Entrepreneurial drive can sometimes be hard to get started but once it’s going, you can’t be stopped and Julia Usher is a prime example of that. In this episode of Castiron Bites, we had the pleasure of sitting down with the world-renowned sugar artist, author, app and content creator, and founder of the popular online community, Cookie Connection herself to learn some of her favorite business tips and tricks. Julia shared valuable insights into her journey and business challenges and offered tips for both budding cookie artists and entrepreneurs, including her best advice as to how to approach the entrepreneurial baking world.
Advice #1: The Creative Freedom vs. Administrative Tasks
Navigating the challenges of solo entrepreneurship comes with a delicate balancing act. Entrepreneurship in general requires wearing many different hats and taking on roles that you maybe don’t have a prior skill set for or just other tasks that aren’t as artistically driven. In this day and age, taking strides to boost your business into the public eye requires a heavy focus on digital marketing and content creation which is nowhere as quick and easy as it may appear. Julia candidly discussed some of these challenges she’s faced as a solo entrepreneur. She recognizes that the demands of managing an online platform and community can be overwhelming and highlights the importance of finding a balance to ensure you maintain alignment with your original goals. Julia shared her recent decision to delegate social media management to a team, underlining the necessity of letting go of tasks that don't align with personal strengths and goals, and thus creating better creative/administrative balance.
Advice #1.5: Rediscover Artistic Freedom
In a similar vein as the prior and next and pieces of advice, maintaining (and rediscovering if it’s been lost) your artistic freedom is just as important as administrative work or product diversification. For example, Julia's journey began with selling cookies but evolved into a pursuit of creative freedom. After closing her physical bakery, she embraced content creation on YouTube, allowing her to freely express her art without the constraints of traditional publishing. Julia expressed a desire to reclaim more time for personal creativity by streamlining administrative tasks and focusing on what truly brings her joy. Remember, your entrepreneurial endeavor was born out of your passion for your craft so make sure you’re taking the time to honor it and your creative urges throughout your process!
Advice #2: Know Your Motivations, Diversify, & Adapt
Julia's career trajectory took a turn when she transitioned from running a physical bakery to becoming a content creator. Going from retail baker to content creator is a slightly bigger step than you may realize as the digital world contains such a vast amount of content selling decorated cookies as a standalone business limits one's target audience. Acknowledging these challenges that come alongside this more specific niche, Julia embraced diversification. She emphasized the importance of experimenting with different avenues within the industry and learning from failures as you continue to try new avenues to potentially expand into. While experimenting can be loads of fun, it must also be kept in mind that the end goal is business development and growth. Your end goal must be finding what works best for both your individual creative fulfillment as well as your business’s financial success.
Addressing the growing competition in the cookie decorating space, Julia offered valuable advice on finding success in this industry: understanding personal motivations and maintaining financial realities. She stressed the importance of the first aspect, highlighting that you need to repeatedly check in with yourself as to whether your motivations are based on financial gain or creative fulfillment. Many entrepreneurs can quickly forget that making money is a crucial aspect of sustaining a business. With transparency about her financial situation, Julia encouraged aspiring entrepreneurs to find their unique path within the competitive market.
Advice #3: The Sweet Power of Connection
The Julia Usher story is not just one about decorating cookies; it's about fostering a global community of cookie enthusiasts. Julia's journey into community building and her building of a global cookie community was initially driven by a desire to combat the loneliness of online work. She created Cookie Connection, a community that has grown to 18,000 members worldwide and helps connect culinary artists from all over. As Cookie Connection grew, Julia found herself feeling more connected and supported by others in the baking community. She emphasized the importance of connecting, sharing challenges, and building friendships within a community that goes beyond just a social media group.
Advice #4: Embrace Kindness
Now what may seem to be a no-brainer is actually a pivotal piece of advice. Although being kind to others is crucial to success, it can be easy to fall into poor habits of negative self-talk when enduring the pressures of entrepreneurism. Julia recounted the wise words from a friend, Michelle Hester: "Be kind to that Julia person." This advice serves as a reminder to step back, reflect, and be compassionate to oneself amidst the challenges and self-doubts that often accompany entrepreneurial journeys. Julia encouraged entrepreneurs to save and revisit positive messages as a source of motivation during challenging times as the impact of supportive advice can often become a powerful motivator when times are tough.
Savoring Success in the Cookie Business Landscape
Julia Usher’s success transcends cookie artistry. Her journey from selling cookies to creating a global community reflects the sweet spot where creativity, community, and business intersect. Through her tips, she offers a recipe for success that involves adaptation, diversification, and embracing kindness – key ingredients for any aspiring entrepreneur in the competitive and ever-evolving business landscape.
Visit https://juliausher.com/ to learn more about Julia and all the amazing work she’s doing! To join Cookie Connection, https://cookieconnection.juliausher.com and get started growing your community!
You can watch Julia’s full Castiron Bites episode below and don’t forget to tune in to YouTube every Wednesday at 12 PM ET for the next episode of Castiron Bites!
