May 22, 2024 • 24 mins
Imagine transforming a personal passion for fitness and baking into a flourishing business that tickles the taste buds without tipping the scales. That's precisely the journey Katrina Bland, the innovative founder of Sweet Benefits takes us through as she combines her expertise as a personal trainer with her culinary prowess to craft delectable, health-conscious treats. From overcoming the rigorous tests of culinary school to tweaking traditional recipes for a modern, health-focused audience, Katrina's story is a feast of inspiration for anyone with an appetite for entrepreneurship and a love for the sweeter things in life.
In this episode, you will learn:
- What inspired her to focus on health-conscious desserts
- How she uses her background to cater to her clients
- How she uses corporate orders to grow her brand and
- much much more.
Love Katrina's story? Be sure to follow her https://www.instagram.com/sweetbenefits/
Ready to enroll in MORE DOUGH? Click here to sign up and join us for the next LIVE class starting Monday, June 3rd 2024.
https://www.bakingforbusiness.com/moredough
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 a bottle of DeSerono 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 programsix-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, wewould never have been given a
gift if we couldn't profit andprosper from it.
So come on, darling.
What are you waiting for?
(00:45):
Hey?
What's going on, you guys?
And welcome back to the Bakingfor Business podcast.
I'm super excited to be withy'all today.
I'm always excited, but today Iactually have a special guest,
because I love it when I reallyget to hang with real people,
real bakers who are really doingamazing things.
(01:07):
And so today I'm joined withKatrina Bland.
She is the owner of SweetBenefits.
Sweet Benefits is an e-commercebakery located in Maryland, and
you guys would not believe this, but she actually has a healthy
background.
She's a personal trainer.
So how the hell do you dopersonal training and baking?
(01:28):
But she makes deliciousdesserts which are very much
health conscious, if you sodesire, and she speaks from some
amazing corporate clients aswell, and so we're going to hear
all about it.
So, katrina, welcome to thepodcast.
How are you doing today?
Speaker 2 (01:42):
I'm doing well.
Thank you so much for having me.
I appreciate the opportunity tospeak to your audience.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Absolutely.
You're more than welcome,darling.
So tell me, how did you getstarted?
What brought you about into thebaking world?
Speaker 2 (01:59):
I think I got started .
Well, I know I got startedmainly because it was a
connection that I had with mymom.
My mom was considered like thebig mama of the family, so she
didn't give out presents, butshe cooked for every holiday,
for every event.
She baked and she cooked.
So she always instilled foodand fellowship in us.
(02:24):
She's like I may not be able togive you a gift, but I can
always give you something goodto eat and a safe place to be,
and so that legacy has alwaysstayed with me, and in order to
honor her, I actually got intobaking myself as a career.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
That is so sweet.
I love that.
That's amazing.
But, katrina, you have apersonal training background,
right?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
I do have a personal training background and it's
funny because Sweet Benefits isbecause I was a personal trainer
and as a personal trainer Ioften had clients that didn't
know how to incorporate healthymeals, even when it came to
desserts.
So my slogan sweet benefitsactually reflects that.
(03:16):
It's like you can have sweetsthat have benefits.
So you can have sweets thathave things that have healthy
things for you, like cinnamon,which we know is good for
inflammation and reducing yourblood pressure.
So that's actually how SweetBenefits the name came about,
because I kind of incorporatedmy lifestyle and the fact that I
(03:36):
had a passion for baking intoone.
I wanted people that wanted tobe able to indulge to know that
you don't have to sabotage yourdiet in order to have some sweet
treats.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
That sounds delicious , because I've definitely
sabotaged my diet before.
But we won't get into that.
And so you're going about yourbusiness.
You're baking for your clients.
What made you actually decideto say, hey, I want to make this
official and to actually turnthis into a business?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
I think my love for baking was always there because
of my relationship with my mom,and then I became vegan for a
number of years.
So it was at that point where Iwanted to be able to
incorporate a vegan lifestylealso into my bacon.
So I decided to go to culinaryschool, thinking that I could
(04:33):
get the technique to help memake products that didn't
incorporate animal products.
But lo and behold, the chefs inculinary school are like why
would you not want to put eggsin it?
You know what eggs do for thestructure of the bacon?
And I'm like, yes, but thereare some people that have
(04:55):
dietary restrictions or live alifestyle where they don't want
to incorporate those things inthere.
And so I really went to culinaryschool for the love of it and
to get more education on thescience part, so that for that
reason I learned that I wasprobably going to have to do
this on my own and to do moreresearch.
(05:16):
Because the chefs are like wehave the best butter, the finest
butter, the best, which they do, which they really did, we have
the best eggs, and theycouldn't understand why.
