Meet Rachelle Harris of Got Sweetz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachelle Harris.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Throughout my life, I have always enjoyed baking, but I never saw myself as a baker. It wasn’t until 2010 that I quit my job as an executive assistant to become a stay-at-home mom to raise our daughter. I started making samples of caramel apples, cupcakes and cake pops, giving them away to friends and family.

After a while, people would tell me how amazing they were, so I remember sitting at the kitchen table asking my husband about starting an at-home baking business. He said he was down and would support it. We started thinking of business names for the bakery.

After a few days, I came up with the name Got Sweetz. I fell in love with that name, and that’s when Got Sweetz was created. I became a self-taught baker training through educational classes from YouTube videos and blogs lol. After educating myself through trial and error, sometime in 2011, I started offering my services. About two years later, I wanted to start creating cakes. My very first opportunity to make a 2-tiered fondant covered cake was for my daughter’s 2nd birthday. Her theme was Dr. Seuss.

I imagined the top tier as Dr. Seuss’ hat and bottom tier covered in blue fondant saying HBD. The cake didn’t turn out how I had imagined it. It was lumpy and fat lol, but we all gotta start somewhere. From there I knew exactly where my business was heading; cake decorating… Today I create elaborate wedding and celebration cakes and desserts for all occasions.

Has it been a smooth road?
It definitely wasn’t a smooth road. As a self-taught baker, I went through some struggles to get to where I am at today. Other than the trials and errors of learning how to stack a cake, smooth buttercream, cover a cake with fondant, there were other challenges I faced.

Relocating from the Bay Area to Escondido, CA, in 2012, was really difficult. I didn’t know where to start and how to spread the word. As a Cottage Food Operating business, we don’t have a storefront. We survive off of advertisement (Yelp), social media (Instagram and Facebook) and word of mouth. Referral is key for a Cottage Food Operating Business.

Moving to a whole new city meant that there wasn’t going to be any word of mouth referrals. For nearly a year, I didn’t get any inquiries. It made me doubt the decision to continue baking. I almost wanted to just quit and find a full-time job. Do I quit now or do I work hard for something I loved doing? I chose to work hard. I knew I had to hustle.

I started passing out my business cards whenever I had the chance to talk to someone; at the grocery store, school staff members, bank, kids class parents, anyone I can pretty much approach. I even put a window decal with my business info on the back of my van’s window. I started donating to events and causes like Cakes for Cancer and Icing Smiles for children, Angel Faces for burned victims, Breast Cancer Awareness to name a few.

Whatever I needed to do to get my business name out there. A daily struggle I constantly face are quoting elaborate wedding and celebration cakes. This is the MOST difficult part as a baker and business owner. It is easy to factor in the cost of materials; cake dowels, boards, and ingredients, but time itself is where we value our work. People don’t understand the amount of work we put into what we create.

Each cake has its own unique design, therefore the time it takes to put a cake together from baking, assembling and decorating is the most undervalued aspect of our business.

The 3D sculpted fondant designs and elaborate cake decorations change from one design to another, especially if it’s never been done, so it’s not as easy to estimate how long it’ll take, so figuring out the man time is and still a challenge.

As a business owner, we live and learn through our mistakes and experiences, and we improve and better our abilities.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Got Sweetz story. Tell us more about the business.
Got Sweetz is an at-home Cottage Food Operating Business specializing in wedding cakes, celebration cakes (birthdays, company events and more)and desserts.

We are known for our rich and dense buttermilk cakes, with ganache fillings, buttercream layers, quality nuts, and freshly picked berries. Amongst our delicious cakes, we serve an array of desserts for your event. We provide cupcakes, macarons, mini size and bite-sized cheesecakes, mini pies and more.

I am proud of always creating a unique and original design when possible. Even though customers inquire for a duplicate, each cake designer has their own style and level of expertise. This is what sets myself apart from other bakers. I love sleek, modern cakes.

Simplicity with a unique touch is what I strive for allowing to showcase the beauty of the cake. Every cake I start from the beginning to the end, I take my time baking and assembling the cake until fully executed.

When placing an order for an elaborate cakes, customers should book at least two months in advance, so I can sketch a design you are happy with. It is utterly important to me that we design a one of a kind cake.

What better way to have a custom cake that looks amazing and tastes equally the same, I believe in providing quality delicious cakes and desserts throughout each bite.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Cake decorating will always be a part of the evolving trend. It has endless creativity and the ability to keep moving forward with new and improved designs and techniques. Art is what you want it to be. As a cake decorator, my goal is to create your vision and make it into an edible piece of art.

For my business, the biggest shift I see is moving full time into the wedding industry. Being apart of a couple’s wedding is one of the most important milestones that two people share together.

It is a privilege to be a part of that special day and celebrate many more milestones with that couple.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Without my family’s support, Got Sweetz wouldn’t have been possible. I want to especially thank my husband. He works extra hard at his job, so that I can work from home and bake while raising 4 kids. Brandon has always kept it 100% with me. He taste tests for me, critiques my work, makes suggestions on my sketches and always wants me to be the best. To my parents and in-laws who help my business. From production of getting it setup to providing any tools to make my life a little easier. My siblings (Cheryl, Michael, Alicia and Larisa), they are my cheerleaders who root me on to success and to the realest of them all… my children (Alizah, Aaliyah, Amar’e, Ariana and soon the baby will be letting me know what’s good, Anissa). They are the most honest when it comes to my cake decorating. If they think it looks ugly, they let me know and I appreciate them for it. The success of Got Sweetz is from my family. Much thanks to who makes my company run daily… my customers. For trusting me. Thank you for allowing me to think outside the box and create your custom cakes.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.gotsweetz.com
• Phone: 858-376-7026
• Email: got_sweetz@yahoo.com
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/gotsweetz
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/g0tsweetz/
• Yelp: https://yelp.to/qTKq/IdLzeWoOXR

Image Credit:
Sweet Paper Media, Jessie Jean Photography, The Posh Knot

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