Working Women Wednesdays: Simply Scrumptious Cakery

This week, we are going to meet Mandi Henderson, owner of Simply Scrumptious Cakery.   I have also had the pleasure of purchasing cakes and cupcakes from Mandi, and have to say, in comparison to even some of the local bakeries, her cakes (frosting, cake, design, and overall experience) are far superior! 

Mandi is a Military spouse to an Army Firefighter.  She is also Mommy to two great children. Mandi is also a Veteran having served in the Military for eight years.  She then moved over to the National Guard for seven more years. Her husband rejoined the military in 2008, and they were assigned to Fort Carson, CO. After leaving the military, Mandi did not know what she wanted to do when she grew up, so she went to school and became a Medical Assistant. Wanting to do more, she also became an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).  While working for a Phlebotomist in Colorado, she started to making cakes from home for friends and family. Mandi started her business in Colorado in February of 2012. Over the year, she made over 100 cakes adding to her portfolio. Then in January of 2013, Mandi and her family moved to San Angelo, TX.   Here, she is trying to get up and running  as the go-to Cake Lady!

Here is her interview:

What inspired you to start Simply Scrumptious Cakery?

I enjoyed making cakes for my family and friends, and  I saw an opportunity to help my family earn some extra income. There were only a few places to get cakes in town- the biggest was Walmart, and lets just say the cake was "okay." I wanted to be able to give people a really yummy, homemade cake that also looked great!

 

How did you get started?

I have always made my kid's birthday cakes .  One day, I decided to do a baby shower for a friend, and I made her my first three-tiered cake. Well, she was a member of my husband’s fire department, and asked if I could do a cake for an upcoming retirement.  So I did!  Then more and more people asked me to do cakes for them, and the business was born! I started a Facebook page, and the orders just started coming in!!

 

Tell us about the type of products you make.

Delicious, home-baked goodies of all shapes and sizes, designed to your specificity and budget.  Each treat is unique to you and is made with the utmost care and attention to detail. At Simply Scrumptious Cakery, imagination comes to life. So you get to have your cake and eat it too! I make custom cakes and cupcakes for all occasions. I do cakes for birthday, showers, weddings, and any other occasion you might want a cake for.

 

What makes your products so unique?

Well, my cakes not only look good, but they also taste good. I have spent a lot of time working on cake recipes that both hold up to decorating as well as tasting really yummy.

 

What do you love most about your business?

I love that I can really make someone smile when they get a cake they want! I love that I am helping my family, while still being at home with them. I get to set my schedule and still have time for my kids when they need me!

 

What is most challenging about your business?

It would have to be my clients expectations. I have to ensure that what they are looking for in a cake is do able- that I can deliver what they have in mind for their cake.

 

What was an expectation you might have had, that you have had to reevaluate once you got started?

That as a new business owner I could not say no to a customer. I had to realize I have limits on how many cakes I can do in a given weekend, and that I am not Cake Boss. People see someone do it on TV and think that everyone can do that. One: they have more people on staff, and two: they have a lot more equipment and space then I do.

 

What is one tip you might offer to other stay-at-home moms starting out?

Just go for it! If you have a talent and know someone that can use your talent, make it known what you can do for them! No one has time to do everything they want done.

 

What do you think is your most valuable tool in marketing your business?

Word of Mouth. There is no better compliment then to have someone spread the word about you after they have tried your stuff. Anyone can put an ad out there or create a Facebook page, but if someone tells someone else about you, your business can go anywhere!

 

How does your business affect your family? In either good or bad ways?

My family is a great supporter of my business, but it does affect them. I usually have cake orders going out on Saturday, so that takes away from family time and events/places we can go to. But without my cakes and the revenue from them, we could not do as many of our little trips that we have done.

 

If you had it to do over again, what might you change about the path of your journey so far, if anything?

I am a military spouse and that effects my journey every couple of years. So I essentially I start from the ground up all over again. So getting to start over again each time, there is not much that I would change.

 

Simply Scrumptious Cakery offers a wide variety of flavors for cakes, cupcakes, frosting, and fillings.   To learn more about Mandi's beautiful and tasty creations, please visit her page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ourcakedesign) where she also has a menu listing all the varieties she offers as well as her direct contact information.

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If you are a Work-At-Home Woman who runs your own business and would like to be featured on a "Working Women Wednesday," please submit a short email about yourself and your business to borden.cbands77@gmail.com. ((Sorry, no Direct Sales Businesses at this time.))