So I said, okay, I'll learn thetechnique here and then I'll be
able to make the replacementson my own.
So that's really when I decidedthat this will be a business
(05:39):
for me and I want to be aone-stop shop for people that
need non-dairy, that maybe needvegan or need a gluten-free
friendly option, and so SweetBenefits is how it came about.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Man, yeah, butter is definitely.
Butter is amazing, but so areyour baked goods.
And so tell me, what are someof the things that you offer at
Sweet Benefits that follow thosedietary guidelines that you
mentioned?
Speaker 2 (06:12):
So, we have our French macaroons, and French
macaroons are naturally glutenfree because they're made with
almond flour, almond meal, yes,and so they can also be made
dairy-free if you make yourfilling dairy-free.
So there's many differentganaches or fruit fillings that
you can use in macarons thatmake a dessert for somebody
(06:36):
that's following that particularlifestyle to be able to enjoy.
So I always am educating mycustomers and letting them know.
Did you know you can getmacarons?
You know, I mean, I also makenon gluten containing cakes, but
sometimes you want somethingthat you're familiar with and
people don't know theingredients, and so they're like
(06:56):
, oh my gosh, French macaronsare gluten free yes, they are,
and it can be made dairy free aswell.
And then I also do gluten freecupcakes and cakes as well.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Yeah, I eat up some macarons and you're right,
they're naturally gluten freeand it doesn't dawn on us.
I just, I just eat them becausethey taste good.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
They are so good.
They are so good and one of thepatisserie items that I loved
even before I went to culinaryschool, and I was lucky enough
to have a French chocolatierwhen I was in culinary school
and yeah, so I also had a lovefor chocolate.
I love dark chocolate, and whenyou learn from somebody that
(07:38):
that is their culinary expertise, it just gets even better.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Absolutely yeah, dark chocolate has so many amazing
health benefits that I know of,and I need to start eating more
than that, but it'd be the milkchocolate that'd be calling a
sister's name.
So so, yeah, and speaking ofwhich, so in this industry, it
can just be so easy, becausethese are the things the gluten
(08:04):
free, the vegan that we don'tsee really glamorize much.
You know, we see the unicorncakes and everyone's into
cookies now.
And so how is it for you tostay on path?
Is it ever hard?
Did you ever try other trends?
Or were you just certain likeno, this is my lane.
I'm going to stay in it andbelieve in it.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Well, I feel like, because I'm so passionate about
it it is my lane and I dorecognize trends.
I also want my customers thathave those dietary restrictions
to know that you can also be ontrend with those items, because
I can make that item for youwith your dietary restrictions.
(08:46):
So the whole purpose of SweetBenefits was because I never
wanted people to feel left out.
If you have a doing non-dairyand so many allergies have come
about now, kids are allergic toeverything, which we never had
growing up.
You literally can't even takecupcakes and stuff to schools
(09:08):
because so many kids haveallergies and some of them are
severe.
So I just wanted to have abakery where, whether you were
now, I can bake with eggs andand I do for the customers that
want regular baked goods.
But I also want people to knowthat if you are non-dairy or if
you are vegan or if you'regluten-free friendly, you can
(09:31):
still indulge and enjoy and yourthings can look just as
beautiful as the regular bakedgoods.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Absolutely, and so you're sharing your passion with
people, you're educating peopleon your profile, you're growing
your business and raising yourbrand awareness, and so I know
you as an amazing student,because you've also recently
completed some corporateaccounts accounts with some
(09:57):
really big people and so tell mewhat got you, or what made you
decide to step out of the boxand to look into adding
corporate accounts to yourbaking business?
Speaker 2 (10:13):
I'll tell you that I got a baking coach and she
teaches an amazing class,mordeaux, and it literally is
that it gives you the pathwaysto be able to add different
revenue streams to your businessthat I didn't even know existed
(10:35):
.
So just by taking your class,you gave us so many different
avenues to be able toincorporate other sources of
revenue for our business, andthat is amazing.
And obtaining corporate clientsis a part of that class.
So many different platformsthat you shared with your
(11:09):
students allowed us to be ableto flourish in our business and
be able to cater to corporateclients, and I love it.
I do, I love it.
I love the class.
We learned a lot and, as aresult, we're able to get some
really good corporate clientsget some really good corporate
clients.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
You're so kind and I love having you as a student and
to someone who's listening,because I think people think
that you know they sign up forthe class.
It'll be a walk in the park,but you actually you stuck it
out, you know, and I remember itwas a couple months after the
class.
You showed up, you did the work, but then I got a message that
you get a request for 650 cakejars.
