Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniela Zographos.
Hi Daniela, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
In 2007 I started my career in Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, NC. I had a dream to pursue a life as a restauranteur, but that quickly faded in the next couple of years. Before I graduated, I realized my interest in pastry arts, but that major had a 2-year waitlist, so I took the foundation I had learned and decided to further my knowledge by myself.
In 2013, I married my husband and we moved to Anderson, SC. Establishing roots in a new place while not having any connections was hard. I knew South Carolina had an established Cottage Food Law, so it was easy for me to start a baking business from my house. The only problem was my lack of connections to start building a customer base.
I worked at Starbucks for a few months, and surprisingly enough, I networked with a lot of people who would come in every day. These connections were my first customers once I launched Yumsies: Cookies and Confections. I specialized in decorated sugar cookies and celebration cakes.
About a year or so after, I got my first cake pop order. Had I Donde cake pops before? No. Was I going to figure it out? Yes!! I never said no to a new order with a challenge, and boy was it a challenge. I had trained myself in some complicated French pastries, but I could not get the hang of cake pops. I’d determined that something that looked so simple could
not possibly be this complicated. So, I took it upon myself to focus on cake pops until I perfected them, and I did! They weren’t too pretty at first, but at least they didn’t fall off the stick; success!!
In 2017, Once I had my second baby, I realized I was taking on too much. I had to find my niche and consolidate my menu. I rebranded to Yumsies Cake Pops and found my niche. Nobody in my area created works of art on a stick and J had made a name for myself.
My business has boomed ever since. I am able to be a stay-at-home mom during the day and a full-time Cake popper by night.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
No entrepreneur will tell you they had a smooth road.
I first hit the roadblock of moving to a new city. I needed to figure out how to start getting customers.
Then once I had a few customers, I was met with a challenge on how to keep growing my customer base without a storefront.
My biggest roadblock was cake pops. Most people find them tedious and won’t work with them. I was stubborn enough to have that need to find out how to perfect them. It was a struggle, but once I figured it out, it paved the way for my niche, and then boom my business needed it.
As you know, we’re big fans of Yumsies Cake Pops. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I am a one-woman show who wears many hats, including begging a stay-at-home mom. My mom’s duties end at bedtime and then I start baking. My baking hours vary anywhere from
9 pm-3 am, it thought hours, but it’s the only way I get to do both.
My intricate cake pops set me apart from others, and I am very proud of that! I believe in community over competition. I happily send customers to recommended bakers in my area with cake and cookie needs, and they do the same for me.
Being the only person behind the business does have a setback, my books fill up quickly. My repeat customers know this, but new customers don’t always understand why I sometimes can’t accommodate new orders in certain time frames.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Yes! When everything shut down in 2020, I thought that would be the end of my business. Boy was I wrong! It was my best year yet! I introduced classes and they filled up quickly. I introduced DIY Cake Pop Kits for kids to make at home, and they sold out quickly. I still kept receiving orders throughout it all.
I realized; celebrations never stop. There was a crisis, but people still wanted to celebrate birthdays, graduations, etc.
Find your niche, build a solid customer base, and your business will thrive. Even though a worldwide crisis.
Contact Info:
- Email: yumsiescakepops@gmail.com
- Website: www.yumsiescakepops.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/yumsiescakepops?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/yumsies
Image Credits
Sara Touchet
