Today we’d like to introduce you to Bea Emanuel-Sims.
Hi Bea, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
One of my favorite childhood memories is the delicate, warm smell of sweet potato pie fresh from the oven and the big smile on my grandmother’s face as she wiped her hands on her apron with accomplishment. And all of us kids would run to the kitchen to get a slice of her delicious pie and she’d beam with pride as we enjoyed every bite. Do you remember that feeling from your childhood? And how good it felt? Being raised by my loving grandmother left me with priceless memories like this. And losing her in 2007 left me with the kind of grief that could only be soothed by baking. Delivering love and nourishment through sugar and spice, just like granny did gave me peace and comfort. Baking healed and strengthened me and gave me an instant connection to my grandmother.
As an adult, I looked for that same feeling when I wanted to enjoy desserts, but I couldn’t find it. What I did find lacked flavor and character and frankly they lacked love. They were too commercial. Now since my granny had taught me to bake, I decided to create my own desserts. The kind that would transport folks back to their childhood and that kitchen table. So I started baking and I let some people try my desserts and each time they’d take a bite, close their eyes and smile, I’d know that my job had been done. This gave me confirmation to start Sweet Granny Bea’s and today, my grandmother’s recipes can be enjoyed by families far and wide.
I know folks will love every bite because of our 5-star Facebook rating and hundreds of satisfied customers. So, if you want to experience love, comfort, joy and a little piece of your childhood with every bite of a dessert you’ve got to try Sweet Granny Bea’s.
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?
I’ve wanted to give up many times in my entrepreneurial journey. The hardest times were when I lost my mother and I lost two children. I wanted to just stop everything and crawl up into a ball. I didn’t care about making people happy at that time because I wasn’t happy. During those times though, my customers would not let me quit. I would explain what was going on and they would sympathize with me but would tell me that they still needed their dessert for the holiday. I shut down my website, so they would send money in the mail or drop it off at the door with a note, but they wouldn’t let me quit. So in 2017, I decided that it was part of God’s plan for me to have this business so I decided to try doing it year-round. Prior to then, we only baked during the holidays. We did and we’ve grown ever since.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
What’s great about my work is that baking allows me to connect with my grandmother. It’s calming, peaceful and soothing. I love baking and bringing our desserts to the masses helps me continue spreading love just as my grandmother did with the food that she prepared.
Another aspect of Sweet Granny Bea’s is The Bea School. TBS is designed to help budding and new entrepreneurs learn business basics so that they have a great foundation to start a successful entrepreneurial journey. It’s a way to give back and allow folks to learn from my mistakes and experience. We provide weekly videos on Youtube called Business Basics and we will have two e-courses coming out; one about general business basics and the other about starting a home-based baking business.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
The most important characteristic to our success is caring about our customers. Sweet Granny Bea’s spreads love through our desserts. It’s important to show that love in how we interact with our customers. Customer Service is of the utmost importance to our business and has been one of the main qualities that keep our customers coming back to us every year.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.SweetGrannyBeas.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/sweetgrannyb
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetgrannybeas
- Youtube: Youtube.com/c/SweetGrannyBeas
Image Credits
Terry Thomas Photography
