Today we’d like to introduce you to Edwin Pardilla and Kolby Simpson .
Hi Edwin and Kolby, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Edwin and I have always wanted our own business, but we weren’t always clear on what that business would look like or how to bring it to life. Both of our families have businesses so we grew up seeing the pros and cons of running your own business. Ultimately, for us, the pros outweigh the cons so we started to think about what made the most sense from a financial standpoint as well as what we had to offer based on our combined education, experience, and skills.
My background is mainly in business consulting while Edwin has a Bachelor’s in Culinary Arts and a Master’s degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Edwin also worked as a pastry chef, and his mother has a bakery in the Philippines so, after a lot of planning and development, we decided on a home bakery.
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?
Has it been a smooth road? We have definitely had our obstacles. When we started the bakery, we both had full-time jobs so that presented its obvious hardships and time constraints. We were determined though to make this bakery come to life.
Another struggle we’ve encountered is the fact that we are a cottage bakery (a home bakery.) We have limited exposure without a constant presence in the community that a brick-and-mortar store bring to any business. Fortunately, we are in the age of social media and online shopping. These media outlets have given us the opportunity to have more exposure than we expected. Most of our orders come from social media. It’s also allowed us to maintain a connection with our clients so we have been blessed with (and are so grateful for our) loyal customers.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We’ve touched somewhat on our backgrounds so I don’t want to bore you more with that so I’ll get right into what sets us apart…
Edwin and I are both creative, but in very different ways. Edwin is an artist at heart which brings us to our motto, “where art and cake collide.” Every business needs that one thing that sets them apart. The thing that keeps people coming back for more. For us, we look at each cake as a piece of art. We don’t want our desserts to simply taste great. We want our dessert to make an entrance, a statement, and to have an impact on the customer, the event, and their guests. We want to create a piece of art.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Advice for those starting out? My advice is simple. Don’t give up. Keep moving forward. There will be times that you want to give up. That’s the exact moment where you keep moving because every roadblock provides an opportunity for growth. Every roadblock literally gives you a chance to pivot and jump. It’s all about your perspective. You can look at the problem as a roadblock, or you can look at it as a solid place to plant your feet, recharge, and launch.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.covetedcakesbakery.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/covetedcakeshouston/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/covetedcakeshouston
Image Credits
Kolby Simpson
Edwin Pardilla
