Conversations with Emma O’Connell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emma O’Connell.

Hi Emma, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am Emma, Owner, and Creator of December Bakes. I began my baking journey up North at the age of ten and never stopped experimenting and trying new recipes. In an effort to raise money for college I began a small scale bake sale. Upon attending and studying entrepreneurship, I seriously considered opening my own bakery. As I reached graduation I worked to make this dream a reality and here we are today! I developed the name of my bakery due to my love of the holiday season and snowy weather. Not to mention it also happens to be the month I was born in! Now living in Georgia, I miss the season even more and want to share that same cozy festive feeling with you all.

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?
Thankfully the journey of my business has been fairly smooth. However. as expected small bumps in the road came along the way. Such as when entering the farmers market scene initially it was difficult to build consistent clientele. In such a dense setting of vendors one has to be creative in how you can stand out. Over the past couple seasons I have worked to establish a presence and unique booth resulting in a loyal group of customers. Secondly, it has been a challenge to develop the most cost effective financial choices. From packaging to ingredients. As the economy ebbs and flows my business has to adjust and adapt along with it.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In my day to day life I get to explore my creative side further as a dance teacher! When I’m not baking you can find me in the studio. I have the opportunity to work with kids all across Atlanta building their skills and choreographing on a competitive and or professional level. As of recently I developed my own workshop and pre professional company titled “The Passion Project.” This recent and ever growing project of my is definitely what I consider to be my greatest pride. I believe it is truly dance at its best and offers a fresh take on what it means to train/teach with passion.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Risk taking is a multilevel approach to business management or life in general. There is at its core a large leap of faith where no prior knowledge, experience, or plan is put in place. The category of risk taking I find myself in is the calculation and carefully considered. Any major risk taken has been researched, evaluated and prepared for. What still makes it is a risk is the element of the unknown. Hence some things as much as you prep become out of your control. I find that from the decisions to start a business to creating a new recipe and down to a simple social media post are all risks being taken daily.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://decemberbakes.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/december_bakes?igsh=MWpjaXZpbTFqOTh3bA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DRQKyd8vo/?mibextid=wwXIfr