June 21, 2023 • 46 mins
If your curious if corporate orders can work for you then today we have an amazing story of success. Shupan is the owner of Cakes By Shupan located in Georgia. A native of Liberia, West Africa Shupan has been a home baker in America now for over 16 years.
With a passion for baking that was ignited by her grandmother, Shupan took her love for creating delightful and memorable desserts to new heights by registering her own successful bakery business and mastering the art of children's cakes.
Shupan shares her journey to business success, including her experiences in the More Dough course – a five-week program that helped her expand her reach and level up her bakery business to attract corporate clients. Her insights and advice for fellow bakers looking to grow and make a lasting impact are truly invaluable.
In this episode we will cover:
- The importance of investing in your business
- How to overcome facing fears in your business
- The importance of sticking with your niche and so much more
Loved hearing Shupan's success? Be sure to check out her page and follow her by clicking here.
Two ways I help my students earn $2-10k monthly👇?
1.) Grow your home bakery business inside The Entrepreneur Community by clicking here
2.) Learn to sell digital products inside Digital Product Community by clicking here
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey, sweet friends, my name is Chef Schaumburg.
I started my baking businesswith the bottle of DeCerono and
one Bundt Cake Pan.
Fast forward to today, fromnews to magazines, speaking on
national stages and more.
I can truly say that baking haschanged my life.
So now, as a bakery businesscoach, i get to help others have
the same success.
I've helped hundreds of mystudents across the world in my
(00:24):
global membership program createsix-figure businesses, mainly
from home.
The Baking for Business podcastis an extension of that, from
actionable tips to valuabletools and resources that can
impact you as a business owner.
I truly believe y'all.
We would never have been givena gift if we couldn't profit and
prosper from it.
So come on, darling.
What are you waiting for, hey?
(00:52):
what is going on?
you guys?
and welcome back to the Bakingfor Business podcast.
Today you're in for a specialtreat, because today's guest is
so sweet.
I love her accent.
She's been a student of minefor a while.
Shoe Pan is the owner of Cakesby Shoe Pan, located in Georgia.
She's been a home baker forover 16 years, which is amazing,
(01:17):
because it definitely showswhat is possible when you stick
with it and how you can growover time.
Shoe Pan is also a graduate ofthe Mordow course and you're
going to hear all about it, aswell as her amazing success that
she's had.
But without further ado, shoePan, welcome to the Baking for
Business podcast.
Thank you, chef.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
I'm so excited to be here Yay.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
I'm so excited, awesome, i'm so excited to have
you So, shoe Pan.
For those who are unfamiliar, iwant to go back a little bit.
What made you first startedbaking?
What was the moment when youdecided I know you told me
you've loved it all your life,but when you decided to actually
register as a business, whatmade you actually go forward and
(02:02):
open up a home baking business?
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Well, this all started many years ago when my
son was about to turn one yearold.
I saw a picture of a clown cakein a magazine that I really,
really, really wanted for hisbirthday.
But I didn't know anybody whowould do such a cake, because
all the cakes that I've alwaysseen were in the grocery store.
(02:27):
They were either round orrectangular.
But when I read theinstructions in the magazine in
my mind I thought I could makethat cake.
But I didn't know how.
I just didn't know how I wasgoing to do it.
But I just knew in my mind thatI could do it because baking
always came to me.
(02:47):
So I went to the grocery storeand if you're familiar with the
grocery store, you know that inthe baking aisle they have
plastic tips and icing.
So I read the instructions, igot the icing and I got plastic
tips.
I knew nothing about metal tipsat all.
And then somebody told me aboutthis store that I could find
(03:11):
baking pans, and then that way Ifound the clown cake pan.
And then I was like, hi, whatam I going to put the icing in?
I knew nothing about icing bagAnd I'm like, oh, i just use a
notebook paper And I use anotebook paper and I made the
cake And it was so beautiful tome at the time.
(03:33):
Looking back now it was like ahot mess, but it served the
purpose.
It was bright, it was colorful,and my son had his first
birthday cake And I was the mosthappy mom.
So I just something went off inmy head like why don't you take
cake decorating classes?
So from then until the timethat I registered the business,
(03:56):
it was always like a just ahappy type thing for me.
I just played around andanybody having an event.
I was like, oh, i'll do thecake, i'll do the cake And I
will always make the cake.
And then something went off saidwhy don't you take some cake
decorating classes?
It was just like a light.
(04:17):
These light bulbs were justgoing off in my head.
And then I started doingclasses and then I did more free
cakes.
So I've had my share of freecakes for these people.
And then one day my husbandsaid why don't you register?
You don't want to make thismore serious, but I never
thought to do it as a business.
(04:38):
I was happy where I was.
So then I took the step toregister with the secretary of
state, and the rest is history.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Yes, you go, girl, that's.
A lot of people start off withit, like you did, as a hobby and
being a passion.
But it's nice to kind of seethat turning point And it's nice
that you had a husband whomotivated you and said, yeah,
let's, let's be serious, let'smake a business.
So that's wonderful.
Where do you get your baconinspiration?
(05:07):
from One in your family thatbakes.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Or when my grandmother used to be a baker
and she had a bakery.
but it's not like I grew upwith her or near her because we
lived far apart.
But I guess I get that from herbecause people who knew her or
(05:31):
people who know her always tellme oh, you took after your
grandmother.
I'm like I guess I did.
So it's just, it's just in me.
I can easily pick up anycookbook, any dessert book and
read it and be able to recreateit.
If I ever went somewhere and Ihad a particular dessert that I
(05:52):
already, i will not stop until Irecreate it.
My cousin's always used tolaugh.
I mean, it's like you read acookbook, like you read a novel,
but I like to read, i can reada recipe and I have to imagine
it in my head before I can do it.
And I also do that with cakedecorating.
I always tell my customers orclients can you picture this in
(06:17):
your head?
Because I have to see it beforeI can actually do it.
And sometimes they do it,sometimes they don't.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
That's amazing And I know I know just from personally
talking to you, but you areactually from Liberia, west
Africa.
That's where you get thatbeautiful accent Right.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Born and raised.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Born and raised.
I love that, and so how longhave you been in America, shubin
?
Speaker 2 (06:40):
I've been here for 33 years now.
This year August would be 33years, August 33 years.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Okay, that's cool, that's cool.
And so what exactly do youspecialize in for your home
baking business And where areyou located at?
Speaker 2 (07:01):
I specialize in children's cakes and I am in
Lawrenceville, Georgia.
So, I'm sure it's from Atlanta.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Okay, children's cakes.
So any reason in particularthat made you wanna work with
crumb snatchers?
I mean beautiful children.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Yes, so it's the smiles that I see on their faces
when they receive that cake.
Or, you know, the pictures thattheir moms will send me.
Children's cakes are always sofun They're bright, they're
beautiful, they're colorful.
(07:42):
It's some kind of a theme, somekind of a character, what you
know, the hobbies, the interest,and it's just so amazing to me
when I see the pictures that theparents will send me at the
party or after the party.
Tell you a quick story.
There was this little girl,chloe.
I've been making cakes forChloe and her brother for years
(08:05):
And this one year when Idelivered the cake it was pretty
late, maybe like 730, 830.
And her mom said you can, chloewill not go to bed until you
got here.
So when her mom, when I droveup you know text her mom say I'm
here.
Her mom opened the door.
That little girl could not stopjumping.
(08:26):
She was just jumping up anddown just waiting to see this
Cause.
She was like super excited, bigsmile all over her face.
And when I see that, that justdoes it for me.
When Chloe saw that cake, shewas like now I can go to bed.
She was so, so happy And she,chloe, is actually a teenager
(08:47):
now And, as a matter of fact, ijust did like a under the sea
theme cupcakes for her.
Her birthday party this yearwas at the Georgia Aquarium And
I did.
She was like over the moon,over the moon, but I just love
that.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Yeah, that is such a blessing when you've been in
people's lives long enough towhere you get to watch them grow
.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Awesome.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Yes, yes, i love that .
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Oh, i love that Shoe pen, and so you mentioned that
you were loving the craft andyou were taking decorating
classes, which a lot of people,a lot of people do shoe pen.
But I know I've known you for acouple of years now.
What was the turn?
What made you decide toactually start taking business
classes?
(09:32):
Because a lot of times that'swhat I noticed so many bakers
struggle with.
They'll learn the craft,they'll do all the decorating,
but either they put the businessportion on the back end or it's
not necessarily a focus.
