Today we’d like to introduce you to Joycelyn Hubbard.
Joycelyn, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
In 2011/12 ish, I was a year or two from moving back from Arizona for college and was in an in between state for a job. My work experience was in retail management and as a caterer for a bistro. I went through a pretty tough break up that left me depressed for a while and as luck would have it, with no job. Life went on but my financial funds were low so instead of bringing gifts to my family and friends birthdays I started bringing cupcakes. I had no idea that people would actually start requesting them. I was shocked but excited that people were so pleased with their “gifts”. At the time, I was staying at a friend’s house, and we were talking and I told her, “I’m going to open up a bakery.” Just like that, I contacted another friend who was very familiar with business’ as she owned like 5, LOL, and she guided me to handle all the paperwork to get started. C’s the Day Bakery was the name. I started creating cupcakes and novelty cakes, as that’s what was trending at the time. Now back then, not many people did cake, especially novelty. So everything I created was based on trial and error, and hours worth of searching the internet for ANY kind of information I could find, which wasn’t much.
My business was doing well, but around 2015 I became stagnant, and the cake industry became more popular so I knew I had to up my knowledge on business and the craft. I attended Le Cordon Bleu for Baking and Patisserie. There I met my mentor and one of my best friends, Chef Tenisha Hall. I always say that my money really paid for a lifetime nonrefundable contract with her. Anywho, during the process I realized that wedding cakes were my niche’. They were the goal! Ever since catering all those weddings working at the bistro I had a special something in my heart for the romance and elegance of weddings, I was a cryer. In fact, an event at the bistro was where I saw my first novelty cake, a very large green lawnmower.
2015 is really when my business started booming, I had learned my fundamentals so I was able to truly understand my craft and know where I was going with it. In 2016, I became stagnant again, but this time in the business and marketing area. Coming from a family who was very successful in real estate and has owned a business for over 50 years, I do believe business instinct naturally runs in my blood. So to fine-tune that I went back to school for business and marketing. It literally was the best thing I could have ever done. I began to rebrand my company and changed the name to “Baby Makes Cake”. Cause who makes cake?, Baby (me) Makes Cake. That same year, I had the opportunity to create a cake and cupcake spread for a release party for Melody Ehsani with Hello Kitty. Alicia Keys and Yara Shahidi were there to name a few. I advertised the business on Wedding Wire and The Knot platforms, attended all their business seminars and the business was booming. I’ve also had a lot of high profiles clients along the way as I was one of the only custom cake boutiques that had insurance surprisingly.
As my clients grew so did my place in the wedding industry. Clients would ask if I did anything else, floral and dessert table designs. So I would and fell in love with being a one woman one stop shop. My business was called to be featured in several bridal and custom small business shows as well, which totally boosted my portfolio.
In 2018, I grew tired of being a one woman show and brought on a designer to work with, we did a couple of shows together and every client that I would bring in for cake I would pitch her services to, she created beautiful floral and design, it was fabulous, WE were fabulous together. Naturally, when my cousin’s wedding came about I preferred to be in the wedding than to be a planner. I did create the cake, but I also had to step in to handle a lot of the planning from behind the scenes. Was definitely not what was planned. After the wedding my cousin and I realized that we had second guests ourselves and could have planned the entire wedding ourselves and hired a Day of Coordinator. I decided to take the leap and make planning the next goal. We decided to open up a planning company, Created By Queens Events LLC. As the year went on, we had several clients, but due to unforeseen circumstances both the girls left the company and I keep going without them. It became overwhelming to run both business, Baby Makes Cake and CBQ Events LLC alone. So I made the hardest decision and shut down Baby Makes Cake, which I have now merge with CBQ Events LLC. I changed the name to Baby Makes Memories LLC to keep my branding alive and now offer Full planning and decor as well as custom wedding cakes plus some floral.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
For cake one of the biggest struggles has been the saturation of the industry. Mainly at home bakers that do not know how to break there product pricing down or don’t know their worth so they charge extremely low prices. Then clients come to me and feel my prices are high when really they are just what the product costs.
For Planning and cake the biggest struggle is the wedding industry not being inclusive enough. There are not many black, African, Indian etc… vendors. And by vendors, I mean actual professional vendors with quality product and quality professionalism. I am less likely to be hired because I may show more black couples or even LGBTQ couples, so those that actually spend the big bucks will treat you a certain way or they won’t even look your way no matter how beautiful your work is.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Baby Makes Memories LLC story. Tell us more about the business.
My company offers wedding and event full planning, partial planning, month to day coordination, custom cakes, small floral and design decor.
I am known for my custom-designed cakes and decor. I have never made the same cake twice and never will. I sketch all of my cakes to tailor to the client’s wants and vision. I use fresh floral and apply my own floral designs to all cakes and some design decor. The same goes for design decor as far as vision goes. I am not a fan of people sending me visuals and saying they want that exact look. It’s not realistic, no one has the same tools or skills and I am too creative to copy or recreate someone else’s work. I believe that clients deserve to put their money in a place that takes the time to care about who they are and what they truly want, and then bring that to fruition.
I am most proud of how long I have been open. 80% of businesses fail in the first year. I’ve been open for nine almost ten years and I am only 31. Also, I would have to say that for the last three years I have consistently won A Wedding Wire Couples Choice Award which includes this year. I’m proud of what I do and how far I’ve come.
Lastly, I am proud that I can take the experience and education I’ve learned and give it to other small business’ with my small business consultant work. Not many people helped me create and learn what I’ve learned, I want everyone to win and the only way is help those get to where I am.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Lol. I was adopted as an infant and I tell my mom all the time when bad things happen, that I’ve clearly used up all my luck when she adopted me. Being adopted was one of the best things that could have ever happened to me. My family has provided some of the greatest foundations that will always make me who I am even when I go astray. I always have something great to go back to.
My best friend tells me that I am very lucky because everything I say I’m going to do, I’ve done it even when negatives have happened. But honestly, it isn’t luck. I just do the work! When bad luck or negative things happen I tend to go into business mode instead of sulking in it. What can I do better next time? How do I fix this so it never happens again? What did I learn from this? I guess its extreme optimism mixed with a little pride.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.babymakesmemoriesllc.com
- Phone: 310. 743. 6241
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/babymakesmemories/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/babymakesmemoriesllc/
- Other: https://www.weddingwire.com/biz/baby-makes-memories-llc/16a35c255194739b.html
Image Credit:
Walker Whitney Photos; Awol Photos; Flicks By Lexi; Lin and Jirsa Photography; Baby Makes Memories LLC
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