Encounter the Best - Sweet Encounter Bakery

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Nikki Thompson Frazier, owner, and CEO of Sweet Encounter Bakery, located in Lansing, MI, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We are a bakery cafe and specialize in the very best gluten-free treats, eats, and cooking classes. Our customers are middle-aged women and moms who love gourmet desserts and doing fun activities with friends or their family/kids.

Tell us about yourself

Sweet Encounter Bakery & Cafe is open for business! As a little girl, I dreamt of owning a restaurant. My mom always said I loved playing with the pots and panned more than I did my toys. My two little girls, Melia and Madison, are no different. Like me, they love helping mommy in the kitchen. They enjoy creating great food as much as they enjoy eating it. However, not all foods like them as much as they like some foods.

In 2013, our oldest daughter Melia, who was two and a half at the time, was diagnosed with not one, not two, not three, but four food allergies! My husband, Terry, and I do not have allergies yet; our sweet Melia has tons. Later that year, we welcomed Madison into our home. It didn't take long for us to realize Madison, too, had food allergies. At six months, she was initially diagnosed with an allergy to peanuts and tree nuts. I nursed Madison at the time, and even after removing all nuts from my diet, she continued to show signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction.

When Madison turned one in November 2014, we had her re-tested and discovered she also has several food allergies. Both our girls are allergic to wheat and peanuts, so everything I make is gluten and peanut-free. After discovering their allergies, I quickly fell to my knees and said, "Why me, Lord? What am I going to feed these kids?" Even more, what will my sweet Melia eat when invited to a birthday party after birthday party. I didn't want her to be the kid who "couldn't enjoy a cupcake." After my little pity party, I dusted myself off and decided to figure out how to best feed my kids. It also helped that a few of my girlfriends reminded me that God gave me a gift – the ability to make delicious food.

After trying tons of gluten-free items on the market, I knew I could make better-tasting food, and I did. I broke the code and figured out how to make gluten-free taste better, and I do mean better without compromising flavor and texture. I've always wanted to share my gift of cooking and baking with the world, but it wasn't until God gave me Melia and Madison that I had the courage and vision to open Sweet Encounter.

My story is living proof that God can dream a bigger dream for you than you can dream for yourself! If you have faith, work hard and stay the course, God will bless the work of your hands. It may not turn out exactly as you planned, which is where the true blessing lies because, by the grace of God, it will be greater than your wildest dreams.

I invite you to try Sweet Encounter. Everyone deserves to encounter the best, and at Sweet Encounter, you will receive exactly that: the best!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Winning the Lansing Built to Last Competition and securing a building rent-free for one year.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Managing people.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

1. Stay on top of your financials.
2. Work hard, play hard.
3. Keep pushing.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.sweetencounterbakery.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetencounterbakery/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetencounterbakery/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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