Today we’d like to introduce you to Kizzy Watts.
Kizzy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Hello, my name is Kizzy Mathis Watts and I am the owner of Kizzy’s Kakes. I grew up watching my babysitter and grandmother bake cakes often and I really enjoyed watching them. I didn’t actually get involved with baking until my son, Zay, needed to raise money to go on an international trip with his school. His stepmother got me started and I found it to be something I really enjoyed. After we finished raising all of the funds, people were still asking for my cakes. I continued baking on the side as a hobby but more and more people started ordering my cakes. Around that time, I started exploring decorating cakes and that is when I started to realize I could make something out of this hobby. I was inspired by shows like Cake Boss and I started taking cake decorating classes.
I started dreaming of the day when I would own a bakery. With the encouragement of my husband, family, and friends, I took the step of faith and started my business out of my home. I have learned so much in this process and enjoying serving cakes to the people in my community. I knew it was only a matter of time before I started doing this full time and now that I am so glad I listened to my heart. Baking is my passion and I am so glad I get to share that with the world.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
We have certainly had our fair share of challenges. One that comes to mind is as a small business owner, it is easy to feel the need to be all things to all people. Early on I found myself overbooking, accepting orders I did not feel comfortable executing, and just flat out bending over backward to please a guest. I did not want to turn down any orders because I wanted all my clients to be satisfied and I felt like I was losing money if I did. I had to come to the realization that saying no was not a bad thing. I realized that little two-letter word was adding value to my business and me. It was not my fault they waited until the last minute to place their order and I did not want the person’s order who booked early to suffer. Saying no was good for my mental health. I am a baker, but I am also a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend to many, and so much more. I had to learn to take control of my life, which meant turning down orders, setting strict deadlines, and setting a menu of items in which I specialized and not deviating from those. This is a hard lesson for small business owners, but it is an important lesson to learn.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Kizzy’s Kakes story. Tell us more about the business.
Kizzy’s Kakes is a home bakery in Griffin, GA. We specialize in Kakes, KupKakes, and Kustom Kakes. Our mission is to be our community’s principal selection for indulgence and celebration. For indulgence, we offer a daily menu called Kakes On Demand. Currently, this menu features our most popular KupKakes flavors that are available for pickup or local delivery daily from 1 pm to 6 pm. We have a strong following we like to call “Indulgers,” who do not need a specific reason to have Kake but have it just because! Additionally, our Klassic Kakes are made-to-order and include flavors such as Banana Pudding, Carrot, Cookies and Cream, and a host of Cheesecake Kakes. In terms of celebration, we offer Kustom Kakes that are uniquely designed to represent the client’s interest. We enjoy celebrating all occasions: birthdays, baby showers, weddings, anniversaries, promotions, etc. Anything good is a reason to celebrate. We like to say, “No celebration is complete without a Kizzy’s Kake!”
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I decided to quit my day job and go full-time in Kizzy’s Kakes in March 2020. Can you remember what else happened in March? That’s right. COVID-19! My confidence was shaken for a minute and I had to find the courage to continue moving forward. My Kustom Kakes have always been my breadwinner. Well at that time, people were not gathering so the main feature of a Kustom Kake was not in demand. Clients were calling in to cancel and postpone orders everyday – it was not looking good. I had to make an adjustment if I wanted my business to survive. That is when I launched my Kakes On Demand menu for people to indulge in my KupKakes daily without their being a special occasion. To my surprise, it was a big hit! This was just the move I needed to make to get my business through the peak of COVID. One might call it luck, but I call it the goodness of God.
Pricing:
- Kakes On Demand KupKakes Menu | prices range from $18 – 25
- Klassic Kakes | prices range from $40 – 60
Contact Info:
- Address: 128 Huntington Terrace
Griffin, GA 30223 - Website: kizzyskakes.com
- Phone: 678-685-1566
- Email: kizzyskakes@aol.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kizzyskakesllc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kizzykakes/
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
