Natalie with Natty Cakes (Baker + Cake Designer)
Natty Cakes is a locally sourced bakery, in a certified home kitchen in Emeryville, California. They specialize in buttercream cakes perfect for all milestone events. I first met Natalie on a styled shoot back in 2017. I was in awe of how beautiful her cake was and how absolutely delicious it tasted! I mean, I did not have high expectations for a styled shoot cake, but Natalie knocked it out of the park, per usual.
K: How would you describe yourself as a business owner before having kids?
N: Before kids I was focused, goal oriented and a bit of a work-a-holic. All of my time was dedicated to my business and all of my thoughts were centralized around making it succeed. It was my personality, my husband was very involved, all of my friends were involved as was my family.
K: What were your priorities before?
N: My priorities before having kids was the business. I would miss family events, weddings, gatherings with friends, you name it. If I was the sole employee of my business the majority of the years before having a child so every element fell on my shoulders which meant I had very little time for social interactions, I actually was able to find a community within the kitchen I rented from so I was able to fill that social void while at work.
K: How has your daily workflow changed?
N: Absolutely. Rather than 10-12 hours a day being dedicated to standing on my feet in the bakery, then another 1-2 hours at night for administrative work. I have about 2 hours a day to do the work of baking/admin/social media.
K: How has your approach to your business changed?
N: It is no longer the priority. I only keep the aspects that work for me and my family. The moment I was pregnant, I made some major changes, actually just about every 6 months I make major changes in order to make sure it still makes sense in our lives. Having a small business is incredibly time consuming and in my case, is not lucrative, so allowing it to take up all of my time is no longer an option. Now the focus is making sure the time I spend away from my family needs to make financial sense.
K: What are the biggest challenges you face as a solo biz owner and mom?
N: Managing expectations and time. I have so little time every day to dedicate to the mountain of work that keeps growing. Before having a child, I would just work until it was done, which would often lead to late nights and skipped meals. But now, when my son wakes from his nap, no matter what I am doing, I have to put it down. It is a totally different mindset! And for someone who allowed her personality to be dictated by a business, there are many days I feel like I am failing because I do not feel accomplished. But the reality is, I have a fraction of the time I used to have! I have become very efficient!
K: What do you wish couples/clients or other vendors understood about your new dual role as a biz owner and mom?
N: The balancing act is on going, some weeks I will succeed and some weeks I won’t. We are all struggling in our own rights these days and showing compassion is all we need. I have some of the most amazing and understanding clients. They show me so much grace, so I always work to do the same in return!
K: Anything else that you want to share about your role as a mama and business owner?
N: I think there are so many of us out there, but it is very hard to connect with other parents because there is not enough time to dedicate to social gatherings. It can be really hard to form genuine connections with others going through the same phase of life!
Please show Natalie some love by following her on Instagram and keeping her in mind for any of your future events!
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