What was the turning point foryou that made you start really
saying, okay, i might need totake business classes also, and
(09:55):
not just the decorating classes.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Well, you know, i've always wanted to do cupcakes
like for a bang or maybe like ananniversary cake for a
particular organization.
But I had no idea how to get inthe door to these different
businesses.
And when the opportunity cameto actually take a class that
(10:23):
would teach me how, that was ano-brainer for me.
I didn't care how much it cost.
I was like I was signing up.
I was saying, i was like I wastelling myself I'm a good
student.
I know that I'm a good student.
I cannot come up with thesethings by myself.
But if you tell me how to do itor not, let me tell you.
(10:44):
If you tell me what to do, iknow what.
I can get it done.
I just need somebody to tell methis is what you need to do And
I know that I can get it done.
So, taking the corporate class,or getting to a corporate class
to get my foot into the door,to get to know how to reach out
to these larger companies, thatwas it for me.
(11:08):
That was like, like I said, itwas a no-brainer.
I knew that I had to take theclass.
It was like a must.
There was no if ands, a butsabout it.
I had to sign up to do this.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
And yeah, you are.
actually you are a graduate ofthe Mordo program.
So you took Mordo last year,five week course.
So, for those who haven't, howwas it?
And you can be totally honestWas it hard, did you find it
difficult?
Or how did you enjoy the Mordoprogram?
Speaker 2 (11:39):
I really did enjoy that class.
It was fast but it was veryinformative.
You gave us step-by-stepinformation And I like how you
were always available forquestions, no matter what day,
(12:01):
what time.
Ask your questions.
It was gonna be answered within24 hours.
I like how you encouraged us toask questions, cause every time
I felt like I wanted to ask aquestion but maybe I'll let
people gonna look at me likethis people gonna my thing she
(12:21):
doesn't know that.
Then I'll hear you say closemouths don't get fed, close
mouths don't get fed.
And that is always anencouragement to me to speak up,
and I'm glad that I did.
Cause let me tell you, ifyou're into taking a business to
the next level, you have tosign up for Mordo, because I can
(12:45):
say for me, it has taken mybusiness to the next level and I
want the same for you.
So I really encourage everybodyto just.
This is money well spent, putit that way.
And we spend money on a lot offoolishness, but this one I've
paid for this class Way morethan I can think of.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
I appreciate that you're so sweet, but you hit.
you hit something that's reallyimportant.
Sometimes people are afraid toask those questions or some
people will say, well, she panwell.
Why would I pay for the class?
it's on Google or it's onYouTube.
Did you feel it was on YouTube?
Speaker 2 (13:30):
No, no, not at all, because you, there's nothing
like a one on one.
You took time with everystudent, every student, every,
every time we met.
You took time with, with eachperson.
So you know, we'll askquestions.
We could do role play you.
You give us so many examples.
There's nothing like you.
(13:50):
Youtube, you can watch YouTube,yeah, but if you have a
question, how are you going toget it answered?
You cannot.
You know you're alwaysavailable to us Any time.
Just ask questions, just askquestions, just ask questions.
And the only way you will getahead is by asking those
questions so that you can moveup to the next step.
You cannot stay stuck or jumpor something.
(14:14):
Go to the next, next, next partof the program, because then
you're going to get stuckbecause you didn't do what you
didn't do your homework.
Yeah, oh, there's no, there'sno comparison to you to zero,
zero.
Yes, youtube is free, but noway.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
And I love the fact you said ask questions, because
I remember a couple months backand you asked a lot of questions
because you had a very big day.
I remember this.
I'm looking at the screenshotright now, shooting 4,997 dollar
(14:52):
order, and I remember when youreached out and you said, chef,
this is a lot, do you thinkthey're going to pay the invoice
?
And I say, yeah, they're goingto pay the invoice.
Looking back now, how did youfeel when you got that request
(15:12):
from Amazon, one of the biggestretailers?
you made 900 cupcakes, shoepants so tell us about the
excitement.
How did you feel when theyreached out to you?
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Yeah, So let me just give a little backstory, because
I have to give honor and gloryto God.
This was January 17.
2023.
That morning, when I did mychoir time, there was a part of
(15:46):
the Let me say this for a shoutout to the holy Baba app That's
what I use.
There was a part of the choirtime that said you could ask God
for anything.
And so I said to God, i havebeen praying for blessings, for
(16:07):
kicks by shoe pain, and I saidGod, i have been praying for
blessings for a while.
This string And I'm asking you,god, to please, you know, bless
the business beyond my widestimagination.
That was my prayer that morning.
No kidding To 30.
That afternoon I got that phonecall that same day And I said
(16:32):
Amazon.
She said her company waslooking to make a large
corporate order and wanted toknow if I will be able to
fulfill it.
So the first thing that read tomy mind was who?
I'm a one man show largecorporate order.
I don't think I can do it.
But then my other mind saidthis is too good to let go.
(16:56):
So I said, lord, just ask forthis this morning.
And here you are showing up, soyou're going to have to help me
through this.
So, while my heart was like, itold the lady on the other end
of the phone I said, sure, we'llbe on to, but I was here.
(17:19):
And then, you know, she askedme a few questions.
We went through everything, ianswer all her questions And I
said Can you please send me anemail with all the
specifications?
And so she did that.
That evening I'm going throughmy emails and I get to her email
(17:41):
, read everything, and I got tothe signature part And I
realized it was Amazon.
I was like, oh, my husband,like Gary do you know that?
I was.
I was happy, i was excited, butI was so scared And that's why
(18:03):
I was like, chef, i was justblowing up your DM, your
Instagram, your Instagram.
Like you said, I have all thesequestions because I didn't know
how I let go.
You're just going to have tohelp me through this And you,
chef, you are so.
You are calm because you'vedone this so many times for this
(18:24):
month.
This was my very first largeorder And you answered all my
questions, step by step.
You're so patient with me.
That's what I love about you.
You're dealing with so manypeople.
So many people, at differenttimes, ask the same questions,
but you answer it with grace.
You always do, and I know thatit can be overwhelming for you
(18:49):
to answer the same questionsover and over and over again,
but you always, always, answer.
You don't.
You don't give us, you don't.
You don't give a smart answerto make anybody feel belittle or
ashamed.
You always answer like it'syour.
It's your first time hearingthe question And I love that
(19:09):
about you.
So you answer all of myquestions.
Whenever I had a question aboutthis whole order, from
beginning to end, and I reachedout, you had an answer for me.
And when I deliver thosecupcakes.
I had to deliver them withintwo days, on a Tuesday and on a
(19:29):
Friday or Saturday.
They were the best two daysever.
The reception was warm,everybody was everybody.
They were so friendly, theywere so happy to have me, they
had music, they had the wholesetup.
It was just.
It was just a nice two daysthat I was there.
(19:50):
Very, very rewarding, veryrewarding, very.
I really enjoyed that.
That's an awesome firstexperience for our corporate
orders.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
That is amazing and I am happy because I tell you
guys all the time you're right,closed mouths don't give a fit.
But also we have to put faithover fear, and too often I'm
happy that you prayed over yourbusiness, but sometimes we pray
and ask God for everything, wepray for others, but we never
take it into consideration thatHe can answer prayers for
(20:27):
business too, and so ever sincethen you have been rolling.
You also had I remember becauseyou're good with screenshots,
you come through with the proofYou had like a $2,000 order.
That was amazing, and you gotto bake for a very well-known
establishment in Georgia withjust sheet cakes.
(20:49):
Now, amazon was cupcakes.
This order was sheet cakes,because one of the things a lot
of people in our industry feelis that they either have to do
fondant, they have to do thingsthat cause them to burn out, or
they have to follow all thesetrends in order to book these
orders.
But you don't.
So Amazon was a $5,000 order,your $2,000 corporate order.
(21:13):
Tell us a little bit about that.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
So this one was the birthday of a permanent person.
Am I allowed to say the name?
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Yes, you could say the name.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
So it was Dr Bernie's King's 60th birthday And I was
contacted to make the servingcakes for 650 people.
That was amazing.
I was so excited.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
I'm like I'm gonna do a cake for Bernie's King.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
It was very rewarding , very rewarding.
I had the best time again atthe event because I stayed to
serve the cake, deliver them andthen survey when it was time
for them to have dessert.
And they were all very, veryexcited, very satisfied And I've
(22:14):
got some really, really goodfeedback.
So that was really really,really good.
