Kirby Lavallee is the Chief Success Coach at The Cake GirlTM, a company that got its start in 2009 when Kirby’s wife, Kristina Lavallee followed her heart and started her business.
Since then, this full-service, award-winning cake and cupcake shop in Tampa has continued to grow and evolve.
In fact, growth and evolution were two necessary ingredients needed to navigate the uncharted territory the pandemic created for entrepreneurs.
But, rather than throw in the towel, Kirby and Kristina used the shut-down to slow down and think. The pair turned an otherwise negative and anxiety-fueled situation into a positive one for their business.
During their time away from the day-to-day minutiae of running a business, the husband and wife duo whipped up a recipe for a brand-new product, the Crave’n Cup which is a small cake in a jar.
Not so shockingly enough, this treat was a hit and became the bakery’s top-selling item. At a time when stress was magnified, the Crave’n Cups offered consumers all over the nation an opportunity to indulge in an individually packaged sweet treat that was safely delivered to their doorsteps.
Kirby’s ability to pivot and adjust accordingly helped The Cake GirlTM weather the storm of the pandemic and come out on the other side stronger than ever.
And, it’s for this reason, among many, we wanted to chat with Kirby to get his insights and advice on life as an entrepreneur and the power of social media for business.
Enjoy!
What’s been the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far in business?
The biggest lesson I have learned so far in business is that you have to put in the work if you want to be successful. I have a lot of friends that are in business, they always ask me how do you and your wife do it – I explain to them, it’s simple… we never stop hustling! One thing that I have always found to be our strong point is that we are actively involved with our team on a daily basis. I have found that this creates a positive culture of hard workers that are all focused on the common goal. Biggest lesson – Work harder than anyone else and always support your team!
How has social media helped build The Cake Girl brand?
Social media is a big part of who we are at The Cake Girl. As a small local business, we have found that social media has allowed us to network and market to people all around the United States. Social media has allowed us to showcase our products and all of the sweet things that we have going on, which has really gained a lot of interest from the community. It has also helped us with spreading the word about projects we are working on or different things that we are involved in the local community. In addition, it has allowed our followers an inside look at who we are and what we do – which is a big part of our transparent process in how we consistently deliver the highest quality products and services.
If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring entrepreneur, what would it be?
One piece of advice I always give aspiring entrepreneurs is to make sure you are ready both mentally and financially for what you are getting into. Too many times we see really smart people get into business, but they do not have the capital needed to survive in the market. A few mentors of mine along the way always told me to make sure that I was set up financially to be able to survive without getting a paycheck for a couple of years as I launched my business. This could not be more true. If you are focused on the paycheck as you are trying to grow your business, oftentimes you will end up draining your company of the money it needs to operate, hire employees or market your product/service. If you don’t have a good plan in place to survive, my advice is to wait until you do.
