Daily Inspiration: Meet Alexys Calhoun

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexys Calhoun.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started baking cakes back in 2008 just for fun. I loved experimenting with new recipes and learning how to make other baked goods such as macarons and cookies. In 2010, I sold my first cake. I used cakes as a way to express my creativity but never pursued it full-time until 2021 after the pandemic hit. Since then, I’ve taken my business to new levels by utilizing TikTok and Instagram. Today Cakes by Alexys has over 70k followers on TikTok and almost 5k on Instagram. It’s honestly something I never envisioned happening so quickly after deciding to make the leap full time. For the first time ever, I had been consistent and promoted myself more than ever. It really has paid off so far and we are now currently in our busiest month ever. We are booked two weeks in advance almost every month and I could not be more happy!

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?
It has not been a smooth road that is for sure. I struggled so much with deciding to pursue this as a full-time career. It can be really difficult to make money with food-based businesses. Some months I’d go weeks without anyone inquiring about cake orders and I was worried I wasn’t able to keep this business since there are such high ups and downs. Financial struggles are also a factor as it takes money to make money in this type of business. You have to have the best branding, packaging and all that takes effort, time and a lot of money to make yourself stand out.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in custom cake design and I also just launched my brownies online for nationwide shipping. I am super particular about the types of ingredients that I use in my products. I am known for having the best tasting baked goods that have a unique, modern and elegant look about them. Right now, I am most proud of my brownie slabs. The “slab” is a brownie block that is covered in milk chocolate and can be customized and sent as the perfect gift. I spent months curating the perfect recipe and figuring out my packaging. As soon as you open the box, you are a hit with a delicious buttery chocolate aroma that is so wonderful you feel like you just baked the brownies yourself. It is such a pretty gift to open and I’m so proud of it.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Riding around the neighborhood in my pink barbie jeep.

Pricing:

• Brownie slabs start at $50
• Cakes start at $120

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: cakesbyalexys.com
• Instagram: cakesbyalexys