It was a really rewarding order.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
That's amazing, and, for anyone who doesn't know, dr
Bernie's King is the youngestliving child of the great Dr
Martin Luther King, and Georgiahas an amazing facility down
there, and so that was soawesome that you got to be a
part of that, and then you alsoworked with Walmart.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
Yes, but before Walmart, because I did the King
Center call me again.
So she said you did such a ladywho called you did such a good
job with the Bernie's King'sbirthday.
Now we're gonna have thededication of the Coretta Scott
Kings Monument And we want youto do a cake.
(23:08):
This one was a three tier cakewith her colors.
It's like her pink rose.
I didn't even know there was arose named after Coretta Scott
King, So that was new for me.
But we use even though we uselike regular natural flower
(23:29):
roses, because we couldn't findthe actual Coretta Scott King
rose.
They're not like available atthe florist Dubai, so we use
regular pink natural roses.
But it was a three tier cakeAnd that was another amazing
event that I did, that this onewas at the King Center And I was
(23:53):
very honored to be the cakedesigner for that dedication of
the monument.
Then came Walmart Health Care.
So Walmart is now, i understand, rolling out their healthcare
systems in Georgia And theWalmart that is local to me.
(24:17):
Well, one of the Walmart that'slocal to me was their grand
opening And I was contacted todo desserts for the grand
opening And I was Oh they'remore excited again.
I was like another corporateorder.
This class is really paying off.
The class came right on time,chef.
(24:37):
It came right on time Because,look, just after the class the
doors just started opening.
So one corporate order afterthe other, and then after that
this was Walmart was in AprilAnd then in May I did the
Gwinnett Counties the Canada Ilive in, with the Gwinnett
(25:01):
County Rotary 50th anniversarycake.
I was contacted for that one.
It was like a big luncheon thatit had, and I did a cake for 60
people with their logo on it.
It was like a two tier cake Andgot very good responses from
that too.
Everybody was so happy andappreciative And they couldn't
(25:23):
stop telling me thank you.
They couldn't stop telling mehow awesome the cake was.
And that's all we want.
We want for people to besatisfied with the work that we
do, for the service that wedeliver, and that just means so
much to me and my business.
This encourages me to continueto keep pushing, keep doing a
good job.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
And you mentioned a very good point to keep pushing
Because, like you said, you'vebeen doing this for 16 years,
but you took the Mordo courserecently, over one year.
So what would you say tosomeone who may feel like giving
up or who may think, well,maybe they're not worth the
(26:04):
investment?
Did you feel the investment wasclearly it's paid off, because,
i mean, you guys are amazing.
What advice would you give to aperson who's thinking about it?
Speaker 2 (26:16):
Just go for it.
It's a no brainer rally if youjust make the investment in
yourself.
So take your business to thenext level Now.
You cannot just take the classand do nothing.
You have to follow through.
Like Chef always tells us, ican tell you everything that you
need to do.
If you don't do it, then you'reright back at where you started
(26:39):
.
You can't want to tell us, butyou cannot make us.
So you have to want to do this,you have to be willing to put
in the work, you have to bewilling to make time, you have
to be willing to make theinvestment, and then you would
definitely see the reward.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
And speaking of reward, you have got to do some
other amazing things in yourbusiness.
I know we were talking earlierabout two organizations that
really, really matter to you,which I love because our
business should be able toprovide opportunities for us,
and so you actually got to goback home to Liberia and teach a
(27:24):
class.
So tell us a little bit aboutthat.
How awesome was that.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
That was the most rewarding thing that I did on my
trip back home to Liberia inDecember of 2022.
So I have a classmate who owns,or kick-decorating the Creative
Hicks School is what it'scalled And I knew I was going.
So I contacted her throughMessenger Facebook Messenger And
(27:53):
I said look, listen, i'm coming, so I have one.
Give you Anything you want tolearn, tell me, we'll go over it
.
Get your students ready.
They're on vacation, butwhoever you can get, i'll teach
you.
So she said I really want tolearn how to do funding.
So I was like cool, so justhave everything ready And I'll
(28:15):
come.
So when I got there, icontacted her on a day.
We had plans.
She picked me up, went to theschool And I was just amazed at
what they had like ingredients,tools, because some of them were
quite different from what I'mused to, but they're so limited,
(28:35):
but they make do And I was veryproud of her because they make
do with what they have.
So she had the cakes alreadyprepared And she said well, i
made my own fondant.
I'm like you did.
There's nowhere to buy fondant.
And she said no.
So she brought the fondant Andit was actually really good.
She did a great job with thefondant because I worked with it
(28:58):
and needed it.
The toasting and turning wasright there.
This is perfect.
So first we have to where's thecake?
Here's the cake.
Then we have to cover the cakewith the buttercream.
Where's the buttercream icing?
And when she brought thebuttercream I was.
It looked so different fromwhat I'm used to And I was like
what did you use to make thisbuttercream?
And then she explained to methat they don't have like
(29:20):
because of the humidity inLiberia.
If you use like just theregular icing that we use,
everything melts off the cakeAnd they don't have access to
high ratio shortening that wehave here.
So it's some.
I didn't see actually whatbutter she used, but it's.
I know that the icing wastinted yellow, so the butter
(29:41):
might be of a yellow shade.
But when she handed it to me Inoticed that I couldn't just
stir it with my spatula like Iwould do normally here when I'm
covering a cake with buttercreamicing.
So she said they have to usetheir fingers to take the icing,
(30:01):
cause it was like a paste.
That's how they use theirfingers, get the icing and then
plaster it all over the cakewith their fingers and pat it to
make it stick and make itsmooth, and then the cake was
ready to be covered with thefondant And then we did the
(30:21):
whole fondant part Andeverything worked out.
It was.
You know, i did some, she didpart of it.
I'll show them.
And then I let the kids, thestudents, do some of it And I
let her do some of it, cause shedidn't know either, but it was
very.
It was a really good class.
(30:41):
They had fun, we laughed whilewe did it.
They took turns.
I asked questions just to makesure they were paying attention
to what I was telling them,cause I was like when I'm gone,
you're gonna be here by yourself.
I'm not going to be here foryou to ask me questions.
So you have to remember what isit that I'm doing?
(31:05):
How do you know?
how do you know how wide youroll out this fondant to?
How do you know how to put it?
you know apply it to the caketo cut it.
How do you know how to make itsmooth?
You know all these questions.
Answer for them.
(31:26):
They went over everything.
We did the cake.
I asked them questions again.
They were answered and it wasjust a fun time.
It was my best time.
It was the most rewarding thing.
I wish I was there longer.
I wish I had had the time tostay with her longer to teach
them some other things.
(31:47):
Talking about making do, shehad her cake pans and I was like
, oh, where'd you buy these from?
And she was like we don't buythem, we make them.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
I was like you make them.
They make their own cake pans.
They make their own cake pans.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Wow, and it just made me think about all the things
that I have here that I take forgranted.
I can just, if I want to take,i'm just go to the store.
Well, not even go to the store.
Amazon, amazon.
I just ordered, ordered fromAmazon and it will come.
If I want fondant, i can justorder it and it will come.
But they have to make their owncake pans.
(32:25):
She said there's a guy here whouses zinc to make these pans
And I couldn't get in my mindhow he would do such a thing.
And she said, oh, he would justpound it to make it flat and
smooth And then he would shapeit into the size of the pan that
you want.
And she said it doesn't evenburn the cakes.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
She was like wow, wow .
So it was just just justamazing.
It was such a sweet time And mygoal is to help the creative
cake school, because I want tobe able to provide them with
some tools, equipments, whateverthey need, so that they can,
(33:09):
you know, just be able to nothave it as hard as they have it
right now, make life a littlebit more simple for them.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
Yeah, we definitely take for granted the things that
we have, So I couldn't evenimagine having to make the cake
pan.
That's crazy.
But what a blessing that yourbusiness has given you just so
many different opportunities.
Because you're a teacher alsoShupin Aside from Mordor, you
(33:42):
actually taught.
You took teaching your passiontoo, And so that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
Yes, you always tell us those diversify, right.
So?
Speaker 1 (33:53):
Yes, yes, i'm big on you guys, and I believe every
baker should, because one of thebiggest problems with so many
bakers is that they makesomething they post on social
media and then they just thinkthat a flood of calls is going
to come through.
But if anyone is trying to dothis full time, it is really
good for all of you guys todiversify your income And Shupin
(34:17):
your class.