(11:49):
What the hell did that feellike, getting that email?
Speaker 2 (11:53):
I think, had I not been in the class, it would have
been overwhelming, right, butwe have so many tools in our
tool belt that we learned fromthe class and we have the
community that when you getsomething like that, if you
aren't comfortable with it, youcan go to the community.
(12:14):
We can also contact Chef and belike, listen, this is what's
going on.
What is your advice?
You know what I mean, how do wehandle this?
And so that's what we do,that's what I did, and it seemed
like a big feat.
But when you're equipped withthe things that you need and
(12:36):
you're organized, we keep trackof our inventory and the class
makes it easy for us to be ableto take on orders like that.
Yeah, the main thing is beingorganized, knowing that if you
get in a bind and you need somehelp, you have a community, but
the EC community.
We also have chef that's alwaysthere to be able to provide us
(12:59):
with the guidance.
We also have chef that's alwaysthere to be able to provide us
with the guidance, and she didand I did, and it was amazing.
It was amazing, it was amazing.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Yeah, you go, girl, and that order alone, not to put
all your business out there,but as a four figure check from
just one client, and so manypeople in this industry think
that those type of checks onlycome for people who do fondant
or wedding cakes, but fourfigures.
So how did you feel when yougot your big check?
It's like, yeah, I know, that'sright, show me the money.
Yeah, so fast forward.
(13:40):
Now you've also had theprivilege, which a lot of my
students have, of baking for notone, but two Amazons.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Yeah, yes, yeah.
We have a lot of fulfillmentcenters in Maryland and when I
first got my first order, I waslike looking at the address and
you don't recognize it at first,and then you know, you map
quest it because you want toknow exactly where you're going.
And when I pulled up, I sawthat the ASW smile and I was
(14:12):
like what?
This is Amazon?
Because when you get your orderit might not always say Amazon.
I was shocked.
It was a large order, so I knewit had to be a company, but I
didn't know if it was just likea building or, you know, like
some corporate event or somecompany having a big event for
(14:32):
their staff.
But it is, and it was a company, it was a corporation and it
was Amazon.
And I've baked for them a lotDifferent locations.
Yeah, it's been a blessing.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
And now so many people think, well, that it's
easy for a chef like me becauseI've been around or I have a big
following, but what I love toshare with people, you're an
average baker.
Your account you're under 600followers, correct?
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Correct.
Yeah, yeah, so followers don'tequate to money.
Amen, I'm here to tell you that.
So don't be discouraged becauseyou don't have a lot of
followers when you're equippedwith certain other resources and
platforms.
Your followers and yourcustomers don't come from
(15:28):
Instagram.
They don't.
They come from a lot ofdifferent other places.
And so I'm here to tell you,don't be discouraged by that,
because I did not think that Iwould ever get the corporate
clients that I got.
I don't have 2000, 3000, 10,000followers, no, but the people
(15:53):
that I have have found me fromdifferent platforms and from
Google and um, I don't even knowif those people know I even am
(16:21):
on Instagram.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Yeah, honestly, yeah, honestly.
And so that's something thatI'm big with teaching my
students, because when we putall our eggs in one basket and
only rely on social media, thereare so many other places that
people can find us that we don'teven know until someone puts us
on, and so that's always.
My big thing with the Mordorclass is to put other people on
(16:44):
and say hey, you think socialmedia is all right, check out
some of these places.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Would you say I know the Mordor course is around 400
and that's high for some people.
Would you say that it?
Speaker 2 (16:59):
was worth it.
Oh my gosh.
Yes, absolutely.
There are so many platforms andso much information that we
learn from the course thatyou're going to make that money
back tenfold.
I mean, it's an investment inyourself and if you are a
business, it's a tax write-off.
So I think what we have torealize is that in order to have
(17:20):
a business, you have to investin yourself and in your business
, and doing those things willmake you more profitable in ways
you didn't even really realize,because I didn't even know some
of these platforms were evenout there.
So I think the information ispowerful and knowledge is wealth
(17:41):
.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Absolutely.
I definitely believe that, toanyone listening who wants to be
like you and maybe offer morehealth conscious things or to
kind of, you know, do thingsthat bring a little bit more joy
to them, versus following someof the trends and having all
that baker burnout, what wouldyou say to encourage anyone as a
(18:03):
personal trainer?
Speaker 2 (18:06):
I would say everything in moderation.
That's with anything in life.
You know what I mean.
But I feel like life is meantto be enjoyed and we enjoy it
through food, through fellowship, through friendships, and so
there's so many things that youcan do, there are so many ways
that you can not overindulge.
