Welcome to 411 in the 510’s segment: Meet the Bay Area Small Business Owner. In this area, we interview small business owners doing what they love. Whether it’s their complete 9-5 or a side hustle, we love to see it! 

Hear from Lasondra, owner of Yellow Cake Desserts based in Concord. They serve many of the Bay Area with handmade “delicious, decadent-tasting desserts.”

OK – time to brag about your business. What do you do, Yellow Cake Desserts?!

I make custom cakes and dessert tables for all of life’s celebrations- weddings, birthdays, graduations, and even just because. My biggest thing is creating delicious desserts; I’m all about delicious, decadent-tasting desserts that are also handmade. I make all the cakes, fillings, and frostings from scratch. 

Additionally, I like flavors that are a little different or a twist on other desserts or flavor combinations. Some of our most popular flavors are lemon raspberry, banana toffee, earl gray, and chocolate orange. Some of our most popular desserts besides cake are chocolate chip cookies, pineapple upside-down cake, banana pudding, and brownies.

It’s like grandma’s baking, and we added some newer flavors to the lineup to keep things new and fresh. It’s honestly some of the best desserts because everything is handmade. 

What’s a typical day like for you? 

I start most days with some reading and devotion to keep my mind right and then create a schedule for what exactly needs to be produced on that day for the week’s orders. I also spend time in the morning doing admin tasks such as replying to clients, ordering, and other behind-the-scenes stuff. Then I get to baking. I have a weekly production schedule, so the super specifics of what needs to be done are based on that. I usually bake an average of 6 to 8 hours a day on baking days.

What advice do you have for aspiring small business owners? 

If you want to start, just start. So much time could be saved by just going for it. Getting outside of that comfort zone can be hard, but that’s where success starts. Oh, and get some business mentors as well as colleagues in your industry. Many headaches can be saved by having people to talk to and get advice and guidance from when it comes to your business.

What’s something you wish someone told you about starting a business? 

I wish someone had told me the amount of work it takes to have a small business. It’s pretty glamourized on the internet, and we often see people’s successes. And there’s nothing wrong with that. However, more small business owners should be candid about the hard work, dedication, and consistency it takes to have a business. And just because people pay you money doesn’t make you a profitable business, and you need that profit to make consistent money.

There are a lot of long days and nights and a learning curve for good business practice. It’s doable and figureoutable, but it takes you getting up every day and saying that you’ll keep at it until your business starts to pick up steam and become profitable.

CONTACT YELLOW CAKE DESSERTS

• Website: www.yellowcake.com
• Instagram: @yellowcake_desserts
• Facebook: facebook.com/yellowcakedesserts