You have a class that will becoming back around at the
beginning of the year, so tellus about your class and how you
teach other bakers.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
So my class is mainly geared towards beginner bakers,
and in my class you learn howto make two simple cakes from
beginning to end.
There are step-by-stepinstructions with a video that
you will be able to follow.
(34:47):
You have instructions, you haveingredients overview, you have
the actual video showing you howto put all of your ingredients
together to come up to the endproduct, and then we have how to
package your cakes.
We have instructions on how tocontact me if you have any
(35:08):
questions.
So it's just like a no-fillprocess And it's simple enough
for, like I said, for beginnersto do So.
If you're not sure that you'reable to bake a cake, some people
say, oh, i cannot bake anything.
I feel like everybody can Ifyou have the proper instructions
(35:30):
to follow, and it's simple as123 ABC.
You can follow all the way tothe end.
So that's it.
You're not alone.
You're never alone because theycan always DM me to ask
questions and I'll be rightthere with Your hand, so that
class will be coming aroundagain sometime next year.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
Shoe pan.
What is any advice that youwould give to any baker?
because, like you say that you,you've diversified you, you
stepped out in fear, youinvested in yourself, you put
yourself out there and 16 yearsin business, you've just been
growing year after year, afteryear.
So what advice would you giveto someone who's been in
(36:11):
business one year, three years,or maybe they don't See how they
can actually do this full-time?
What advice would you sharewith them?
Speaker 2 (36:20):
Well, one thing that you always said is to stay in
your own lane.
You are running your own course.
You're not in race with anybodyelse, you're in race with
yourself.
So Sometimes we see otherpeople and how they've
(36:44):
progressed and They're doing sowell, they're making so much
money and they're always They'rejust like some somewhere where
you want to be, but we don'tknow how that person got to that
point.
So you have to run your ownrace and Not.
(37:06):
I mean, you can be happy forthis person, but you cannot just
jump from where you are towhere they are because you don't
know What they went through toget to that point.
So you have to pay your deed,you have to work at your
business, you have to takeinstructions, you have to follow
instructions and if you're partof the Interpreter in your
community which has helped megreatly beyond, i Was tell you,
(37:31):
chef, when I, when I, when I,when I message you, i've done
nothing, nothing like this.
Of all the years I've beenbaking.
And since I've joined theInterpreter in your community, i
can see the improvements.
I took a time to learn, i tooka time to write down everything
that I've done since I've joined, since I joined the Interpreter
community And it's nothingcompared to all the years that I
(37:54):
was on my own.
So you have to be patient, youhave to run your own race, you
have to Stay the course and justwork on a special work.
I don't know about other people, but I know in the Interpreter
community we have a learningportal that tells you to have
master classes Of everythingthat we need to do to improve
(38:17):
your business, to take yourbusiness to the next level.
So if you just follow thecourse, you would definitely
just see the improvement and youeventually get to where this
person right here is.
So run your own race is what Iwould say.
Speaker 1 (38:30):
Absolutely.
I love that.
Oh my gosh, so many goodnuggets from such a beautiful
Lady.
Shupan is gonna kill me, buty'all, i cannot believe she told
me her age.
I can't believe you're 56,shupan.
That is amazing.
Speaker 2 (38:47):
Thank you.
Thank you, yes, i am 56 young56 young.
Speaker 1 (38:52):
Yes, you go, girl.
So to any of my young peopleout there, let that be
encouragement that it can bedone, and to anyone else Who may
be just a little older, saying,can I really do this?
Shupan is really living proofShe's been a home base baker for
16 years that yes, you canreally do it and also you're
also such an amazing part of ourcommunity.
(39:13):
So thank you, because you'realways offering help and being
kind, and that's the type ofwomen that I love to work with
This women who don't mindhelping other women.
From the bottom of my heart,thank you so much for sharing
your journey and your progress.
I love having you on.
Before you go, shupan, are youready to play lightning round?
I can't wait.
(39:35):
All right, let's do it.
Shupan, what is your favoritecolor?
Purple, purple.
Yes, shupan, do you have acelebrity crush?
Speaker 2 (39:49):
Don't laugh, it's Snoop, snoop.
Speaker 1 (39:55):
Shupan, you like Snoop Dogg?
Speaker 2 (40:00):
I always said he's so smooth, He's so smooth okay.
Speaker 1 (40:06):
All right, I love it.
I love it.
Shupan, what's your favoritekitchen utensil?
Speaker 2 (40:12):
I would say my kitchen aid.
Speaker 1 (40:18):
Yes, cool beans.
And what is one book that youwould recommend to anyone?
Emit, oh, the Emit, yes, oh,that's a good one.
I'll link it to uh, in the shownotes the Emit, i love that.
And lastly, your last questionWhat is a dessert you cannot
(40:42):
live without?
Speaker 2 (40:46):
I like The brownie sundae that Brewster's carry.
Hot fudge brownie sundae.
Hot fudge brownie sundae.
Speaker 1 (40:56):
Okay, i like this I love you guys, you guys have
Brewster's over there.
We don't have.
I visited one before, though,but I love brownies and ice
cream, so chocolate and icecream that goes good together.
Speaker 2 (41:09):
I always find myself getting that one wherever we go.
Speaker 1 (41:13):
So Brownie sundae.
That is a good answer, shupan.
Thank you so much.
It was such a pleasure havingyou here.
I really appreciated you comingon and chatting with us and
continue success in yourbusiness.
I know you have nowhere to gobut up and I love watching you
grow, so thank you for sharingyour testament and being an
(41:33):
inspiration to other people.
Speaker 2 (41:35):
Thank you so much.
Thank you so much from thebottom of my heart for having me
.
It was Such a pleasure andhonor.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
You're more than welcome You guys.
It's Shupan not amazing or what, but special thanks to Shupan
for coming on the podcast andsharing her story.
Everything on this podcast Tome is always fueled from Love
(42:05):
and community, and I love whenother women come on and share
their journey.
I know that I'm not the onlyone source of knowledge and
inspiration, but I always tellpeople I don't ever want you to
be like me, especially mystudents always want my students
to be better than me, because Iconsider them a reflection of
(42:26):
me and so I'm on them a lotharder, and Shupan is just one
of those people.
All of my students have amazingstories.
When we become an entrepreneur,you will get challenged, you
will go through a lot, likeShupan stated, but the best
piece of advice is to run yourown race, and so, wherever you
(42:48):
are right now, if you'rewondering, can it be possible
not just to work with corporateclients but to see increase in
your business, to collaboratewith others in your business, to
just Have a business that'ssuccessful, profitable and
sustainable, then I hope sheshowed up today and provided you
(43:09):
with a little bit of hope andinspiration that, no matter what
your age, no matter what yourbackground, it is Very possible.
Also, while you're listeningduring this time, the doors to
the course more deal withcorporate clients are open And I
would love to have you on thepodcast this time next year
(43:31):
Sharing your successes.
In the past We've had demi onthe podcast, who you guys Loved,
who shared how she balances hercorporate clients while still
Being in a corporate career andstill being a mom.
So it's definitely possible foranyone out there who already
has a busy life, and Shupan isjust a perfect example of the
(43:54):
possibilities when you stay thecourse.
Like she stated, not just theamazon order, but amazon, the
king family, working withwalmart, the rotary club So many
different things.
Shupan has been featured aswell.
She's had press for herbusiness.
She's also worked with yelp.
She continues to just show upand try her best and, honestly,
(44:16):
that's what I love.
A lot of times, we have this allenough in mentality, like If it
doesn't, if my business doesn'ttake off in a week, or it's all
enough in that i'm a failure,this doesn't work.
But no, things take time And soit's up to you to more so have
a former mentality, to show upAnd say what seeds am I going to
plant each and every single dayso that my business can read a
(44:38):
harvest, and so if you'relistening, it is.
I would love the opportunity towork with you While the doors
to mordeaux with corporateclients are open.
So be sure to check the shownotes and if the time has passed
and you're listening, it isthat you can check the show
notes as well, because maybeit's not for you at the moment.
We love to have you inside theentrepreneurial community where
(45:00):
you can just go over businessgrowth and get the
accountability and help that youneed So that you can start
seeing a difference.
Whatever your decision, i hopethe podcast continues to
motivate you and inspire you topush In your business and to
show up for yourself So that youcan show up for your business,
so that you can see All thethings you desire come to
(45:23):
fruition.
I have a scripture for you,because I know shupan won't mind
.
She's a believer herself, andso today's scripture comes from
john 14, chapter 14.
