Today we’d like to introduce you to Chloe Campuzano.
Chloe, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hi, I’m Chloe but a lot of people know me as Cici. The way this all started off was when I was freshly 16 during the beginning of 2021 and I wanted something more to do with myself during covid. I started making chocolate covered strawberries for fun and to sell that January. I knew nothing about starting a business or making profits. A lot of my clients were my family and close family friends. It was just some small hobby I took interest in because I was home 24/7 and never saw anyone but my mom and siblings. But it was fun! I was making little sweet treats for everyone back then. Once I went back to school that same year, I started selling cakepops too. Honestly, as a teenager, I made quite a bit of money off of it because kids love to eat. My dad would talk to me about how I need to know how much money I spend to make one cakepop and how I should charge a certain amount of money to make sure that my work is worth it. My dad was very helpful when it came to giving me advice. Both of my parents were very supportive of what I was trying to do. A lot of the time they would even pay for some or all of my supplies. All throughout high school, I would sell cakepops at school and even started advertising my business so much more. I was doing it so that I would stop asking my parents for money. I wanted to have my own bit of income to spend on things like clothes and random junk food that I didn’t want to ask my parents for. $20 was a lot to me at 17, $100 was even more to me at 17 and at school, I would make almost $100 every time I sold cakepops. I created my own logo and instagram account where I’d showcase all my products and post pricing and all that too. I would like to believe that selling products helped get me out of my shell. I had to talk to people and let them know about what I was making, even if it was other shy teenagers. The school never stopped me, it’s also because I sold to a few teachers and admin. It was harmless and honestly it helped me understand how badly I wanted to do something more than just school while I was young. I graduated in 2023 from high school with my diploma and an associates degree from Lone Star. I earned myself an academic scholarship to the University of St Thomas here in Houston so I was still able to continue my business. I still didn’t know as much about profit and business but I told myself that I would take this first year of school to learn more about what I could be doing. And that’s what I did, I educated myself on what people like to see on social media and how I can properly sell my products publicly. After 2023, I was ready, I started creating new content. I gave myself a new name for my business “Cici’s Sweets” and I became consistent with my posting and advertising. It had already been a very rocky start to the year but I kept pushing through college and the drama that followed to make sure that I got myself in a position I’d like to be with my business. It wasn’t until September of 2024 that I decided to branch out more into markets for small businesses. It’s Houston, there’s always something happening here and I started looking into some places where I could be a vendor. The rest of the year was filled with markets, custom orders, making new connections, and trying to branch out as a business. I taught myself a lot about what I needed to do to get where I am now, I also had a lot of support from those around me. At this point, I’m just glad that I can make something that other people can enjoy at a reasonable cost. It makes me so happy hearing people tell me how much they loved a certain cakepop or how much the people at their event loved the treats. Valentine’s Day is the most impactful holiday coming up, it’s the time of year where I tend to get the most orders and I can’t wait to see how it’ll play out! I’m now 20 years old, a full time college student, and a business woman, I can’t wait to see what 2025 offers me next!
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?
It hasn’t been too smooth. There were times where I wouldn’t get any orders, I would go a full month or 2 without any business. This is when I became more active on TikTok and instagram, I wanted to appeal to my audience. I like when people can look at my stuff and think “it looks too pretty to eat”. I wanted to make it clear that I was making stuff for people to enjoy. I think I finally gave off that impression these last few months when doing the pop up markets I’ve been attending. Inflation has also become a huge component when I create my products. It’s hard to keep my goods at decent prices when supplies ends up being most of the cost. But now I charge based off quality of work and not too much of quantity.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Cici’s Sweets?
I started this at 16 years old and learned everything from Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok. I got my food handlers license and I abide by all Texas cottage laws to be able to provide safe and nontoxic products. I’m known for my cake popsicles, I usually just refer to them as cakepops since that’s the universal term. What I believe sets me aside from others is that I keep my products reasonably priced for the amount I’m selling. Big companies will charge almost $4 for less than 2 ounces per cakepop but I’ll charge $2 for something twice the size and tastier. I’m most proud of the bright theme I’ve managed to keep for my brand. I like that people see my business and see me as approachable. I tend to be very flexible with my pricing and availability. I’ll do all that I can to make sure that an order is made with lots of love. I make treats as party favors and I make them as customized gifts for others too. This year I plan to sell chocolate covered strawberries in a cup more frequently to those who attend my markets! I want to open up myself more to opportunities not only as a business woman but as a vendor.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I was always a big sweets girl, when I was younger I would love getting a good sweet treat. I especially loved getting chocolate covered strawberries from one of my tias for my birthday every year. It was one of my favorite treats and I looked forward to it every time. She doesn’t understand the craving she started but it led to me wanting to provide another girl with the same feelings when they’re treated to my sweets.
Pricing:
- • chocolate covered strawberries in a cup- $15
- • a dozen classic chocolate covered strawberries- $28
- • a dozen classic cakepops $35
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cicis_sw33ts?igsh=d3k1MXRqMG0xMWVj&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@cicis_sw33ts?_t=ZT-8sw75EyMKqp&_r=1
