Meet Ashley Cuellar | Cake Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley Cuellar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Before 2021, I never really thought of starting my own business. I’ve been a cake decorator for 6 years, and enjoyed baking since childhood so people would often say to me “You should open your own bakery!”. I would usually just shrug and laugh because I didn’t think that it was possible for me. For awhile, my plan was to climb the ladder in my retail job and spend my life growing with the company because it was a safe option. After spending some time in management, I began to feel complacent. I was also struggling with the passing of my grandpa & uncle a couple of years prior, so I had lost the passion for my work for a long time. One day though, I decided that I needed something. A change of some sort. I started to realize that my grandpa wouldn’t have wanted me feeling the way that I was. So I got up and started testing some recipes. I watched a video of someone making Strawberry Crunch cupcakes and knew that I wanted to try making those. After a few batches, I started giving them away to co workers and neighbors. Then I thought “Why not post them and see if anyone is interested?” My messages blew up! I was making dozens of these a week, along with several other flavors! After a month or so, I started playing around with different cake designs that I wouldn’t have been able to make at work. My side hustle expanded from just cupcakes, to custom cakes. 2 years later, I’m now under a new name and have invested in myself with business courses to learn more than just how to make pretty cakes. This year I’ve also been busier than ever! I’ve met so many new and amazing clients. I’m so grateful for them and the ones who have watched me grow from year 1 who still order from me. Even though it can be exhausting juggling a morning job with your own small business, it is also extremely rewarding when you see your clients walk away with a smile on their face after seeing your hard work.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’m mostly a buttercream cake artist but I do offer fondant decorations for some designs. I offer cakes for many different special occasions from birthdays, weddings, baby showers, anniversaries, and more. I’m a perfectionist in my work. If there is a detail that I’m not happy with, I will do what I can to fix it even if it means it takes longer to finish. When it comes to designing cakes, I love a good challenge and experimenting with different designs and techniques. A lot of energy and love goes into each custom order. My goal is to not only wow you with beautiful centerpiece cakes for your celebrations, but I also want it to be remembered as the best-tasting cake you’ve ever had!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’m so lucky to have the love and encouragement from family & friends. When I’m tired, when I’m struggling to push through, when I make a mistake, when I need advice, etc… they are there to cheer me on and support me in any way they can. I am forever grateful to my little group of people here, as well as the ones who encourage me from my hometown in Oregon. I’ve also met some really cool people in the baking community through Tik Tok & courses and we are constantly supporting each other.

Website: https://www.ashleyscakeshop.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleyscakeshop/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashleyscakeshop

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ashleyscakeshop