Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Hull.
Hi Ashley, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
For many years, I was the definition of a home baker, making cupcakes and other sweet treats for my friends and family. Nearly every potluck and party I was invited to, I would bring a dozen or so cupcakes. After a few years of glowing reviews, I started thinking about starting a cupcake business but hesitated to take that step. I knew I loved sharing my cupcake creations with those around me but worried that I’d start to feel differently about baking if it became more than a hobby. I also suffered from imposter syndrome. I was nervous my cupcakes weren’t as tasty as those from the many wonderful bakeries in San Diego. My friends and loving husband were relentless with their encouragement and their years of building me up paid off.
HullyCakes (Cupcakes by Ashley Hull) officially launched on Small Business Saturday in November 2020. As a young business that has only known pandemic life, we’re excited to transition to a more “normal” business environment. As clients begin to feel more comfortable attending gatherings, we look forward to building our client base and serving the San Diego community. In my opinion, cupcakes are the perfect pandemic dessert because they’re already individual-sized. No need to worry about the birthday boy or girl blowing out their candles over your piece of cake with cupcakes!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It goes without saying that the pandemic has been a humungous obstacle for small businesses around the world. Choosing to start a new business during the pandemic certainly added to the difficulties of HullyCake’s first year, but I wouldn’t change a thing. The opportunity to start small and grow at our own pace has been very rewarding. This year has also been filled with many successes. We catered our first wedding, which was a huge milestone. I’m so thankful to the clients and friends who have trusted me with their events and have helped make HullyCakes what it is today. We’re looking forward to many more years of growth and to serving the San Diego community, particularly as the impact of the pandemic subsides.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
HullyCakes (Cupcakes by Ashley Hull) is a made-to-order cupcake and sweet treats cottage bakery located in the Mission Valley area of San Diego. We specialize in personalized cupcakes, tailoring our bakes to our client’s personal tastes. Whether a client wants elegant wedding cupcakes, the cupcake version of their favorite candy bar, or to bring their child’s dream cupcakes to life (complete with gummy worms), we’re happy to go the extra mile. We also enjoy partnering with other small businesses in the community when possible.
Can you talk about how you think about risk?
In my personal life, I am not a risk-taker. It took a lot of encouragement from family and friends to step out of my comfort zone and start a small business. One way to overcome my adversity to risk was to establish short-term goals for my business, taking things one step at a time. My first goal was as simple as obtaining all of the appropriate licenses. Once I completed that, my goal was to make enough profit to overcome all of the initial start-up costs. Now that I have accomplished that, my goal is to expand my client base. Starting HullyCakes has been a learning experience about how to frame risk-taking and how to overcome fear and adversity to risks.
Contact Info:
- Email: hullycakes@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hullycakes/
