Today we’d like to introduce you to Kris Wilson.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Originally, I was a deli manager at a big chain retailer and as it became harder to find people to work I noticed our bakery team struggling with making cakes. I always had an interest in cake decorating. I love baking shows on the food network so I thought I’d give it a shot.
Turns out, I was able to pick things up pretty quickly and it immediately became something I would get excited about if I needed to make a cake. My first nonwork-related cake was for my dad’s birthday and that’s when I knew this could be something very special! After some trial and error, I took the leap and extended my services to a parenting group I’m a part of to put my skills to the test. They have been critical to my business growth and I couldn’t be more thankful to that community! Lots of my skills are also thanks to community groups online for small business owners who specialize in custom cakes.
I would not have been able to learn and grow as fast as I have without them! Fast forward, I decided retail was not fitting my new lifestyle as a new mom so I was searching for a job to cater to my work-life balance needs and my new side hustle! Thankfully, I now have a job where I can do both but the dream is definitely to make this my full-time job!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely not. First was building the business up. That means putting a lot of money down just to get the supplies needed! It also took a lot of time to break down the cost of ingredients/time/supplies. I had 2 full-time jobs and it took a lot of my time away from my family.
Thankfully, I have an amazing husband who has been my biggest supporter and helped me pick up where I was lacking in my day to day. However, my biggest obstacle has been knowing my worth and standing firm on my prices. This is where my online support groups came in and helped me realize I shouldn’t cut myself short. It’s really hard to come from retail and not compare your prices with there’s because there is a big difference.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
So I specialize in custom cakes! My work is solely with buttercream so I pride myself on being able to make customers’ dream cakes a reality without the use of fondant! I also pride myself in being able to help my customers who may not know what they want by asking questions and being able to create the perfect cake based on their answers. For example, one of the orders I received was for a 2nd birthday.
When asked about decorations they gave me things their little one loved like farm animals, shapes, and their name, and I was able to take all of those and make the perfect cake for their event! I also offer mini cakes that are perfect for smash cakes/personal cakes/ or intimate events like anniversaries!
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
My husband and I always joked we would make a great business team because he loves to cook/bake and I love to decorate. Therefore we originally came up with B and K Bakery to honor both of our names.
I ended up loving the name so much that I revised it to BnK Bakes. Although my husband doesn’t actively do stuff for the business he is a huge component to me achieving my dream and I felt the name was perfect to honor that.
Contact Info:
- Website: Bnkbakes.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/bnkbakes?igshid=MzNlNGNkZWQ4Mg==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091245670738&mibextid=ZbWKwL
