Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Suarez
Hi Sarah , it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My name is Sarah Suarez. I am 20 years old and the owner of Whole Lotta Sweets LLC in Las Vegas, NV.
Since I was little, baking and being in the kitchen has always brought me joy! I used to watch and help my grandma and tia bake cakes for family parties – and by help, I mean playing with fondant on the other side of the island. While we weren’t baking, the TV would be on Cake Boss, Cupcake Wars, and Food Network. The three of us bonded over this shared hobby and to this day, still do. As I got older, I continued to bake for fun up until high school when the dynamics of my hobby shifted into something that would, in the next few years, become a lifelong passion and main source of income!
January of 2021, my junior year of high school, I would post the desserts I made on my instagram story quite often and get a lot of replies with questions of if I was selling them. This led me to think, “Why not?”. I decided to start selling my sweet treats with the name Sarah’s Sweets. My menu consisted of chocolate covered strawberries, cheesecake and cake in a cup, and multiple dipped treats.
In 2021/2022, my senior year of high school, the idea that using my name as a business name might not be a good idea came about. I didn’t know what else to call it. My dad and I, one day, were brainstorming names and he says to me, “What about Whole Lotta Sweets, since you do a whole lotta stuff?”. As funny as it sounded to me at the moment, it was perfect. Whole Lotta Sweets would be the perfect name. I changed all of my names on social media platforms to @wholelottasweets, and it remains the same to this day.
As time went by I continued to expand my knowledge by baking and learning new things. I decorated my first cake solo November 2021. I was hesitant about moving forward with cake baking an offered service. I was comfortable and happy with my dipped treats and cheesecake. Around July of 2022, I realized I wanted to get better at cakes. I couldn’t really call myself a baker unless I really did it all. I practiced and made so many cakes with different designs. Now, it’s my favorite service to offer.
Later, that same year, I found my love for floral. I’ve always loved flowers, but it grew beyond the idea of “every girl loves flowers”. Now, I was able to share the joy and be a part of the special moments of one receiving a bouquet of fresh fragranced flowers. Floral arrangements of all sorts would now be a part of the “whole lotta stuff” I do.
In August of 2022, Whole Lotta Sweets was registered as a licensed business in the state of Nevada. The moment I signed the papers, I knew I wanted to do this as a career.
Still, the idea of needing a stable career stayed the center of my focus and after graduation, I continued to enroll as a pre-nursing college student. After one year of in state college at UNLV, I transferred to an out of state school, LaSU, in Riverside, CA. During this time, I told myself it was the right thing to do. I needed to go to school and get a degree. It was the only way I could live a stable lifestyle and be successful in life. I kept that same mentality, or at least tried to. Despite how much I tried to be on top of school and involved as a student, Whole Lotta Sweets was in the back of my mind always. The idea of my small business not being so small pushed and pushed until it won over.
I didn’t want to be a nurse or a business major managing a big corporation’s business. I wanted to run Whole Lotta Sweets and make it much more than a small at home instagram business.
January of 2023, after much thought and prayer, I didn’t return to LaSU for winter quarter and stayed in Palm Springs, Ca where I would promote and advertise WLS as much as I could. At the same time, my grandma and tia would continue to take orders in Las Vegas, NV to keep clientele in both cities. Over the time period of a year, I was able to gain a consistent clientele in the Coachella Valley and even expanding to Orange County/LA area. I did this all through self-advertising, collabs with other small local businesses, and constant prayer.
Fast forward to now, reaching the end of 2024, I am proud of where I stand as a young entrepreneur. Soon, God willing, I will be enrolled in culinary courses and WLS will have its own storefront to call home in Las Vegas, NV and collaborate with many other small businesses and be a place the community can appreciate! I thank God for giving me the heart and passion for what I do. With Him, all things are possible and I will continue to succeed and grow.
I’m grateful to be able to share my story with Voyage LA and hopefully inspire others who are hesitant and have their own small business!
– Sarah, WLS <3
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road to where I am today has been a very fun one, but it wasn’t the smoothest.
In naming obstacles, one would be the choice between college and my business. I thought I wanted the college experience and become a nurse with a secure job. I knew this wasn’t my true passion and chose what I loved.
One of the most frustrating experiences, that I’m grateful for, through my journey has been learning people and communication skills. Every day, I speak to new people and each one is different. Some are more kind and others, a bit hateful and mean. More than once, I’ve had customers try to scam me, get their money back, or insult and degrade me as a person and business woman. At first, I would get scared frustrated, and cry because I didn’t know how to respond. I had to go through these situations to learn how to talk to people and de-escalate intense situations and leave the customer satisfied or at least a resolution that will be fair to everyone and right for the business. Luckily, I had a support group of people I trusted to also help me in these situations.
Lastly, I struggled a lot with time management and balancing business life and personal life. To this day, l still struggle and am learning still. I’ve learned it’s important that who you are as a person reflects who you are in your business and vise. It’s important to take time for yourself as a person and ensure your health is at 100% to make healthy connections with people in and out of business. Family is most important to me, so making time for them was always a priority for me. You have to make sure to have a support group / family close as well. Personal connections with people have been the biggest thing for me to keep going.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Whole Lotta Sweets is a local bakery and floral business in Las Vegas, NV and extended to the Coachella Valley. We specialize in custom cakes, dipped treats, and floral arrangements. It is our pleasure to ensure our customers leave happy with their order and is up to par with their expectations. Our recipes are one of one that will leave you wanting more! Each cake is made from scratch and each arrangement is put together with care. Our customer service sets up apart as a business and I am proud of the way our team handles each and every order individually with love and precision as if it were for themselves. We love what we do and it shows in our brand.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
It’s quite obvious thatI love flowers. Most people however, don’t know that out of all of them, tulips are my favorite. The pink and white ones specifically attract me the most. One day, I want to visit a tulip field and lay in it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wholelottasweets?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18TxE8Y91R/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
