Meet Elizabeth Hulsey | Baker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elizabeth Hulsey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elizabeth, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I started my business on a whim. I had always loved baking and a family member told me for years I should sell my cakes around Christmas time to make a little extra Christmas money. I decided in December of 2018 that I was going to do it. I thought it would be just a one month deal, but the orders didn’t stop after Christmas was over.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I knew absolutely nothing about cake decorating when I started my business. That really wasn’t my focus, as I was just planning to sell some cakes around the holidays and be done with it. When I got my first request for a birthday cake after Christmas was over, off to the internet I went to learn how to pipe words on a cake. I watched tutorial after tutorial and began experimenting with different decorating techniques and I fell in love with cake decorating. I have always been a creative person and this outlet gave me a way to use my creativity in a productive way that generated income. Pretty soon I knew that this little business was going to be bigger than I anticipated.

As my business grew, I knew that my main goal was to provide cakes that both look good and taste good. I had always heard people say that a cake usually had one or the other- good looks or good taste. I wanted to be the one that had both. I receive that compliment frequently from my customers and it still makes me feel just as good as it did the first time I heard it.

The first year or so in business was really hard. I was teaching full time and coming home and immediately starting on orders and working most of the nights. I spent my weekends working as well. I didn’t have much of a life outside of work and my business. I knew I wanted to do cakes full time but I also knew that I couldn’t quit teaching without having my cake business well established enough to provide steady income. So I paid the price. Looking back, I don’t know how I did it with so much work and so little sleep. When my husband and I found out we were having a baby, we decided it was time to go for it and I turned down my contract for the next year. It was the scariest but most liberating feeling I had experienced so far. But I was, and still am, so thankful that God allowed me to put in the hard work early on to build a business that would allow me to work from home so I could be with my children.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My answer is probably different than most, as we do not often venture to Atlanta. We live on a farm a little more than an hour away from the city. We raise beef cows and small-scale produce. My husband and I also run a farm stand at our place where we sell the things we grow along with some of my baked goods. So the itinerary would revolve around a lot of home cooked meals for our guests, using ingredients that we proudly grew, and showing them our operation and how we run things. We probably would have to make at least one trip to Atlanta to go eat at the Varsity and grab a Krispy Kreme doughnut. Those were always special treats for us as kids if we ever went into Atlanta.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Although I have had tremendous support from so many in my family, and I come from a long line of entrepreneurs who have inspired and guided me through my first years in business, I have to give the shoutout to my husband, Brent Hulsey. He encouraged me to start selling cakes when I didn’t think anyone would ever want to buy from me. He has folded more cake boxes than he ever dreamed he would. He has lifted all of my heavy wedding cakes that were beyond my strength. He has promoted me unashamedly to anyone who has ever mentioned needing a cake in his presence (and even if they haven’t mentioned needing a cake). You won’t catch him without a business card of mind in his wallet ready to go. He has pulled several all-nighters with me, sometimes just staying up to keep me company because the man cannot frost a cake to save his life. In the last few years, the late night help has turned into him taking over bath and bed time with the kids. He is always there to pick up where I leave off and has allowed me to grow this dream of mine. He has also never turned down a taste-testing opportunity since I started this business. which I know has really been tough on him.

Website: cakesbyelizabeth16.wixsite.com/mysite

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cakesbyelizabeth16/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CakesByElizabeth16/

Image Credits
Audrey Harris Photo Linda Threadgill Photography Brittany Rivera Photos