Today we’d like to introduce you to Portia Brown.
Portia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Most kids are told that after high school, they should go off to college so they can get a “good” job. So I did what I was told, and didn’t think twice about the idea of having my own business. After graduating from The University of Alabama (ROLL TIDE) with a finance degree, I began my journey in Corporate America. I worked my first job for three years before my whole department was laid off. So there I was, unemployed and back at my mom’s house. I knew that I enjoyed cooking and entertaining, but entrepreneurship still never crossed my mind. Soon after starting a new corporate job, my entire world fell apart. Doctors put my mother on hospice care because they could no longer treat her cancer.
A few months later, she was taken to intensive care and passed away, December 29, 2011. At age 26, I truly did not know how to cope with losing my best friend. I was completely broken, and my father who I’ve never had a good relationship with made things just that worse for me with his verbal abuse. I packed my bags and moved to Atlanta four months later in April 2012, and that’s when I decided to switch things up. In October, I enrolled in culinary school for baking and pastry. I graduated a year later and started working at bakeries. I was college educated with a degree in finance and culinary making only $10 an hour. I had to work two other jobs just to supplement my income. Unfortunately, because this salary was not what I was used to, I had to go back to corporate with hopes of starting my own business one day. In 2016, I created Delightful Desserts LLC. Currently, by day, I still work in corporate (for now), and by night I bake out of my home kitchen.
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?
The journey has been every bit of difficult, and I still have a long way to go. It’s like I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster because I have struggled with constant mental drainage, as well as imposter syndrome. Eventually, you have to realize that you are right where you need to be in order for things to manifest the way they’re supposed to. The best thing you can do is to believe in yourself first and be accountable for your own happiness.
A hard lesson I had to learn was that you have to be overly confident in your product or service, because your biggest supporters may not come from your family or friends. More often than not, complete strangers are the ones that support you the most.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into your business story. Tell us more about the business.
I chose my business name Delightful Desserts because I wanted to do more than just cakes and cupcakes. I specialize in Desserts for all occasions, including gluten-free and vegan options as well. I’m mostly known for my brownies, cheesecakes, and my fan favorite sweet potato cupcakes. I consider my brand different from others because I bake with passion. All of my products are from scratch, and if the end product is not up to par in my eyes, I’ll throw it out and start over. There is always a bar that I continue to raise for myself every time I step into the kitchen.
It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
Let me tell you… I looooooooove listening to podcasts. It’s really the only thing that gets me through the day at work. I like a mixture of genres, from Oprah Super Soul Conversations to Side Hustle Pro, and True Crime podcasts. I have received a plethora of information from listening to side hustle podcasts. One book I highly recommend for anyone that’s feeling stuck in life is called, You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero. This book has changed my outlook on life, and it was exactly what I needed to keep pushing towards my dream of being my own boss.
Contact Info:
- Email: chefportia@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/delightfuldesserts_atl/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/delightfuldessertsatl/
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
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