You may ask me for anything Inmy name and I will do it, and so
I'm touching and agreeing withyou.
Whatever it is that you'reasking god for today in your
(45:45):
business, i'm asking god tobless all of you guys who come
week after week and listen.
We're going on Over 100,000downloads.
That means a lot to me.
So thank you so much toeveryone who listens.
And also I have shupan'sinformation in the show notes as
well.
If you want to, uh, follow herand support her page.
(46:06):
Thank you, guys, so much.
I love spending time with youthis week and until next week.
Bye, for now, you.
Hey, sweet friends, my name is Chef Schaumburg.
I started my baking businesswith the bottle of DeCerono and
one Bundt Cake Pan.
Fast forward to today, fromnews to magazines, speaking on
national stages and more.
I can truly say that baking haschanged my life.
So now, as a bakery businesscoach, i get to help others have
the same success.
I've helped hundreds of mystudents across the world in my
(00:24):
global membership program createsix-figure businesses, mainly
from home.
The Baking for Business podcastis an extension of that, from
actionable tips to valuabletools and resources that can
impact you as a business owner.
I truly believe y'all.
We would never have been givena gift if we couldn't profit and
prosper from it.
So come on, darling.
What are you waiting for, hey?
(00:52):
what is going on?
you guys?
and welcome back to the Bakingfor Business podcast.
Today you're in for a specialtreat, because today's guest is
so sweet.
I love her accent.
She's been a student of minefor a while.
Shoe Pan is the owner of Cakesby Shoe Pan, located in Georgia.
She's been a home baker forover 16 years, which is amazing,
(01:17):
because it definitely showswhat is possible when you stick
with it and how you can growover time.
Shoe Pan is also a graduate ofthe Mordow course and you're
going to hear all about it, aswell as her amazing success that
she's had.
But without further ado, shoePan, welcome to the Baking for
Business podcast.
Thank you, chef.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
I'm so excited to be here Yay.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
I'm so excited, awesome, i'm so excited to have
you So, shoe Pan.
For those who are unfamiliar, iwant to go back a little bit.
What made you first startedbaking?
What was the moment when youdecided I know you told me
you've loved it all your life,but when you decided to actually
register as a business, whatmade you actually go forward and
(02:02):
open up a home baking business?
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Well, this all started many years ago when my
son was about to turn one yearold.
I saw a picture of a clown cakein a magazine that I really,
really, really wanted for hisbirthday.
But I didn't know anybody whowould do such a cake, because
all the cakes that I've alwaysseen were in the grocery store.
(02:27):
They were either round orrectangular.
But when I read theinstructions in the magazine in
my mind I thought I could makethat cake.
But I didn't know how.
I just didn't know how I wasgoing to do it.
But I just knew in my mind thatI could do it because baking
always came to me.
(02:47):
So I went to the grocery storeand if you're familiar with the
grocery store, you know that inthe baking aisle they have
plastic tips and icing.
So I read the instructions, igot the icing and I got plastic
tips.
I knew nothing about metal tipsat all.
And then somebody told me aboutthis store that I could find
(03:11):
baking pans, and then that way Ifound the clown cake pan.
And then I was like, hi, whatam I going to put the icing in?
I knew nothing about icing bagAnd I'm like, oh, i just use a
notebook paper And I use anotebook paper and I made the
cake And it was so beautiful tome at the time.
(03:33):
Looking back now it was like ahot mess, but it served the
purpose.
It was bright, it was colorful,and my son had his first
birthday cake And I was the mosthappy mom.
So I just something went off inmy head like why don't you take
cake decorating classes?
So from then until the timethat I registered the business,
(03:56):
it was always like a just ahappy type thing for me.
I just played around andanybody having an event.
I was like, oh, i'll do thecake, i'll do the cake And I
will always make the cake.
And then something went off saidwhy don't you take some cake
decorating classes?
It was just like a light.
(04:17):
These light bulbs were justgoing off in my head.
And then I started doingclasses and then I did more free
cakes.
So I've had my share of freecakes for these people.
And then one day my husbandsaid why don't you register?
You don't want to make thismore serious, but I never
thought to do it as a business.
(04:38):
I was happy where I was.
So then I took the step toregister with the secretary of
state, and the rest is history.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Yes, you go, girl, that's.
A lot of people start off withit, like you did, as a hobby and
being a passion.
But it's nice to kind of seethat turning point And it's nice
that you had a husband whomotivated you and said, yeah,
let's, let's be serious, let'smake a business.
So that's wonderful.
Where do you get your baconinspiration?
(05:07):
from One in your family thatbakes.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Or when my grandmother used to be a baker
and she had a bakery.
but it's not like I grew upwith her or near her because we
lived far apart.
But I guess I get that from herbecause people who knew her or
(05:31):
people who know her always tellme oh, you took after your
grandmother.
I'm like I guess I did.
So it's just, it's just in me.
I can easily pick up anycookbook, any dessert book and
read it and be able to recreateit.
If I ever went somewhere and Ihad a particular dessert that I
(05:52):
already, i will not stop until Irecreate it.
My cousin's always used tolaugh.
I mean, it's like you read acookbook, like you read a novel,
but I like to read, i can reada recipe and I have to imagine
it in my head before I can do it.
And I also do that with cakedecorating.
I always tell my customers orclients can you picture this in
(06:17):
your head?
Because I have to see it beforeI can actually do it.
And sometimes they do it,sometimes they don't.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
That's amazing And I know I know just from personally
talking to you, but you areactually from Liberia, west
Africa.
That's where you get thatbeautiful accent Right.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Born and raised.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Born and raised.
I love that, and so how longhave you been in America, shubin
?
Speaker 2 (06:40):
I've been here for 33 years now.
This year August would be 33years, August 33 years.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Okay, that's cool, that's cool.
And so what exactly do youspecialize in for your home
baking business And where areyou located at?
Speaker 2 (07:01):
I specialize in children's cakes and I am in
Lawrenceville, Georgia.
So, I'm sure it's from Atlanta.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Okay, children's cakes.
So any reason in particularthat made you wanna work with
crumb snatchers?
I mean beautiful children.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Yes, so it's the smiles that I see on their faces
when they receive that cake.
Or, you know, the pictures thattheir moms will send me.
Children's cakes are always sofun They're bright, they're
beautiful, they're colorful.
(07:42):
It's some kind of a theme, somekind of a character, what you
know, the hobbies, the interest,and it's just so amazing to me
when I see the pictures that theparents will send me at the
party or after the party.
Tell you a quick story.
There was this little girl,chloe.
I've been making cakes forChloe and her brother for years
(08:05):
And this one year when Idelivered the cake it was pretty
late, maybe like 730, 830.
And her mom said you can, chloewill not go to bed until you
got here.
So when her mom, when I droveup you know text her mom say I'm
here.
Her mom opened the door.
That little girl could not stopjumping.
(08:26):
She was just jumping up anddown just waiting to see this
Cause.
She was like super excited, bigsmile all over her face.
And when I see that, that justdoes it for me.
When Chloe saw that cake, shewas like now I can go to bed.
She was so, so happy And she,chloe, is actually a teenager
(08:47):
now And, as a matter of fact, ijust did like a under the sea
theme cupcakes for her.
Her birthday party this yearwas at the Georgia Aquarium And
I did.
She was like over the moon,over the moon, but I just love
that.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Yeah, that is such a blessing when you've been in
people's lives long enough towhere you get to watch them grow
.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Awesome.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Yes, yes, i love that .
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Oh, i love that Shoe pen, and so you mentioned that
you were loving the craft andyou were taking decorating
classes, which a lot of people,a lot of people do shoe pen.
But I know I've known you for acouple of years now.
What was the turn?
What made you decide toactually start taking business
classes?
(09:32):
Because a lot of times that'swhat I noticed so many bakers
struggle with.
They'll learn the craft,they'll do all the decorating,
but either they put the businessportion on the back end or it's
not necessarily a focus.
What was the turning point foryou that made you start really
saying, okay, i might need totake business classes also, and
(09:55):
not just the decorating classes.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Well, you know, i've always wanted to do cupcakes
like for a bang or maybe like ananniversary cake for a
particular organization.
But I had no idea how to get inthe door to these different
businesses.
And when the opportunity cameto actually take a class that
(10:23):
would teach me how, that was ano-brainer for me.
I didn't care how much it cost.
I was like I was signing up.
I was saying, i was like I wastelling myself I'm a good
student.
I know that I'm a good student.
