Amy’s bakery, Sugared & Spiced, started taking form 4 years ago. Her creative cookies first premiered at the Highlands Farmers’ Market, and with an overwhelmingly positive response, she furthered her passion by taking a 1 year baking certificate course at NAIT. After taking some time to get industry experience working in cafes and figuring out what direction she wanted to go in, she quit working unfulfilling part-time jobs, and ventured out on her own.
Pies, Cookies, Cakes, Oh My!
Sugared & Spiced sells a variety of delectable baked goods, with every treat being made with care and expertise. Cakes are the main focus because they allow Amy to express herself and be artistic. She even created a Cake Club to fill a need that she saw again and again: (mostly) men coming to her on important dates each year, having forgotten they needed cakes! Amy says that the club has been one of her biggest successes, and she has a full membership of about 80 people. She created something that satisfies a need in the market, which is what entrepreneurship is all about! Another proud moment for Amy has been stepping out on her own, without a storefront, and making it work.
Along the way she has had some challenges, as any new business does. Like a lot of entrepreneurs, Amy is the business. She does everything from production and deliveries to social media. While it’s hard to juggle all of these roles, she enjoys having control over every aspect of the business.
Icing on the Cake
Amy has found great support from the local business community along her journey. Cherie, our Marketing Manager at Business Link, has provided her some guidance, always up for brainstorming funky ideas. If Amy doesn’t know something, she feels comfortable asking us for answers and direction. She also found great value in Alberta Women Entrepreneurs’ Roadmap for Success workshop, and hopes to tap into their financing resources in the future. Amy has also reached out to local small business owners to talk to them about their experiences, and she’s found everybody to be receptive and open, providing a good support network.
When I asked Amy what her advice is for other entrepreneurs, she had this to say:
- Ask questions and take help from other people and organizations.
- Be open to learning along the way. Know that you aren’t going to know it all at one time, and sometimes you have to find another way to do things.
- Find support, from inside or outside the business. Amy’s cheerleader and person that has been with her through it all is her husband.
A Bright Future
Amy and Sugared & Spiced have some exciting goals for this year, with the biggest one being working towards opening a storefront later this year. She also aims to hire staff so she can expand her popular Cake Club. To learn more about Amy, take a look at Sugared & Spiced online, and check out her social media profiles too!