(18:27):
There are so many things thatyou so many baked goods out
there that will help you satisfyyour sweet tooth and not
sabotage your diet, and they'llbe beautiful, they'll be
enjoyable, they'll be delicious,you'll enjoy it.
You'll exercise, if that's whatyou're into, and you know
you'll have a good life.
It's okay, it really is.
(18:48):
I mean, and you know you'llhave a good life.
It's, it's okay, it really is.
I mean you just have to find abalance, and in everything we do
, we find a balance.
You know what I mean.
We eat well when we can, wehave dessert, we have good
desserts.
They're all health consciousdesserts out there.
The main thing is that youenjoy life.
Yeah, don't feel like you can'tdo something, because you can,
(19:09):
even if you have to do it inmoderation, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
And not only can you do it and bake it like you do,
but you can also bake an amazingprofit from it as well.
Absolutely yes.
And so what are your futureplans for sweet benefits?
Are there anything that youhave coming up or any anything
that you want to add?
Speaker 2 (19:32):
There is.
I'm looking to do somedevelopment with some recipes
that I'd like to be able toshare to my customers or to some
bakers.
I do make French macarons, soI'm actually thinking of
releasing an ebook for Frenchmacarons for beginners, a 101.
So if you're interested inmaking that patisserie, that
(19:55):
petite cookie that everybodyloves and thinks is very
temperamental, it can betemperamental, but there are
things that you can do toproduce a really good product, a
really enjoyable product.
Produce a really good product,a really enjoyable product.
So I'm thinking of releasing anebook for that and maybe a
class that you could watch thatwill give you some step-by-step
(20:15):
instructions.
So it's one thing to see it onthe ebook, but you also have
that second assistance if youneed it.
I need to see the steps andthen I'm thinking about actually
producing a course for that, inaddition to being able to,
possibly, I have brownies on mymenu that are very popular, so
I'm actually looking intoshipping those statewide.
(20:36):
So some of the things that areon the horizon for me.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
That's awesome you go , girl, For anyone listening who
is interested because, yes, Ihave been on her and I have told
her this will greatly benefitthe community.
I always believe in all of mystudents.
Once they have hit an amazinglevel of success, that they can
have another opportunity togenerate income by blessing the
next person.
And so if you're a baker that'sstruggling with macaroons, you
(21:03):
can definitely learn from apersonal trainer and someone
who's attended culinary school.
So be sure you slide in her DMsand say add me to the macaroon
waitlist.
That way she can add you on herwaitlist when her course comes
out.
From the bottom of my heart,Katrina, thank you so much for
coming on the show.
I really appreciate you beinghere today.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Thank you, Chef.
I appreciate the opportunityand if anybody's on the fence,
you guys need to go ahead andmake that investment in yourself
and your business.
You won't be disappointed.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
Absolutely, and I'm so happy to have you as a
student, but even more so happyto have you as someone who helps
and blesses other people.
So thank you for sharing yourstory with us today.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
All right, you guys.
So how awesome was thatinterview.
Special thanks to Katrina ofSweet Benefits for sharing her
story and her journey.
I wonder how many otherpersonal trainers or really
health fit conscious people wehave out there.
You know, life is all aboutbalance, and so kudos to her for
(22:12):
being able to balance the twoas well as shout out to
everybody else who does listenIf you are vegan or gluten free
or dairy free.
The entire dietary way ofbaking is really really big now
because, like she said, thereare so many people with
allergies and it's so nice thatpeople have other options.
(22:33):
So, to all of you guys who arebaking like that, kudos to you
for being an amazing source ofhope in your community and, as
Katrina mentioned, I am superproud to have her as a graduate
of the More Dough program, andif you would like to start
adding corporate clients to yourbaking business as a source of
(22:54):
additional revenue, then wewould love to have you in the
program.
Also.
At the time of recording thisthis comes out Wednesday the
doors to More Dough actuallyopen on Thursday and they will
be open until May 31st only.
So More Dough is a five-weekgroup coaching program.
I teach it live.
(23:14):
There's always replays.
You get access to the programeven if you cannot attend, and
we go over step by step how toprepare your home baking brand
or your home bakery shop so thatyou can start to attract
corporate clients.
And so, if that's you, if youlove to work with some amazing
companies, some of my paststudents have worked at places
(23:35):
like Amazon, target, walmart,lexus.
There are so many differentwonderful corporations that
actually love hiring local,small, based on businesses.
And, just like Katrina stated,even though her following is
small, she's not worried becausemost of her clients don't even
come from social media.
And that's how I am, and that'swhat I'm always trying to tell
(23:56):
you guys is to diversify yourincome, spread out the ways that
you make money, and this is anamazing way of doing so.
