Hidden Gems: Meet Azaria Woods of Cupcake Craze by Azaria

Today we’d like to introduce you to Azaria Woods.

Hi Azaria, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My involvement in various arts started when I was a toddler. I loved dancing, painting, and, especially, baking and being in the kitchen with my parents while they were cooking. In elementary school, I started baking more independently. By 5th grade, I had mastered the staple pound cake for my family, and that same Sundrop Pound Cake is still on my menu today. Cupcake Craze by Azaria officially started when I was in 7th grade in 2012. I started by selling various treats, like cupcakes and cakepops from my lunchbox at school. In November of 2012, I attended my first sale as a vendor, and I sold out of cupcakes. I continued taking orders for cakepops and cupcakes throughout middle and high school, and the money I made helped me pay for things like my college applications. I even used Cupcake Craze by Azaria to help fund a scholarship I created. After graduating from high school, I attended UNC Chapel Hill, and throughout my four years there, many parents placed orders with me to deliver to their students on campus. These orders really helped my business grow. Several university organizations and offices ordered treats from me, as well! The pandemic began in my sophomore year, so when we got sent home, I didn’t bake much until I realized that shipping treats could be an option for me. I experimented with shipping decorated sugar cookies and other treats up to my friends who were still in North Carolina, and in the fall of 2020, I officially began shipping orders. So far, I have shipped orders to 13 different states! After graduating from UNC, I pursued a graduate degree at UNC Charlotte, so Cupcake Craze by Azaria moved to Charlotte, and I took orders when I could. I graduated from UNC Charlotte as a certified athletic trainer in May 2024, so I moved to my family’s home in Georgia. Since graduation, I’ve been taking orders as I look for a new job. Rather than partying, I spent most of my weekends in college doing what I love, working to create treats to help people celebrate occasions and holidays. Over the past 12 years, my skills, menu, and customer base have expanded. I am so grateful that Cupcake Craze by Azaria has given me the opportunity to use my skills and creativity to serve my community. I can’t wait to see what else I accomplish as a creator and entrepreneur.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Overall, the road has been mostly smooth. God’s favor and mercy have covered me my whole life, and my business hasn’t been an exception. I’ve also been blessed with extremely supportive family and friends, since day 1 when I was selling at Tupelo Middle School. That’s not to say there haven’t been challenges and growing pains.

The first obstacle I remember facing was when my principal found out about my business and banned me from selling treats at school. I didn’t know how else to get customers, but my mom helped me problem solve and suggested that I join her as a vendor at one of her sales.

The next big obstacle I faced was the pandemic. In 2020, I struggled with my mental health for several reasons, especially without baking. I, like many other entrepreneurs, realized that I needed to pivot somehow. Most of my customers were still in North Carolina, so I wanted to be able to serve them somehow. Earlier that year I began selling decorated sugar cookies, so I explored shipping cookies, since they were the least fragile item on my menu. I designed different quarantine cookie sets, and they were a hit. As the weather cooled off, I tried shipping other items like cakepops and dipped pretzel rods. Now, I have shipped to 13 different states, and I hope to serve all 50 states one day!

Being in school and being an entrepreneur has created some challenges for me. Balancing my responsibilities has been difficult, because I hate disappointing people. There have been some cool orders I’ve missed out on because school has always been my priority. Now that I’ve graduated (at least, for now…I do plan to go back to school and get one more degree.), I’m excited that there will be less conflict and strain on my schedule when it comes to Cupcake Craze by Azaria. Another challenge I faced while I was in school was not having my own kitchen during my senior year at Carolina. My dad had moved out of North Carolina for a new job during the pandemic, so when I returned to Chapel Hill for my senior year, I didn’t have a kitchen to bake in. I was working as a resident advisor in a freshman dorm, so I didn’t have access to a private kitchen. This meant I wasn’t able to take as many orders as I would’ve liked that year. I did have really amazing aunts and friends who let me use their kitchens when there were orders I just couldn’t pass up! (In hindsight, not taking many orders was alright, especially my first semester, because I didn’t have to balance baking with completing my graduate school applications. Then, I lost my PawPaw in my second semester, so I needed that extra time I would’ve spent baking catching up on my coursework from that initial grief I experienced.)

Since graduation, my main business challenge has been building a customer base in Georgia. This is the first time Cupcake Craze by Azaria has been 100% based in Georgia, so having orders consistently has been a challenge. I’ve been using social media and researching more ways to market Cupcake Craze by Azaria in Atlanta so more people can know about my business!

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My name is Azaria (uh-zah-ree-uh) Woods, and I am the owner and operator of Cupcake Craze by Azaria. I grew up loving art and baking, so when I was 11, I decided to start selling my treats at school. Twelve years later, and I have been doing the same thing on a larger scale. I am an alumna of UNC Chapel Hill, and I just graduated from UNC Charlotte. I’m now living and working in Stone Mountain, Georgia with my mom and little brother. Since my first day in business in 2012, Cupcake Craze by Azaria has been offering customers beautiful and delicious treats, like cupcakes and cakepops. The Cupcake Craze by Azaria menu has expanded to include cakes, decorated sugar cookies, dipped pretzel rods, white chocolate rice krispy treats, and more! This business has become synonymous with quality, and I am always honored to be trusted with the creation of desserts and treats for whatever milestone or occasion my customer may be celebrating!

I’m reflecting and realizing there are many reasons that I’m so proud of myself and my business. I started Cupcake Craze by Azaria when I was 11 years old. My business has survived moves from Mississippi, to North Carolina, and Georgia. I worked as an entrepreneur throughout the process of earning two college degrees at 20 and 22 years old. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to pay for school expenses with my own business. Cupcake Craze by Azaria helped fund a scholarship and give back to my community. I’ve used my skills and creativity to help people celebrate and spread love. I think I’m most proud of myself for the growth and lessons I’ve learned in the past 12 years as an entrepreneur. My mom is a psychologist, so she’s taught me to reflect on what I’ve learned after each order. I really love being able to see how 23-year old Azaria handles orders or situations and comparing it to how 11 or 17-year old Azaria would have handled it. I’m also really proud of the ways in which I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone in order to grow my business. I’ve built a website, improved my communication skills, and created things that I couldn’t even imagine.

My longevity, passion, and creativity set me apart from others. I am probably younger than most of my peers, but I feel like my experiences as a baker, entrepreneur, and student have given me so much wisdom. I love being able to use my knowledge in one area and apply it in others. Like, the lessons I’ve learned as a baker have helped me as a student and vice versa. I’ve been baking for most of my life, and even as I’m on the brink of a new career, I don’t see myself slowing down. I love helping others, and I love creating. Cupcake Craze by Azaria allows me to do both of those things. I hope that I can show the community what I can do, so I can have more opportunities to do so.

What are your plans for the future?
Right now, I’m starting to plan holiday sales for next year. Valentine’s Day has always been busy for Cupcake Craze by Azaria, so I’m excited to start my brainstorming process for that. I’m also doing research on local pop up markets I can sell at on a semi-regular basis next year. I think doing in-person events could help me sell more around the holidays and get more exposure for my business, which will help me get more custom orders between holiday seasons! I’m also hoping to be back in school next fall to earn my Doctorate degree. Going back to school would likely force me to decrease my availability for baking, but I’m no stranger to balancing school and business!

Contact Info:

• Website: cupcakecrazebyazaria.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cupcakecrazebyazaria
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cupcakecraze2012
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@cupcakecrazebyazaria