Today we’d like to introduce you to Donya Brown
Hi Donya, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
What’s my story? I’ll try to keep it shorter than my books, but I make no guarantees… I’ve been a baker, writer and entrepreneur since I was a kid. That made me somewhat of the oddball in my family, because everyone else was about toeing the line and doing “the right thing”. Well, where’s the fun in that?! If there was a way to express myself, entertain others and make a coin or two on the side, I gave it a shot. Convention was never in my vocabulary!
Baking & Entrepreneurship: About 8 years ago. I saw a video of someone pouring ungodly amounts of cognac over a Bundt cake and thought there had to be a better/tastier way to infuse the two. Having been raised with nearly-flammable rum cakes, I set out to find that perfect balance of delicious and grown up, resulting in the birth of Red Shoe Cakes. I hit the lab and within the first week, I had 10 different Caketails (cake + cocktail) on my menu, many of which are still there today! It’s been my joy and pleasure to experiment with new combinations of flavors and ingredients to make my caketails unique in the market and a sensual experience for my clients. I’ve often been asked why Red Shoes. Since my cakes are geared toward satisfying the Grown & Sexy, I needed a visual hook that was exactly that. And what’s classier and sexier than a red stiletto?
Authorship: A couple of years back, I decided to throw my hat into the book publishing arena and self-publish two of the many books I’d been writing over the past 20 years. The first, Anthology: The Anatomy of Infidelity, is a collection of short stories and dialogues looking into the prism that is infidelity. It’s a great read and a fiery conversation starter! Pink Letters is a story of one man’s quest to find and rekindle his lost love, and along the journey finds out more than he ever wanted to know about himself from the many women that had a hand in shaping his world. It is a fun, relatable, and heartwarming read. Both are available on Amazon.
Expression: My latest foray is a merch line that allows me to get all of the crazy thoughts and expressions in my mind onto your chest. Red Shoe’s Closet is a line of cake-themed apparel designed to catch an eye or two while keeping you stylish and comfortable. From tees to tennis shoes, mugs to weekender bags, there’s something for everyone in my shop. Everyone Grown & Sexy, that is…
Like I said, if there is a way to be me, make you smile and stack chips at the same time, I’m trying it! Why not?
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing worth having comes easily. I’ve faced a number of challenges in the last eight years of pulling RSC together. But without them, I wouldn’t have the resilience or tenacity I have today. Moving my business from my support network/hometown of Long Beach, CA to the virtually unknown to me Atlanta area was the biggest hurdled I’d faced. Touching ground just a few months before a worldwide pandemic struck was the real topper! I did everything I could to keep RSC in everyone’s eyegates, and shipped off a number of orders to my loyal Cakefam in California in the meantime, but the momentum never fully recovered.
My latest challenges have been baking while working full-time, and finding events/venues that value their vendors’ time and money. It’s easy to get discouraged when I spend days preparing for an event after working all day, just to have no one show up to the event. But I have to keep trying and choosing various events around the area in hopes of finding the right one. I’ve found a spot at the Beltline that has been wonder for me, so I’m sticking to it!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
When it comes to processing, I am very lineal, very left-brained. I like order and reason. This is why I love baking the way I do. We know that cooking is art while baking is science. At its core, it is a very left-brained activity. But, to experiment with flavors and combinations, while maintaining the consistency of the end product is very right-brained. This is where I can let my creativity flow! Since I understand the science, I can give the artistry center stage and create masterpieces worry-free!
Marketing and brand-building are also areas that allow my right brain to dominate and excel, setting me apart from other cakeries. Creating and maintaining a consistent and relatable voice for my brand has been years in the making, but I think I’ve got it. My target audience is down to earth adults with brilliant minds and wicked humor. We appreciate an aged whiskey as much as a cold beer, a sophisticated cocktail as much as a classic glass of wine. I can talk to them because they are me. I let them know I’m not sugar and spice, or anything “nice”. I’m not a pink polka dot bakery. I’m your guilty pleasure, the bad influence in red and black leather that you can’t resist… and I’m totally ok with that!
My niece recently gave me my flowers for being just that, different. As a successful entrepreneur and business owner herself, she let me know that she credits me with her success. Because I made a point of bringing her along on all of my hairbrained business ventures, it nurtured her free spirit and encouraged her to live outside of the box, doing the things that made her happy and making a life centered around her creativity and passions. She’s thriving and loving her life, and I am so proud to have been a catalyst in that!
How do you think about luck?
I don’t believe in “luck”. I believe in blessings and provisions from God the Father. Nothing is by chance or luck, but guided by His divine hand. Elohim watches, protects and encourages me every step of the way. Whether I experience successes or failures, it’s all in accordance with His will. He has a plan for my life and business that I gladly follow.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://RedShoeCakes.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/redshoecakes
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/redshoecakes
- Other: https://a.co/d/gyxKJgd