So I would love to see you inthe more dough course If you
were interested.
The link will be in the shownotes or you can just always DM
me the word more doughinformation on Instagram and
(24:17):
then I will send you informationon the more dough program.
Just shoot me a DM saying moredough information and I will
send you the info.
All right, thanks you guys.
So much for listening to themoon and back.
I hope that her story and hermessage inspires you guys as
well, and take care and bye fornow.
Hey, sweet friends, my name is Chef Schaumburg.
I started my baking businesswith a bottle of DeSerono 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 programsix-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, wewould never have been given a
gift if we couldn't profit andprosper from it.
So come on, darling.
What are you waiting for?
(00:45):
Hey?
What's going on, you guys?
And welcome back to the Bakingfor Business podcast.
I'm super excited to be withy'all today.
I'm always excited, but today Iactually have a special guest,
because I love it when I reallyget to hang with real people,
real bakers who are really doingamazing things.
(01:07):
And so today I'm joined withKatrina Bland.
She is the owner of SweetBenefits.
Sweet Benefits is an e-commercebakery located in Maryland, and
you guys would not believe this, but she actually has a healthy
background.
She's a personal trainer.
So how the hell do you dopersonal training and baking?
(01:28):
But she makes deliciousdesserts which are very much
health conscious, if you sodesire, and she speaks from some
amazing corporate clients aswell, and so we're going to hear
all about it.
So, katrina, welcome to thepodcast.
How are you doing today?
Speaker 2 (01:42):
I'm doing well.
Thank you so much for having me.
I appreciate the opportunity tospeak to your audience.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Absolutely.
You're more than welcome,darling.
So tell me, how did you getstarted?
What brought you about into thebaking world?
Speaker 2 (01:59):
I think I got started .
Well, I know I got startedmainly because it was a
connection that I had with mymom.
My mom was considered like thebig mama of the family, so she
didn't give out presents, butshe cooked for every holiday,
for every event.
She baked and she cooked.
So she always instilled foodand fellowship in us.
(02:24):
She's like I may not be able togive you a gift, but I can
always give you something goodto eat and a safe place to be,
and so that legacy has alwaysstayed with me, and in order to
honor her, I actually got intobaking myself as a career.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
That is so sweet.
I love that.
That's amazing.
But, katrina, you have apersonal training background,
right?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
I do have a personal training background and it's
funny because Sweet Benefits isbecause I was a personal trainer
and as a personal trainer Ioften had clients that didn't
know how to incorporate healthymeals, even when it came to
desserts.
So my slogan sweet benefitsactually reflects that.
(03:16):
It's like you can have sweetsthat have benefits.
So you can have sweets thathave things that have healthy
things for you, like cinnamon,which we know is good for
inflammation and reducing yourblood pressure.
So that's actually how SweetBenefits the name came about,
because I kind of incorporatedmy lifestyle and the fact that I
(03:36):
had a passion for baking intoone.
I wanted people that wanted tobe able to indulge to know that
you don't have to sabotage yourdiet in order to have some sweet
treats.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
That sounds delicious , because I've definitely
sabotaged my diet before.
But we won't get into that.
And so you're going about yourbusiness.
You're baking for your clients.
What made you actually decideto say, hey, I want to make this
official and to actually turnthis into a business?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
I think my love for baking was always there because
of my relationship with my mom,and then I became vegan for a
number of years.
So it was at that point where Iwanted to be able to
incorporate a vegan lifestylealso into my bacon.
So I decided to go to culinaryschool, thinking that I could
(04:33):
get the technique to help memake products that didn't
incorporate animal products.
But lo and behold, the chefs inculinary school are like why
would you not want to put eggsin it?
You know what eggs do for thestructure of the bacon?
And I'm like, yes, but thereare some people that have
(04:55):
dietary restrictions or live alifestyle where they don't want
to incorporate those things inthere.
And so I really went to culinaryschool for the love of it and
to get more education on thescience part, so that for that
reason I learned that I wasprobably going to have to do
this on my own and to do moreresearch.
(05:16):
Because the chefs are like wehave the best butter, the finest
butter, the best, which they do, which they really did, we have
the best eggs, and theycouldn't understand why.
So I said, okay, I'll learn thetechnique here and then I'll be
able to make the replacementson my own.
So that's really when I decidedthat this will be a business
(05:39):
for me and I want to be aone-stop shop for people that
need non-dairy, that maybe needvegan or need a gluten-free
friendly option, and so SweetBenefits is how it came about.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Man, yeah, butter is definitely.
Butter is amazing, but so areyour baked goods.
