Leadership and Executive Development for women of all races, cultures and backgrounds
Issue link: https://diversitywoman.epubxp.com/i/343997
We Mean Business > 18 D I V E R S I T Y W O M A N S u m m e r 2 0 1 4 d i v e r s i t y w o m a n . c o m steroids or hormones. We use coconut or almond milk only. In the beginning, some customers complained that our products were small and yet expensive. Once we educated them, that objection tended to go away. DW: How did you find a niche market? TJ: The first thing you have to do is know your target market. If you don't know your market, then you will get confused when people are giving you back advice. I knew my target market was going to be "granola moms." That's what I considered myself. I tend to be health conscious and know what's go- ing on with the food I eat. Employees sometimes get confused by that. I edu- cate them on how we are different. We use the slogan "Either pay now or pay later"—eat [healthy] right now or pay later with medication. DW: What does your client base look like today? TJ: Te reason I chose uptown [neigh- borhood of Charlotte] is because my fo- cus now is more on the corporate side. Tese clients know what they want, they are usually paying with their corporate credit card, and I tend to get more bulk orders. Of course, we also sell to con- sumers and walk-ins, but [corporate cli- ents are] my biggest focus. DW: What are some of the challenges you encountered as a start-up? TJ: Te most difcult challenge was f- nancing and fnding dependable people. I want to work with people who have the same vision as I do, which can be difcult. I have great employees, but in many cases, understandably, they come for a paycheck. Our company is not a corporate setting; I let employees wear what they want and they have an open schedule. [With that] I'm saying, "I'm giving you these privi- leges if you give me something back in return. And I have to pull back if I see you taking advantage of it." DW: What is your biggest challenge as a manager? TJ: Learning to delegate to others. I try to do everything on my own. I am the baker, the processor, and the orderer. I even do the inventory and the delivery—those are the hard things. So my goal is to be- come a better delegator. DW: Can you tell us about a problem that cropped up in your business/work- place and how you overcame it? TJ: Some members of my staf weren't reaching their sales goals. I truly believe that you can do anything that you put your mind to. So I created a goal book for each employee that outlined how many cupcakes each was expected to sell. Once I put that in place, most of them reached the goal. In fact, it became competitive and fun too! Te numbers truly were amazing! DW: Where do you see yourself and the company in five years? TJ: In fve years, I plan to open another shop in Charlotte and then start ex- panding outside Charlotte. I would like to go back to the DC area. In fve years, I would like to have four shops and a food truck. DW: Who is your favorite chef and why? TJ: Chef Roblé Ali [Bravo TV]. He is so creative and I love him! I follow and study him and how he does the little things that get noticed. I also try to be diferent—give the customers some- thing that they haven't seen before. DW: How are you using social media to promote your business? TJ: We always post on social media. I am always trying to put up funny quotes, gestures, engaging people. I also ofer tickets to games that I get from clients. DW: What is your guilty pleasure? TJ: I try not to eat everything! Probably peanut butter cookies or the apple pie— and I can't eat anyone else's! DW: Describe a leadership lesson you learned early in life. TJ: Tat you can actually do whatever you put your mind to! A lot of people say that but don't carry out the action behind the words. I never take no for an answer. I never make excuses for why something can't be done. I always make a goal, focus on it, and do not let anything stand in the way of it. DW: How important is it to work with other women in business, and in life? TJ: It's very, very important because we only have each other. I'm not saying men are not going to help, but it is a difer- ent type of support when it's women. We need to all get together and support one another, and I try to support women businesses. And I hope to get it in return. DW: What advice would you give to women who are trying to find a new career? TJ: First, focus on yourself—fgure out how to push your restart button. I didn't have a choice. I was let go of a job and I couldn't just move on. I would have never thought I'd be where I am now. For more information about Jewell Treats, visit jewelltreats.com . DW Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig is a San Francisco Bay Area–based contract journalist and cofounder of ZM Productions & Media. I never take no for an answer. I never make excuses for why something can't be done. I make a goal, focus on it, and do not let anything stand in the way.