I cannot come up with thesethings by myself.
But if you tell me how to do itor not, let me tell you.
(10:44):
If you tell me what to do, iknow what.
I can get it done.
I just need somebody to tell methis is what you need to do And
I know that I can get it done.
So, taking the corporate class,or getting to a corporate class
to get my foot into the door,to get to know how to reach out
to these larger companies, thatwas it for me.
(11:08):
That was like, like I said, itwas a no-brainer.
I knew that I had to take theclass.
It was like a must.
There was no if ands, a butsabout it.
I had to sign up to do this.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
And yeah, you are.
actually you are a graduate ofthe Mordo program.
So you took Mordo last year,five week course.
So, for those who haven't, howwas it?
And you can be totally honestWas it hard, did you find it
difficult?
Or how did you enjoy the Mordoprogram?
Speaker 2 (11:39):
I really did enjoy that class.
It was fast but it was veryinformative.
You gave us step-by-stepinformation And I like how you
were always available forquestions, no matter what day,
(12:01):
what time.
Ask your questions.
It was gonna be answered within24 hours.
I like how you encouraged us toask questions, cause every time
I felt like I wanted to ask aquestion but maybe I'll let
people gonna look at me likethis people gonna my thing she
(12:21):
doesn't know that.
Then I'll hear you say closemouths don't get fed, close
mouths don't get fed.
And that is always anencouragement to me to speak up,
and I'm glad that I did.
Cause let me tell you, ifyou're into taking a business to
the next level, you have tosign up for Mordo, because I can
(12:45):
say for me, it has taken mybusiness to the next level and I
want the same for you.
So I really encourage everybodyto just.
This is money well spent, putit that way.
And we spend money on a lot offoolishness, but this one I've
paid for this class Way morethan I can think of.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
I appreciate that you're so sweet, but you hit.
you hit something that's reallyimportant.
Sometimes people are afraid toask those questions or some
people will say, well, she panwell.
Why would I pay for the class?
it's on Google or it's onYouTube.
Did you feel it was on YouTube?
Speaker 2 (13:30):
No, no, not at all, because you, there's nothing
like a one on one.
You took time with everystudent, every student, every,
every time we met.
You took time with, with eachperson.
So you know, we'll askquestions.
We could do role play you.
You give us so many examples.
There's nothing like you.
(13:50):
Youtube, you can watch YouTube,yeah, but if you have a
question, how are you going toget it answered?
You cannot.
You know you're alwaysavailable to us Any time.
Just ask questions, just askquestions, just ask questions.
And the only way you will getahead is by asking those
questions so that you can moveup to the next step.
You cannot stay stuck or jumpor something.
(14:14):
Go to the next, next, next partof the program, because then
you're going to get stuckbecause you didn't do what you
didn't do your homework.
Yeah, oh, there's no, there'sno comparison to you to zero,
zero.
Yes, youtube is free, but noway.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
And I love the fact you said ask questions, because
I remember a couple months backand you asked a lot of questions
because you had a very big day.
I remember this.
I'm looking at the screenshotright now, shooting 4,997 dollar
(14:52):
order, and I remember when youreached out and you said, chef,
this is a lot, do you thinkthey're going to pay the invoice
?
And I say, yeah, they're goingto pay the invoice.
Looking back now, how did youfeel when you got that request
(15:12):
from Amazon, one of the biggestretailers?
you made 900 cupcakes, shoepants so tell us about the
excitement.
How did you feel when theyreached out to you?
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Yeah, So let me just give a little backstory, because
I have to give honor and gloryto God.
This was January 17.
2023.
That morning, when I did mychoir time, there was a part of
(15:46):
the Let me say this for a shoutout to the holy Baba app That's
what I use.
There was a part of the choirtime that said you could ask God
for anything.
And so I said to God, i havebeen praying for blessings, for
(16:07):
kicks by shoe pain, and I saidGod, i have been praying for
blessings for a while.
This string And I'm asking you,god, to please, you know, bless
the business beyond my widestimagination.
That was my prayer that morning.
No kidding To 30.
That afternoon I got that phonecall that same day And I said
(16:32):
Amazon.
She said her company waslooking to make a large
corporate order and wanted toknow if I will be able to
fulfill it.
So the first thing that read tomy mind was who?
I'm a one man show largecorporate order.
I don't think I can do it.
But then my other mind saidthis is too good to let go.
(16:56):
So I said, lord, just ask forthis this morning.
And here you are showing up, soyou're going to have to help me
through this.
So, while my heart was like, itold the lady on the other end
of the phone I said, sure, we'llbe on to, but I was here.
(17:19):
And then, you know, she askedme a few questions.
We went through everything, ianswer all her questions And I
said Can you please send me anemail with all the
specifications?
And so she did that.
That evening I'm going throughmy emails and I get to her email
(17:41):
, read everything, and I got tothe signature part And I
realized it was Amazon.
I was like, oh, my husband,like Gary do you know that?
I was.
I was happy, i was excited, butI was so scared And that's why
(18:03):
I was like, chef, i was justblowing up your DM, your
Instagram, your Instagram.
Like you said, I have all thesequestions because I didn't know
how I let go.
You're just going to have tohelp me through this And you,
chef, you are so.
You are calm because you'vedone this so many times for this
(18:24):
month.
This was my very first largeorder And you answered all my
questions, step by step.
You're so patient with me.
That's what I love about you.
You're dealing with so manypeople.
So many people, at differenttimes, ask the same questions,
but you answer it with grace.
You always do, and I know thatit can be overwhelming for you
(18:49):
to answer the same questionsover and over and over again,
but you always, always, answer.
You don't.
You don't give us, you don't.
You don't give a smart answerto make anybody feel belittle or
ashamed.
You always answer like it'syour.
It's your first time hearingthe question And I love that
(19:09):
about you.
So you answer all of myquestions.
Whenever I had a question aboutthis whole order, from
beginning to end, and I reachedout, you had an answer for me.
And when I deliver thosecupcakes.
I had to deliver them withintwo days, on a Tuesday and on a
(19:29):
Friday or Saturday.
They were the best two daysever.
The reception was warm,everybody was everybody.
They were so friendly, theywere so happy to have me, they
had music, they had the wholesetup.
It was just.
It was just a nice two daysthat I was there.
(19:50):
Very, very rewarding, veryrewarding, very.
I really enjoyed that.
That's an awesome firstexperience for our corporate
orders.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
That is amazing and I am happy because I tell you
guys all the time you're right,closed mouths don't give a fit.
But also we have to put faithover fear, and too often I'm
happy that you prayed over yourbusiness, but sometimes we pray
and ask God for everything, wepray for others, but we never
take it into consideration thatHe can answer prayers for
(20:27):
business too, and so ever sincethen you have been rolling.
You also had I remember becauseyou're good with screenshots,
you come through with the proofYou had like a $2,000 order.
That was amazing, and you gotto bake for a very well-known
establishment in Georgia withjust sheet cakes.
(20:49):
Now, amazon was cupcakes.
This order was sheet cakes,because one of the things a lot
of people in our industry feelis that they either have to do
fondant, they have to do thingsthat cause them to burn out, or
they have to follow all thesetrends in order to book these
orders.
But you don't.
So Amazon was a $5,000 order,your $2,000 corporate order.
(21:13):
Tell us a little bit about that.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
So this one was the birthday of a permanent person.
Am I allowed to say the name?
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Yes, you could say the name.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
So it was Dr Bernie's King's 60th birthday And I was
contacted to make the servingcakes for 650 people.
That was amazing.
I was so excited.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
I'm like I'm gonna do a cake for Bernie's King.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
It was very rewarding , very rewarding.
I had the best time again atthe event because I stayed to
serve the cake, deliver them andthen survey when it was time
for them to have dessert.
And they were all very, veryexcited, very satisfied And I've
(22:14):
got some really, really goodfeedback.
So that was really really,really good.
It was a really rewarding order.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
That's amazing, and, for anyone who doesn't know, dr
Bernie's King is the youngestliving child of the great Dr
Martin Luther King, and Georgiahas an amazing facility down
there, and so that was soawesome that you got to be a
part of that, and then you alsoworked with Walmart.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
Yes, but before Walmart, because I did the King
Center call me again.
So she said you did such a ladywho called you did such a good
job with the Bernie's King'sbirthday.
Now we're gonna have thededication of the Coretta Scott
Kings Monument And we want youto do a cake.
(23:08):
This one was a three tier cakewith her colors.
