Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikeah Leech.
Hi Nikeah, 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?
After losing everything in the 2011 Spring tornado outbreak that leveled parts of Tuscaloosa; I decided to move back home to MS to start over as it was cheaper to live there and I was pregnant with my third child. After her birth, my husband and I decided I’d stay home with the kids while he became our sole provider. We had to look for ways to save and stretch money as I’d stepped down from a corporate job I held in Tuscaloosa. I started baking snacks for the kids and bread to save money. When holidays came up, instead of buying store treats; I’d bake and send my own. The teachers started reaching out for their own personal orders. My husband suggested starting a little cottage food business by baking from home. I enrolled in business school and sought out a partner to help me out. I teamed up with a former classmate, Kelly Butler-Turner. We launched in 2015. While out doing marketing with cupcakes, a local business owner, John Hall, saw me and eventually invited us to setup a mini bakery inside of his restaurant. This put our business in a position to grow in visibility as well as sales.
In 2017, an opportunity came to take the corporate job that I’d left behind in Tuscaloosa back! I saw this as an opportunity to get my family back to the city I’d fallen in love with. A close cousin, Lisa Gilyard, helped set the groundwork to expand the business to West AL. (Originally from Columbus, MS) Fast forward. 2020. After sustaining a head injury whilst on vacation; I eventually had to leave my corporate job again due to health reasons. I was devastated, again. I’d been still baking on the side and doing local pop ups and markets when not at work. I saw an opportunity to do what I loved full time as I could take breaks as needed to accommodate my head issues. Sweet Dreamz received a $10k grant from Beyoncé’s Beygood foundation and the NAACP. We used this money to open a storefront. As of now, we employ six people; with some having physical limitations like myself. Our first hire has spinal bifida and cancer. I feel that if people are willing to work, someone should give them a chance to! I’m very limited myself, but the passion keeps me in it.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been a roller coaster. My head injury really disrupted my life. I’m still learning to live with the side effects. Initially, I had to refund orders and events booked. When I could bake again, it was only for about an hour and much less than I’d done before. I decided it was betting on me or disability. So for now, I’m winning!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Sweet Dreamz Delivered?
Sweet Dreamz Delivered is different because we offer items that aren’t widely available at typical bakeries. For example: strawberry Brownies, sour patch grapes, ButterPecan cookies, and gourmet nachos. I’m most proud of our ability to adjust our skills to what’s going on. In 2020, when local stores were out of breads; we shifted from cupcakes to essential baking with contactless doorstep delivery. We even gained some out of state customers who saw their friends post our items on their social media. I’d like readers to know that we offer items for most pallets. We even have a sugar-free and keto line of products that can be shipped.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I’m not doing this for the riches. Simply stability and the opportunity to pay my blessings forward to those around me that are less fortunate. I am the first black female to own a bakery in the Tuscaloosa University Mall here. That’s something that I hope can inspire more minority entrepreneurs.
Contact Info:
- Email: sweetdreamzbama@yahoo.com
- Website: www.sweetdreamzttown.com
- Instagram: Sweetdreamzttown
- Facebook: Sweet Dreamz- Tuscaloosa
Image Credits
Ribbon Cutting. Photo: Tuscaloosa Chamber of Commerce.
