with prioritizing my self-care. First, I say persistence because it’s definitely a hard road being an entrepreneur especially to keep going even when things don’t work out or I’ve failed in any way. The love and passion for what I do is a major motivation factor. God has provided and continues to provide opportunities that I could never imagine, so anytime I’ve felt like giving up he sends me another blessing to encourage me to keep going. It’s also important to stay humble. I feel like that is the way that I continue to improve, grow and learn from my mistakes. I don’t know it all so I will be forever learning as much as I can. Food and art are two subjective things, so I know I can’t please 100% of my customers all the time. But I still put my all into every order, so I know I’ve done my best. Also, no matter how successful I become I will always keep myself humble. No big heads over here.
And finally, I’ve learned to prioritize my self-care. For me that meant to spend time working on myself through therapy. Knowing that my worth is not in just what I do or what I can do for others but who I am as a person. Taking that time has also improved my ability to be vulnerable, use my voice and to better understand others. This has helped me tremendously in my personal life as well as business. I’ve learned an important lesson, don’t just invest in your business but also invest back in yourself. You can’t pour from an empty cup.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
My biggest area of growth in the past year has been my confidence. My confidence as a business owner and as a woman overall. I’m ready to take more chances because I’m not so afraid to fail. The ability to bounce back after any trials or disappointments has been easier for me to handle. If I try something and it doesn’t work out, then it’s ok to feel disappointed but now I don’t sit in those feelings for a long time. I feel all the feels then I move on to the next task or idea. Also, the ability to stop putting so much pressure on myself. No one has been harder on me than myself. I will show myself grace and lift myself up instead of constantly speaking negativity to myself. I truly thank God for changing how I see and process different areas in my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.keishacakes.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keishacakesllc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KeishaCakes/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keisha-gaines-6a377836/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/keisha-cakes-boynton-beach