And so tell me, what are someof the things that you offer at
Sweet Benefits that follow thosedietary guidelines that you
mentioned?
Speaker 2 (06:12):
So, we have our French macaroons, and French
macaroons are naturally glutenfree because they're made with
almond flour, almond meal, yes,and so they can also be made
dairy-free if you make yourfilling dairy-free.
So there's many differentganaches or fruit fillings that
you can use in macarons thatmake a dessert for somebody
(06:36):
that's following that particularlifestyle to be able to enjoy.
So I always am educating mycustomers and letting them know.
Did you know you can getmacarons?
You know, I mean, I also makenon gluten containing cakes, but
sometimes you want somethingthat you're familiar with and
people don't know theingredients, and so they're like
(06:56):
, oh my gosh, French macaronsare gluten free yes, they are,
and it can be made dairy free aswell.
And then I also do gluten freecupcakes and cakes as well.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Yeah, I eat up some macarons and you're right,
they're naturally gluten freeand it doesn't dawn on us.
I just, I just eat them becausethey taste good.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
They are so good.
They are so good and one of thepatisserie items that I loved
even before I went to culinaryschool, and I was lucky enough
to have a French chocolatierwhen I was in culinary school
and yeah, so I also had a lovefor chocolate.
I love dark chocolate, and whenyou learn from somebody that
(07:38):
that is their culinary expertise, it just gets even better.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Absolutely yeah, dark chocolate has so many amazing
health benefits that I know of,and I need to start eating more
than that, but it'd be the milkchocolate that'd be calling a
sister's name.
So so, yeah, and speaking ofwhich, so in this industry, it
can just be so easy, becausethese are the things the gluten
(08:04):
free, the vegan that we don'tsee really glamorize much.
You know, we see the unicorncakes and everyone's into
cookies now.
And so how is it for you tostay on path?
Is it ever hard?
Did you ever try other trends?
Or were you just certain likeno, this is my lane.
I'm going to stay in it andbelieve in it.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Well, I feel like, because I'm so passionate about
it it is my lane and I dorecognize trends.
I also want my customers thathave those dietary restrictions
to know that you can also be ontrend with those items, because
I can make that item for youwith your dietary restrictions.
(08:46):
So the whole purpose of SweetBenefits was because I never
wanted people to feel left out.
If you have a doing non-dairyand so many allergies have come
about now, kids are allergic toeverything, which we never had
growing up.
You literally can't even takecupcakes and stuff to schools
(09:08):
because so many kids haveallergies and some of them are
severe.
So I just wanted to have abakery where, whether you were
now, I can bake with eggs andand I do for the customers that
want regular baked goods.
But I also want people to knowthat if you are non-dairy or if
you are vegan or if you'regluten-free friendly, you can
(09:31):
still indulge and enjoy and yourthings can look just as
beautiful as the regular bakedgoods.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Absolutely, and so you're sharing your passion with
people, you're educating peopleon your profile, you're growing
your business and raising yourbrand awareness, and so I know
you as an amazing student,because you've also recently
completed some corporateaccounts accounts with some
(09:57):
really big people and so tell mewhat got you, or what made you
decide to step out of the boxand to look into adding
corporate accounts to yourbaking business?
Speaker 2 (10:13):
I'll tell you that I got a baking coach and she
teaches an amazing class,mordeaux, and it literally is
that it gives you the pathwaysto be able to add different
revenue streams to your businessthat I didn't even know existed
(10:35):
.
So just by taking your class,you gave us so many different
avenues to be able toincorporate other sources of
revenue for our business, andthat is amazing.
And obtaining corporate clientsis a part of that class.
So many different platformsthat you shared with your
(11:09):
students allowed us to be ableto flourish in our business and
be able to cater to corporateclients, and I love it.
I do, I love it.
I love the class.
We learned a lot and, as aresult, we're able to get some
really good corporate clientsget some really good corporate
clients.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
You're so kind and I love having you as a student and
to someone who's listening,because I think people think
that you know they sign up forthe class.
It'll be a walk in the park,but you actually you stuck it
out, you know, and I remember itwas a couple months after the
class.
You showed up, you did the work, but then I got a message that
you get a request for 650 cakejars.
(11:49):
What the hell did that feellike, getting that email?
Speaker 2 (11:53):
I think, had I not been in the class, it would have
been overwhelming, right, butwe have so many tools in our
tool belt that we learned fromthe class and we have the
community that when you getsomething like that, if you
aren't comfortable with it, youcan go to the community.
(12:14):
We can also contact Chef and belike, listen, this is what's
going on.
What is your advice?
You know what I mean, how do wehandle this?
