We were lucky to catch up with Whitney Crowder recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Whitney, great to have you with us today and excited to have you share your wisdom with our readers. Over the years, after speaking with countless do-ers, makers, builders, entrepreneurs, artists and more we’ve noticed that the ability to take risks is central to almost all stories of triumph and so we’re really interested in hearing about your journey with risk and how you developed your risk-taking ability.
Sometimes you take a leap and sometimes you’re pushed. When it came to going all in with my baking business, Sugar & Bite, I was definitely pushed. And the culprit was Covid. I was working as a bartender and pastry chef in New York City, while I initially started my side baking business, and then everything came to a stop. Both of my main sources of income were gone and suddenly I had no choice but to focus solely on Sugar & Bite. To my surprise it took off–largely in part due to the brick and mortar bakeries being closed and there being a huge demand for cakes and the like. That summer of 2020, I moved back to my home-state of CA, and I had a choice: pick up where I left off before covid, or trust that I could have a thriving business if I jumped all in. I decided to take the risk and I soon found more success than I ever had. I realized letting fear of failure keep you one foot in, one foot out, will rarely get you to where you want to be, and that if I wanted to build my business, I would have to take more than a few leaps along the way.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I started my professional career off as a pastry chef, and quickly realized I wanted to do something less repetitive and more focused on the artistry side. Though I love to (and do) make a wide variety of baked goods, my passion is cake design, and has become the focus of Sugar & Bite. To me, of all the edible mediums, it is by far the most creative. There’s nothing like dreaming up a design and running with it. I love to challenge myself by constantly learning new techniques, because that’s the fun of it–to constantly evolve as an artist. And that’s really how I see myself, an artist. I used to shy away from that word, but embracing it has allowed me to find a more daring and creative side to my designs.
A customer chooses to order from a boutique bakery because they want something special, something different, and I always want to live up to those expectations. In fact, I want to go far beyond them.
I dedicate hours, or at times days, to each cake I make because I want it to be a piece of art, crafted with love, specifically for someone. I want it to look even better than it tastes. And it’s gonna taste good (she said so humbly). After all, it’s cake–it better be delicious.
I will say, I have a soft spot for children’s cakes and 3D carved cakes. They are so much fun to create because I get to literally carve and mold the cake like clay. Also, because they do take days to design, I get almost attached to the cake, which makes it even more special presenting it to someone. Over the last couple of years, that side of the business has definitely grown and it’s becoming more and more of my focus, I’m happy to report.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Systematizing, confidence, and curiosity.
On a practical note, having a system is key. It took me a very long time to understand this, and I still struggle with it at times. But finding a system of how to work smarter not harder has helped my business grow exponentially. It’s very easy to fall into a bottle neck pattern, and stepping back to look at what is working and what isn’t is crucial.
Having confidence in what you do and the value you provide is maybe the most important thing to hold on to, in my opinion. In particular with luxury businesses, like a boutique bakery, it can be difficult to remember that your products deserve, and have to be, priced for the time it takes to create them.
And beyond that, have confidence in your ability. When faced with a challenge, don’t run. Remember you are capable of far more than you can imagine. All you have to do is try.
Stay Curious. The most fun thing about being in a creative field is that you get to continue to learn and evolve. For a baker, social media is gold. Why? Because I have access to learn from millions of different bakers around the world. Seeing something new excites me because I can’t wait to try it, and in return, be that for someone else. Stay curious. Keep moving. And you’ll never get bored.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
When I turned 25, my partner, Adam, gave me a copy of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and since then, I read it once a year, because every time I do, it reminds me I am capable of anything, and that the Universe is on my side.
There are more than a few nuggets of wisdom in The Alchemist, but I’d say one of the most powerful, and one I’ve come to embrace more this year than any, is the idea that your intuition is when you tap into the soul of the Universe, and following your gut can lead you to where you were meant to be. I certainly feel like it’s where it led me.
Contact Info:
- Website: sugarandbite.com
- Instagram: @sugarandbite
Image Credits
All photos were taken by Adam Hardman except for one (titled Alice Cake) which was taken by Sarah Deane Photography.
