Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikki Bryan.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Nikki. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am Nikki B, a Virgin Island native that has resided in Miami since I was about seven years old. I am an aspiring I/O Psychologist, an author and entrepreneur by day and most of all a celebrity baker by night. Yes, I do most of my baking at night.
I have been baking with my Granny since I was a little child back in St. Thomas (my birthplace) and as an adult, it became therapeutic for me especially after my granny died in 2009. In 2014, I started baking again to relieve stress and my friends would tell me it would so good, I should sell it. I ignored them because this was just a therapy for me and I had a semi-stressful job already as a manager for a virtual call center. But then in the fall of 2015, my job switched to once a month payroll due to some internal issues and it interfered with my financial life. So to stay ahead, I decided to start selling my cakes and D’Delicious Delicacies was born.
I decided to take my knowledge and expertise on business from my college degree and started my business the right way. I came up with the name Delicious Delicacies with the help of my friends and I added the D in honor of my Granny Dellita. I became registered with the state, became licensed with my city and insured. I created all social media platforms, a website, an email address and I was ready to go. My business began to grow mainly by word of mouth. One thing I can say, I have always had the support of my friends, family and classmates.
But my business really grew when I joined the Sugar Coin Academy in 2017. It’s an online academy for sweet’s business owners ran by an accountant Cyndi Mitchell and an amazing Chef in Baton Rouge, Amanda Schonberg. They taught me so many in’s and out’s of business but specifically for a dessert business. They both would inbox or call me if they saw anything I could improve on. They stayed on top of me like white on rice. Because of their guidance and support, in addition to my consistent hard work, my business has grown tremendously.
I have had amazing opportunities over the years, such as baking for an overseas professional basketball player and for a former Miami Heat basketball player Hassan Whiteside. Recently, I was contacted by Twitter to make a cake for a singer for the super bowl but that event was cancelled. I didn’t care though, because I was still proud that someone at Twitter was able to discover my business and wanted to work with me. That in itself, let me to know that I am doing what I am supposed to do to give my business the exposure it deserves.
My customers are satisfied and happy enough to leave reviews and recommendations for others to read and consider. Overall, I absolutely love creating cakes that make people smile. I am proud to be a small business providing exceptional customer service. I am thankful for where I started, where I am, and where I am going. This is a business that will be apart of the legacy that I will pass down to my children and nieces.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. I literally started this business from the ground up with a few of my friends, Perony, Gigi, Franny and Samantha. They used to be in the kitchen with me for what seemed to be 24 hours. It took hard work and dedication to get where I am now. I spent a lot of money with trial and error. Trying different things to see what would work and what people would like. I have heard no many times before because I do not have a storefront. However, I never let any of these things stop me. I found what worked for my customers and I, and I stuck with it.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
D’Delicious Delicacies is an online bakery that specializes in your favorite childhood desserts with an island flair. We offer buttercream cakes, custom cakes, pound cakes, cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies with a twist, brownies, and virgin island pastries. Our mission is to provide all patrons of our business with delicious Caribbean desserts. We want our desserts to take our clients back to their childhood or back to their favorite vacation spot with every bite. With that, we have become known for our rum cakes: Island Buzz and Rum Blast. Other favorites include our tropical twist cupcake which is a moist lemon cupcake with passion fruit buttercream and our 24k Gold cupcake which is a caramel cupcake topped with Hershey’s gold buttercream.
We are most proud of our growth and customer loyalty. When we started, my goal was to provide fresh and delicious desserts to give people something different while providing exceptional customer service. I think that we are accomplishing that goal every day. Our exceptional customer service and island flair, has set us apart from many other businesses around us. At D’Delicious Delicacies, we carry the good ol’ Caribbean tradition of saying “Good night” to everyone. If you know, you know what different THAT is (LOL). But with that, it creates a comfortable and respectable environment for the customers and for us. When customers come to us, they know that their desserts will be made with love, delicious and the service will always be exceptional.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Our city is a great place for a business like mine because it’s a busy and popular place. We’re big in celebrations, big or small so the business opportunity is definitely there. We also live where people vacation, so a good portion of my business comes from out of towners. If someone was just starting out, they could definitely start out here. I don’t feel like business has much to do with where you are but more so how you leverage it. Find the problem, be the solution!
Pricing:
- Buttercream cakes start at $65
- Custom cakes start at $125
- Pound cakes start at $45
- Cupcakes start at $36 per dozen
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ddeliciousdelicacies.com
- Phone: 3057641821
- Email: info@ddeliciousdelicacies.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/dddelicacies13
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ddeliciousdelicacies
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/dddelicacies13
- Other: https://g.page/dddelicacies13
Image Credit:
Gigi Cadet
Myself
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