Today we’d like to introduce you to Skyla Johnson.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My entire life from a young age of 3 I loved to bake (more specifically mix ingredients together in bowls). I spent a lot of time in the care of my great-grandmother, and she began to actually teach me how to bake as I grew older. We made desserts completely from scratch, adding a little of this and that, and tasting along the way until it was just right for baking.
I baked my entire childhood & adolescent years, and eventually, once I became a sophomore in college, I turned my love for baking into a business. In 2011 College Girl Cupcakes was born! I became a licensed home bakery, and I shared my love for baking cupcakes with friends and classmates all around The Ohio State University’s campus. My business grew by only word of mouth until 2016 when I rebranded.
In 2016, I applied for my LLC, created my first website, and renamed my business to honor my great-grandmother by giving it her nickname “Suga Pie”. Suga Pie’s Cupcakes was born, and from there, there was no looking back. I continued to grow as a small home bakery, while simultaneously working a 9-5 as a licensed social worker, and also being a single mother of 1. I grew my home bakery year by year until I was able to walk away from my 9-5 position in 2019 to be a full-time entrepreneur.
This was such an exciting and scary chapter of my life, but nonetheless, I was successful at operating full-time, and even had to start hiring employees for the home bakery.
I was able to partner with a local restaurant, The Pit BBQ Grille in 2021 by supplying them with banana pudding to sell as their dessert, and by 2022, the owners offered me an opportunity to join their storefront location as a shared restaurant/bakery.
We officially moved into our first storefront and opened March 4, 2022 right in Clintonville (Columbus, OH). We are so excited for this new chapter of growth, and we have been doing great so far.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Business is always a rollercoaster. From starting and figuring out every single step of the way on my own, to trying to grow just by word of mouth, to eventually rebranding and using social media as a marketing tool. Getting myself out there and known by others was a process that took several years! I have been a business owner for 11 years now and just stepping foot into my first storefront. Business was challenging esp. when I was a full-time social worker. Juggling personal life, being a mother, having a 9-5, and then responding to emails, calls, order requests, and actually baking cupcakes for pick-up was no easy task. There were many times throughout the years where I took business hiatus and took steps back so that I could grow more once I jumped back in.
Additionally, after the summer of 2019 when I decided to go full-time as an entrepreneur, it was less than a year later that COVID-19 hit us, and that was a very scary and uncomfortable time. No one knew what life would look like moving forward. I watched my calendar go from having orders 2 months out, to being completely cleared in a matter of 2 weeks. I was unsure of how I would be able to survive if I wasn’t able to operate my bakery. Things of course panned out, and restrictions were put into place, and ultimately the community did not let me fall. I received support like no other to make sure that my small business stayed afloat.
Just as I thought things were going steady, I found out in May 2020 that my dad was diagnosed with leukemia and we had a huge fight ahead of us, if he wanted to survive. This was the hardest thing to do while running a business. I tried to juggle both, but in September of 2020 when my maternal grandmother somewhat suddenly passed away, I was unable to go on. Once again, I had to shut business down temporarily so that I could grieve, take time with family, and breathe. It was the hardest time of my life emotionally and mentally, but as a family we overcame. My dad is a survivor and a bone marrow transplant warrior. I was able to start my business back up and continue moving forward.
In September 2021, I received my largest corporate order to date for 1,200 cupcakes! My team and I worked so hard over the course of 6 days to complete this order, but unfortunately, it caused my back to injure, and ultimately, I needed back surgery which took place in November 2021. I was devastated and once again, I had to close business.
After all of these storms, however, came the rainbow. While I was healing and recovering, I was offered the opportunity to partner with a local BBQ restaurant and move into my first storefront in March 2022.
As you know, we’re big fans of Suga Pie’s Cupcakes. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Suga Pie’s Cupcakes is a specialty cupcake bakery serving over 20 flavors of cupcakes all made from scratch. We also offer sweet treats such as our famous banana pudding, jumbo Krispie treats, edible cookie dough, chocolate-dipped treats, and other seasonal treats like pumpkin squares. Suga Pie’s is unique because every cupcake is topped with a variation of our signature cream cheese frosting. This sets our cupcakes apart from any other bakeries, who normally offer buttercream.
Our cupcakes are baked completely from scratch from the cake to the frosting and even our fillings like our stovetop pudding, and our toppings like our caramel.
I am so proud that my brand honors my great-grandmother, our family matriarch, and that I’m able to create a legacy after hers.
I want readers to know that Suga Pie’s Cupcakes is not just another bakery, we are a legacy!
Suga Pie’s honors a legacy of strong women, family tradition and recipes, and most of all passion. Suga Pie’s was founded and created with love and passion, and you can taste that in every bite.
What does success mean to you?
Success to me is defined by happiness. If you can wake up every day and do what you love even in the worst moments of your life, and still have the passion and drive to push forward the next day, you are successful. No matter what life throws at you or how many hardships you face, you keep going, and you give it your very best. I am a college graduate & licensed professional, however, owning and operating my own business has given me much more joy and success than a 9-5 could.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sugapies.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/sugapies
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/SugaPiesCupcakes
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/suga-pies-columbus-3
Image Credits
Jehan LLC