And so that's what we do,that's what I did, and it seemed
like a big feat.
But when you're equipped withthe things that you need and
(12:36):
you're organized, we keep trackof our inventory and the class
makes it easy for us to be ableto take on orders like that.
Yeah, the main thing is beingorganized, knowing that if you
get in a bind and you need somehelp, you have a community, but
the EC community.
We also have chef that's alwaysthere to be able to provide us
(12:59):
with the guidance.
We also have chef that's alwaysthere to be able to provide us
with the guidance, and she didand I did, and it was amazing.
It was amazing, it was amazing.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Yeah, you go, girl, and that order alone, not to put
all your business out there,but as a four figure check from
just one client, and so manypeople in this industry think
that those type of checks onlycome for people who do fondant
or wedding cakes, but fourfigures.
So how did you feel when yougot your big check?
It's like, yeah, I know, that'sright, show me the money.
Yeah, so fast forward.
(13:40):
Now you've also had theprivilege, which a lot of my
students have, of baking for notone, but two Amazons.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Yeah, yes, yeah.
We have a lot of fulfillmentcenters in Maryland and when I
first got my first order, I waslike looking at the address and
you don't recognize it at first,and then you know, you map
quest it because you want toknow exactly where you're going.
And when I pulled up, I sawthat the ASW smile and I was
(14:12):
like what?
This is Amazon?
Because when you get your orderit might not always say Amazon.
I was shocked.
It was a large order, so I knewit had to be a company, but I
didn't know if it was just likea building or, you know, like
some corporate event or somecompany having a big event for
(14:32):
their staff.
But it is, and it was a company, it was a corporation and it
was Amazon.
And I've baked for them a lotDifferent locations.
Yeah, it's been a blessing.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
And now so many people think, well, that it's
easy for a chef like me becauseI've been around or I have a big
following, but what I love toshare with people, you're an
average baker.
Your account you're under 600followers, correct?
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Correct.
Yeah, yeah, so followers don'tequate to money.
Amen, I'm here to tell you that.
So don't be discouraged becauseyou don't have a lot of
followers when you're equippedwith certain other resources and
platforms.
Your followers and yourcustomers don't come from
(15:28):
Instagram.
They don't.
They come from a lot ofdifferent other places.
And so I'm here to tell you,don't be discouraged by that,
because I did not think that Iwould ever get the corporate
clients that I got.
I don't have 2000, 3000, 10,000followers, no, but the people
(15:53):
that I have have found me fromdifferent platforms and from
Google and um, I don't even knowif those people know I even am
(16:21):
on Instagram.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Yeah, honestly, yeah, honestly.
And so that's something thatI'm big with teaching my
students, because when we putall our eggs in one basket and
only rely on social media, thereare so many other places that
people can find us that we don'teven know until someone puts us
on, and so that's always.
My big thing with the Mordorclass is to put other people on
(16:44):
and say hey, you think socialmedia is all right, check out
some of these places.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Would you say I know the Mordor course is around 400
and that's high for some people.
Would you say that it?
Speaker 2 (16:59):
was worth it.
Oh my gosh.
Yes, absolutely.
There are so many platforms andso much information that we
learn from the course thatyou're going to make that money
back tenfold.
I mean, it's an investment inyourself and if you are a
business, it's a tax write-off.
So I think what we have torealize is that in order to have
(17:20):
a business, you have to investin yourself and in your business
, and doing those things willmake you more profitable in ways
you didn't even really realize,because I didn't even know some
of these platforms were evenout there.
So I think the information ispowerful and knowledge is wealth
(17:41):
.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Absolutely.
I definitely believe that, toanyone listening who wants to be
like you and maybe offer morehealth conscious things or to
kind of, you know, do thingsthat bring a little bit more joy
to them, versus following someof the trends and having all
that baker burnout, what wouldyou say to encourage anyone as a
(18:03):
personal trainer?
Speaker 2 (18:06):
I would say everything in moderation.
That's with anything in life.
You know what I mean.
But I feel like life is meantto be enjoyed and we enjoy it
through food, through fellowship, through friendships, and so
there's so many things that youcan do, there are so many ways
that you can not overindulge.
(18:27):
There are so many things thatyou so many baked goods out
there that will help you satisfyyour sweet tooth and not
sabotage your diet, and they'llbe beautiful, they'll be
enjoyable, they'll be delicious,you'll enjoy it.
You'll exercise, if that's whatyou're into, and you know
you'll have a good life.
It's okay, it really is.
(18:48):
I mean, and you know you'llhave a good life.
It's, it's okay, it really is.
I mean you just have to find abalance, and in everything we do
, we find a balance.