It's like her pink rose.
I didn't even know there was arose named after Coretta Scott
King, So that was new for me.
But we use even though we uselike regular natural flower
(23:29):
roses, because we couldn't findthe actual Coretta Scott King
rose.
They're not like available atthe florist Dubai, so we use
regular pink natural roses.
But it was a three tier cakeAnd that was another amazing
event that I did, that this onewas at the King Center And I was
(23:53):
very honored to be the cakedesigner for that dedication of
the monument.
Then came Walmart Health Care.
So Walmart is now, i understand, rolling out their healthcare
systems in Georgia And theWalmart that is local to me.
(24:17):
Well, one of the Walmart that'slocal to me was their grand
opening And I was contacted todo desserts for the grand
opening And I was Oh they'remore excited again.
I was like another corporateorder.
This class is really paying off.
The class came right on time,chef.
(24:37):
It came right on time Because,look, just after the class the
doors just started opening.
So one corporate order afterthe other, and then after that
this was Walmart was in AprilAnd then in May I did the
Gwinnett Counties the Canada Ilive in, with the Gwinnett
(25:01):
County Rotary 50th anniversarycake.
I was contacted for that one.
It was like a big luncheon thatit had, and I did a cake for 60
people with their logo on it.
It was like a two tier cake Andgot very good responses from
that too.
Everybody was so happy andappreciative And they couldn't
(25:23):
stop telling me thank you.
They couldn't stop telling mehow awesome the cake was.
And that's all we want.
We want for people to besatisfied with the work that we
do, for the service that wedeliver, and that just means so
much to me and my business.
This encourages me to continueto keep pushing, keep doing a
good job.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
And you mentioned a very good point to keep pushing
Because, like you said, you'vebeen doing this for 16 years,
but you took the Mordo courserecently, over one year.
So what would you say tosomeone who may feel like giving
up or who may think, well,maybe they're not worth the
(26:04):
investment?
Did you feel the investment wasclearly it's paid off, because,
i mean, you guys are amazing.
What advice would you give to aperson who's thinking about it?
Speaker 2 (26:16):
Just go for it.
It's a no brainer rally if youjust make the investment in
yourself.
So take your business to thenext level Now.
You cannot just take the classand do nothing.
You have to follow through.
Like Chef always tells us, ican tell you everything that you
need to do.
If you don't do it, then you'reright back at where you started
(26:39):
.
You can't want to tell us, butyou cannot make us.
So you have to want to do this,you have to be willing to put
in the work, you have to bewilling to make time, you have
to be willing to make theinvestment, and then you would
definitely see the reward.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
And speaking of reward, you have got to do some
other amazing things in yourbusiness.
I know we were talking earlierabout two organizations that
really, really matter to you,which I love because our
business should be able toprovide opportunities for us,
and so you actually got to goback home to Liberia and teach a
(27:24):
class.
So tell us a little bit aboutthat.
How awesome was that.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
That was the most rewarding thing that I did on my
trip back home to Liberia inDecember of 2022.
So I have a classmate who owns,or kick-decorating the Creative
Hicks School is what it'scalled And I knew I was going.
So I contacted her throughMessenger Facebook Messenger And
(27:53):
I said look, listen, i'm coming, so I have one.
Give you Anything you want tolearn, tell me, we'll go over it
.
Get your students ready.
They're on vacation, butwhoever you can get, i'll teach
you.
So she said I really want tolearn how to do funding.
So I was like cool, so justhave everything ready And I'll
(28:15):
come.
So when I got there, icontacted her on a day.
We had plans.
She picked me up, went to theschool And I was just amazed at
what they had like ingredients,tools, because some of them were
quite different from what I'mused to, but they're so limited,
(28:35):
but they make do And I was veryproud of her because they make
do with what they have.
So she had the cakes alreadyprepared And she said well, i
made my own fondant.
I'm like you did.
There's nowhere to buy fondant.
And she said no.
So she brought the fondant Andit was actually really good.
She did a great job with thefondant because I worked with it
(28:58):
and needed it.
The toasting and turning wasright there.
This is perfect.
So first we have to where's thecake?
Here's the cake.
Then we have to cover the cakewith the buttercream.
Where's the buttercream icing?
And when she brought thebuttercream I was.
It looked so different fromwhat I'm used to And I was like
what did you use to make thisbuttercream?
And then she explained to methat they don't have like
(29:20):
because of the humidity inLiberia.
If you use like just theregular icing that we use,
everything melts off the cakeAnd they don't have access to
high ratio shortening that wehave here.
So it's some.
I didn't see actually whatbutter she used, but it's.
I know that the icing wastinted yellow, so the butter
(29:41):
might be of a yellow shade.
But when she handed it to me Inoticed that I couldn't just
stir it with my spatula like Iwould do normally here when I'm
covering a cake with buttercreamicing.
So she said they have to usetheir fingers to take the icing,
(30:01):
cause it was like a paste.
That's how they use theirfingers, get the icing and then
plaster it all over the cakewith their fingers and pat it to
make it stick and make itsmooth, and then the cake was
ready to be covered with thefondant And then we did the
(30:21):
whole fondant part Andeverything worked out.
It was.
You know, i did some, she didpart of it.
I'll show them.
And then I let the kids, thestudents, do some of it And I
let her do some of it, cause shedidn't know either, but it was
very.
It was a really good class.
(30:41):
They had fun, we laughed whilewe did it.
They took turns.
I asked questions just to makesure they were paying attention
to what I was telling them,cause I was like when I'm gone,
you're gonna be here by yourself.
I'm not going to be here foryou to ask me questions.
So you have to remember what isit that I'm doing?
(31:05):
How do you know?
how do you know how wide youroll out this fondant to?
How do you know how to put it?
you know apply it to the caketo cut it.
How do you know how to make itsmooth?
You know all these questions.
Answer for them.
(31:26):
They went over everything.
We did the cake.
I asked them questions again.
They were answered and it wasjust a fun time.
It was my best time.
It was the most rewarding thing.
I wish I was there longer.
I wish I had had the time tostay with her longer to teach
them some other things.
(31:47):
Talking about making do, shehad her cake pans and I was like
, oh, where'd you buy these from?
And she was like we don't buythem, we make them.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
I was like you make them.
They make their own cake pans.
They make their own cake pans.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Wow, and it just made me think about all the things
that I have here that I take forgranted.
I can just, if I want to take,i'm just go to the store.
Well, not even go to the store.
Amazon, amazon.
I just ordered, ordered fromAmazon and it will come.
If I want fondant, i can justorder it and it will come.
But they have to make their owncake pans.
(32:25):
She said there's a guy here whouses zinc to make these pans
And I couldn't get in my mindhow he would do such a thing.
And she said, oh, he would justpound it to make it flat and
smooth And then he would shapeit into the size of the pan that
you want.
And she said it doesn't evenburn the cakes.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
She was like wow, wow .
So it was just just justamazing.
It was such a sweet time And mygoal is to help the creative
cake school, because I want tobe able to provide them with
some tools, equipments, whateverthey need, so that they can,
(33:09):
you know, just be able to nothave it as hard as they have it
right now, make life a littlebit more simple for them.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
Yeah, we definitely take for granted the things that
we have, So I couldn't evenimagine having to make the cake
pan.
That's crazy.
But what a blessing that yourbusiness has given you just so
many different opportunities.
Because you're a teacher alsoShupin Aside from Mordor, you
(33:42):
actually taught.
You took teaching your passiontoo, And so that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
Yes, you always tell us those diversify, right.
So?
Speaker 1 (33:53):
Yes, yes, i'm big on you guys, and I believe every
baker should, because one of thebiggest problems with so many
bakers is that they makesomething they post on social
media and then they just thinkthat a flood of calls is going
to come through.
But if anyone is trying to dothis full time, it is really
good for all of you guys todiversify your income And Shupin
(34:17):
your class.
You have a class that will becoming back around at the
beginning of the year, so tellus about your class and how you
teach other bakers.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
So my class is mainly geared towards beginner bakers,
and in my class you learn howto make two simple cakes from
beginning to end.
There are step-by-stepinstructions with a video that
you will be able to follow.
(34:47):
You have instructions, you haveingredients overview, you have
the actual video showing you howto put all of your ingredients
together to come up to the endproduct, and then we have how to
package your cakes.
We have instructions on how tocontact me if you have any
(35:08):
questions.
So it's just like a no-fillprocess And it's simple enough
for, like I said, for beginnersto do So.
