Today we’d like to introduce you to Clarius Trinidad.
Hi Clarius, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have always loved food, eating and making it. Had a passion for sweets and art. In high school, I knew I wanted to get into baking and cake decorating and one day have my own cake business. I got a job at a bakery and there, I learned most of my cake decorating skills. I learned all of my baking skills from home.
Through the beginning of college, I continued to work at the bakery but struggled with how tough and demanding the work was. I was unhappy with the environment I was in. I decided to quit and pursue a degree in accounting. I left cakes behind but still had the passion to create them.
I eventually found a great accounting job in television production. I really thought this was my dream job, but I still had the dream of having my own cake business. With that, I started making cakes on the side from home. Taking occasional orders and slowly building my brand. Cake orders were growing and my side hustle was thriving, but I was too afraid to fully commit.
Then the pandemic hit and it was a real eye-opener. There was a point during the transition at work that I realized this was not my dream job. I was burning out and struggling with work, but that struggle really pushed me. Following my dream has been really scary (still is!), but with the support of my family, friends and partner, I found myself ready to dive in. Here I am now, finally getting started!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been a few struggles along the way like workspace and time management, but fear played the biggest part. Like most people, starting your own business is scary. I’ve struggled with feeling confident about my work or if I’d ever been as good as the bakers, I looked up to on social media. I feared disappointing my family and making enough money. The biggest one, fear of failure! With this mindset, I put off starting my cake business for years. I was the only one who was stopping myself from reaching my goals.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a full-time professional and part-time baker/cake artist. I specialize (and love) working with buttercream and designing wedding cakes, but I’m also known for some fondant work and shaped cakes. One of my favorite parts of decorating is arranging florals on weddings cakes and learning new techniques of using buttercream as a medium. I like to put a lot of thought and care into each cake. Not only making sure it looks amazing and clean but also tastes delicious.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I have been incredibly lucky to have family, friends, and a partner that have been very supportive. Especially my mom who, not only has given everything she could for my three siblings and I growing up but also helped give me the space I needed to do what I love doing. If you could only see the space I used to work in, I was making two-tier cakes from a Poly-pocket sized oven! I have also been fortune to find and surround myself with other bakers and entrepreneurs who support each other and have helped me build my confidence.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @cakedaddyla