You know what I mean.
We eat well when we can, wehave dessert, we have good
desserts.
They're all health consciousdesserts out there.
The main thing is that youenjoy life.
Yeah, don't feel like you can'tdo something, because you can,
(19:09):
even if you have to do it inmoderation, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
And not only can you do it and bake it like you do,
but you can also bake an amazingprofit from it as well.
Absolutely yes.
And so what are your futureplans for sweet benefits?
Are there anything that youhave coming up or any anything
that you want to add?
Speaker 2 (19:32):
There is.
I'm looking to do somedevelopment with some recipes
that I'd like to be able toshare to my customers or to some
bakers.
I do make French macarons, soI'm actually thinking of
releasing an ebook for Frenchmacarons for beginners, a 101.
So if you're interested inmaking that patisserie, that
(19:55):
petite cookie that everybodyloves and thinks is very
temperamental, it can betemperamental, but there are
things that you can do toproduce a really good product, a
really enjoyable product.
Produce a really good product,a really enjoyable product.
So I'm thinking of releasing anebook for that and maybe a
class that you could watch thatwill give you some step-by-step
(20:15):
instructions.
So it's one thing to see it onthe ebook, but you also have
that second assistance if youneed it.
I need to see the steps andthen I'm thinking about actually
producing a course for that, inaddition to being able to,
possibly, I have brownies on mymenu that are very popular, so
I'm actually looking intoshipping those statewide.
(20:36):
So some of the things that areon the horizon for me.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
That's awesome you go , girl, For anyone listening who
is interested because, yes, Ihave been on her and I have told
her this will greatly benefitthe community.
I always believe in all of mystudents.
Once they have hit an amazinglevel of success, that they can
have another opportunity togenerate income by blessing the
next person.
And so if you're a baker that'sstruggling with macaroons, you
(21:03):
can definitely learn from apersonal trainer and someone
who's attended culinary school.
So be sure you slide in her DMsand say add me to the macaroon
waitlist.
That way she can add you on herwaitlist when her course comes
out.
From the bottom of my heart,Katrina, thank you so much for
coming on the show.
I really appreciate you beinghere today.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Thank you, Chef.
I appreciate the opportunityand if anybody's on the fence,
you guys need to go ahead andmake that investment in yourself
and your business.
You won't be disappointed.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
Absolutely, and I'm so happy to have you as a
student, but even more so happyto have you as someone who helps
and blesses other people.
So thank you for sharing yourstory with us today.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
All right, you guys.
So how awesome was thatinterview.
Special thanks to Katrina ofSweet Benefits for sharing her
story and her journey.
I wonder how many otherpersonal trainers or really
health fit conscious people wehave out there.
You know, life is all aboutbalance, and so kudos to her for
(22:12):
being able to balance the twoas well as shout out to
everybody else who does listenIf you are vegan or gluten free
or dairy free.
The entire dietary way ofbaking is really really big now
because, like she said, thereare so many people with
allergies and it's so nice thatpeople have other options.
(22:33):
So, to all of you guys who arebaking like that, kudos to you
for being an amazing source ofhope in your community and, as
Katrina mentioned, I am superproud to have her as a graduate
of the More Dough program, andif you would like to start
adding corporate clients to yourbaking business as a source of
(22:54):
additional revenue, then wewould love to have you in the
program.
Also.
At the time of recording thisthis comes out Wednesday the
doors to More Dough actuallyopen on Thursday and they will
be open until May 31st only.
So More Dough is a five-weekgroup coaching program.
I teach it live.
(23:14):
There's always replays.
You get access to the programeven if you cannot attend, and
we go over step by step how toprepare your home baking brand
or your home bakery shop so thatyou can start to attract
corporate clients.
And so, if that's you, if youlove to work with some amazing
companies, some of my paststudents have worked at places
(23:35):
like Amazon, target, walmart,lexus.
There are so many differentwonderful corporations that
actually love hiring local,small, based on businesses.
And, just like Katrina stated,even though her following is
small, she's not worried becausemost of her clients don't even
come from social media.
And that's how I am, and that'swhat I'm always trying to tell
(23:56):
you guys is to diversify yourincome, spread out the ways that
you make money, and this is anamazing way of doing so.
So I would love to see you inthe more dough course If you
were interested.
The link will be in the shownotes or you can just always DM
me the word more doughinformation on Instagram and
(24:17):
then I will send you informationon the more dough program.
Just shoot me a DM saying moredough information and I will
send you the info.
All right, thanks you guys.
So much for listening to themoon and back.
I hope that her story and hermessage inspires you guys as
well, and take care and bye fornow.
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