If you're not sure that you'reable to bake a cake, some people
say, oh, i cannot bake anything.
I feel like everybody can Ifyou have the proper instructions
(35:30):
to follow, and it's simple as123 ABC.
You can follow all the way tothe end.
So that's it.
You're not alone.
You're never alone because theycan always DM me to ask
questions and I'll be rightthere with Your hand, so that
class will be coming aroundagain sometime next year.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
Shoe pan.
What is any advice that youwould give to any baker?
because, like you say that you,you've diversified you, you
stepped out in fear, youinvested in yourself, you put
yourself out there and 16 yearsin business, you've just been
growing year after year, afteryear.
So what advice would you giveto someone who's been in
(36:11):
business one year, three years,or maybe they don't See how they
can actually do this full-time?
What advice would you sharewith them?
Speaker 2 (36:20):
Well, one thing that you always said is to stay in
your own lane.
You are running your own course.
You're not in race with anybodyelse, you're in race with
yourself.
So Sometimes we see otherpeople and how they've
(36:44):
progressed and They're doing sowell, they're making so much
money and they're always They'rejust like some somewhere where
you want to be, but we don'tknow how that person got to that
point.
So you have to run your ownrace and Not.
(37:06):
I mean, you can be happy forthis person, but you cannot just
jump from where you are towhere they are because you don't
know What they went through toget to that point.
So you have to pay your deed,you have to work at your
business, you have to takeinstructions, you have to follow
instructions and if you're partof the Interpreter in your
community which has helped megreatly beyond, i Was tell you,
(37:31):
chef, when I, when I, when I,when I message you, i've done
nothing, nothing like this.
Of all the years I've beenbaking.
And since I've joined theInterpreter in your community, i
can see the improvements.
I took a time to learn, i tooka time to write down everything
that I've done since I've joined, since I joined the Interpreter
community And it's nothingcompared to all the years that I
(37:54):
was on my own.
So you have to be patient, youhave to run your own race, you
have to Stay the course and justwork on a special work.
I don't know about other people, but I know in the Interpreter
community we have a learningportal that tells you to have
master classes Of everythingthat we need to do to improve
(38:17):
your business, to take yourbusiness to the next level.
So if you just follow thecourse, you would definitely
just see the improvement and youeventually get to where this
person right here is.
So run your own race is what Iwould say.
Speaker 1 (38:30):
Absolutely.
I love that.
Oh my gosh, so many goodnuggets from such a beautiful
Lady.
Shupan is gonna kill me, buty'all, i cannot believe she told
me her age.
I can't believe you're 56,shupan.
That is amazing.
Speaker 2 (38:47):
Thank you.
Thank you, yes, i am 56 young56 young.
Speaker 1 (38:52):
Yes, you go, girl.
So to any of my young peopleout there, let that be
encouragement that it can bedone, and to anyone else Who may
be just a little older, saying,can I really do this?
Shupan is really living proofShe's been a home base baker for
16 years that yes, you canreally do it and also you're
also such an amazing part of ourcommunity.
(39:13):
So thank you, because you'realways offering help and being
kind, and that's the type ofwomen that I love to work with
This women who don't mindhelping other women.
From the bottom of my heart,thank you so much for sharing
your journey and your progress.
I love having you on.
Before you go, shupan, are youready to play lightning round?
I can't wait.
(39:35):
All right, let's do it.
Shupan, what is your favoritecolor?
Purple, purple.
Yes, shupan, do you have acelebrity crush?
Speaker 2 (39:49):
Don't laugh, it's Snoop, snoop.
Speaker 1 (39:55):
Shupan, you like Snoop Dogg?
Speaker 2 (40:00):
I always said he's so smooth, He's so smooth okay.
Speaker 1 (40:06):
All right, I love it.
I love it.
Shupan, what's your favoritekitchen utensil?
Speaker 2 (40:12):
I would say my kitchen aid.
Speaker 1 (40:18):
Yes, cool beans.
And what is one book that youwould recommend to anyone?
Emit, oh, the Emit, yes, oh,that's a good one.
I'll link it to uh, in the shownotes the Emit, i love that.
And lastly, your last questionWhat is a dessert you cannot
(40:42):
live without?
Speaker 2 (40:46):
I like The brownie sundae that Brewster's carry.
Hot fudge brownie sundae.
Hot fudge brownie sundae.
Speaker 1 (40:56):
Okay, i like this I love you guys, you guys have
Brewster's over there.
We don't have.
I visited one before, though,but I love brownies and ice
cream, so chocolate and icecream that goes good together.
Speaker 2 (41:09):
I always find myself getting that one wherever we go.
Speaker 1 (41:13):
So Brownie sundae.
That is a good answer, shupan.
Thank you so much.
It was such a pleasure havingyou here.
I really appreciated you comingon and chatting with us and
continue success in yourbusiness.
I know you have nowhere to gobut up and I love watching you
grow, so thank you for sharingyour testament and being an
(41:33):
inspiration to other people.
Speaker 2 (41:35):
Thank you so much.
Thank you so much from thebottom of my heart for having me
.
It was Such a pleasure andhonor.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
You're more than welcome You guys.
It's Shupan not amazing or what, but special thanks to Shupan
for coming on the podcast andsharing her story.
Everything on this podcast Tome is always fueled from Love
(42:05):
and community, and I love whenother women come on and share
their journey.
I know that I'm not the onlyone source of knowledge and
inspiration, but I always tellpeople I don't ever want you to
be like me, especially mystudents always want my students
to be better than me, because Iconsider them a reflection of
(42:26):
me and so I'm on them a lotharder, and Shupan is just one
of those people.
All of my students have amazingstories.
When we become an entrepreneur,you will get challenged, you
will go through a lot, likeShupan stated, but the best
piece of advice is to run yourown race, and so, wherever you
(42:48):
are right now, if you'rewondering, can it be possible
not just to work with corporateclients but to see increase in
your business, to collaboratewith others in your business, to
just Have a business that'ssuccessful, profitable and
sustainable, then I hope sheshowed up today and provided you
(43:09):
with a little bit of hope andinspiration that, no matter what
your age, no matter what yourbackground, it is Very possible.
Also, while you're listeningduring this time, the doors to
the course more deal withcorporate clients are open And I
would love to have you on thepodcast this time next year
(43:31):
Sharing your successes.
In the past We've had demi onthe podcast, who you guys Loved,
who shared how she balances hercorporate clients while still
Being in a corporate career andstill being a mom.
So it's definitely possible foranyone out there who already
has a busy life, and Shupan isjust a perfect example of the
(43:54):
possibilities when you stay thecourse.
Like she stated, not just theamazon order, but amazon, the
king family, working withwalmart, the rotary club So many
different things.
Shupan has been featured aswell.
She's had press for herbusiness.
She's also worked with yelp.
She continues to just show upand try her best and, honestly,
(44:16):
that's what I love.
A lot of times, we have this allenough in mentality, like If it
doesn't, if my business doesn'ttake off in a week, or it's all
enough in that i'm a failure,this doesn't work.
But no, things take time And soit's up to you to more so have
a former mentality, to show upAnd say what seeds am I going to
plant each and every single dayso that my business can read a
(44:38):
harvest, and so if you'relistening, it is.
I would love the opportunity towork with you While the doors
to mordeaux with corporateclients are open.
So be sure to check the shownotes and if the time has passed
and you're listening, it isthat you can check the show
notes as well, because maybeit's not for you at the moment.
We love to have you inside theentrepreneurial community where
(45:00):
you can just go over businessgrowth and get the
accountability and help that youneed So that you can start
seeing a difference.
Whatever your decision, i hopethe podcast continues to
motivate you and inspire you topush In your business and to
show up for yourself So that youcan show up for your business,
so that you can see All thethings you desire come to
(45:23):
fruition.
I have a scripture for you,because I know shupan won't mind
.
She's a believer herself, andso today's scripture comes from
john 14, chapter 14.
You may ask me for anything Inmy name and I will do it, and so
I'm touching and agreeing withyou.
Whatever it is that you'reasking god for today in your
(45:45):
business, i'm asking god tobless all of you guys who come
week after week and listen.
We're going on Over 100,000downloads.
That means a lot to me.
So thank you so much toeveryone who listens.
And also I have shupan'sinformation in the show notes as
well.
If you want to, uh, follow herand support her page.
(46:06):
Thank you, guys, so much.
I love spending time with youthis week and until next week.
Bye, for now, you.
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