Sweet Cheeks Bakery offers cupcakes and advice

March 2, 2013

Last Wednesday, Georgia Southern University’s entrepreneurship club had Jahala Akins, founder and owner of Sweet Cheeks Bakery, share her experiences as an entrepreneur. The meeting was the first organizational activity under the club’s new leadership: president Shelby Freund and vice president Sharveace McClary. Akins brought both cupcakes and wisdom from her experience as a local business owner.

Sweet Cheeks bakery was founded roughly 18 months ago. Akins graduated with a finance degree from Georgia Southern. With a background in mortgage lending, Akins had to draw on her experience in her mother’s kitchen to develop a cupcake shop. Akins saw that while there was a good bread bakery and a good cookie bakery in town, there was a lack of cupcakes. With the popularity of shows like Cupcake Wars, she thought the opportunity was obvious. Working with the local Small Business Development Center (SBDC), she developed a business plan for Sweet Cheeks. When the SBDC was not able to help her with start-up funding, she found a local bank that liked her business plan enough to fund the venture.

In starting a business, Akins stressed the need for hard work. Initially, Akins was spending over 80 hours working. Over the last 18 months, she has seen her revenues rise as her hours worked have decreased. Still, she spends the majority of her week at the bakery despite having a family with two young children. While the business definitely puts a strain on her marriage and family life, she loves being her own boss.

The other point Akins stressed was the need to cultivate relationships. A successful Valentine’s Day promotion was the brainchild of a local reporter. Sourcing issues and high costs of supplies were solved by a friend with a job at a food distributor. Throughout the startup process, Akins has focused on networking to both expand and streamline her business.

Akins enthusiasm for both her business and entrepreneurship in general is obvious. She offered advice blended with the reality of being an entrepreneur. The students truly appreciated her passion, her candor, and her cupcakes.