Conversations with the Inspiring Kimberly Silva

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Silva.

Kimberly, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Baking and decorating sugar cookies have been a family holiday tradition at our house for as long as I can remember. I have the sweetest memories of standing on my tippy-toes to reach the kitchen counter to ice and decorate sugar cookies for many occasions. Those were the days when licking my fingers and pouring full bottles of colorful sprinkles on my cookies was permitted even when half the sprinkles went all over the floor. There is truly nothing like the smell of freshly baked cookies in a house. If you asked six years old me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would say I wanted to be a cake decorator or a wedding planner. If you know me now, you know I am a fitness fanatic, and I don’t like to be tempted by having too many desserts in the house. I have spent a lot of time over the past few years baking, experimenting, and giving my treats away to neighbor’s friends and co-workers. Refining our family sugar cookie recipe and coming up with the perfect consistency and taste of buttercream icing has taken a lot of time. My joy for baking went from a hobby to a business after baking and decorating two large orders of over 150 sugar cookies for my sorority this past Fall. These orders gave me exposure and I found myself baking for everyone I knew. The more I baked, the more orders I received for cookies. There was so much interest in my product that I decided to create the brand name “Kimberly’s Cookies.” A lot of the growth in my business has come from word of mouth. Social media has accelerated my exposure.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I love being busy, having a full calendar, and facing the challenge of taking on multiple projects at once. On top of running my business, I’m currently in the second semester of my senior year at Oklahoma State University, and I am training for my 10th race and second full marathon. My biggest struggle is time. There are not enough hours in a day to do everything I would like to do. I manage every part of my business on my own. I have had to learn to say no and not feel guilty. Saying no isn’t easy, but it is part of managing a successful business and has taught me to live a balanced life.

What should we know about Kimberly’s Cookies? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I make everything from scratch and weigh all of my ingredients. I have learned that there is a great deal of science involved in baking. Temperature and the order of ingredients matter so, staying organized is imperative. I am proud of the fact that I have created and established my own profitable venture with day to day execution of social media, marketing, photography, baking, designing, decorating, and packaging of all of my products. My cookies are different from others not just because of the taste, but also because I coordinate the perfect color combinations for each order. I am always working to come up with new designs to produce a cutting edge and unique treat for my customers. My cookies tell a story, and I love getting to be involved in celebrating monumental moments in the lives of others. A lot of attention to detail and love goes into every one of my cookies. The majority of my customers live in Dallas and Fort Worth and in Oklahoma City, Stillwater and Norman, Oklahoma.

For good reason, society often focuses more on the problems rather than the opportunities that exist, because the problems need to be solved. However, we’d probably also benefit from looking for and recognizing the opportunities that women are better positioned to capitalize on. Have you discovered such opportunities?
I believe as a woman, I can do anything I set my mind to do. We shouldn’t allow anything to hold us back from being who we want to be.

Pricing:

• Cookies are priced from $3.00 to $3.50 each depending on the design.
• Kimberly’s mini cookies (available during select times of the year) $15.00 for a dozen bite size cookies.
• I am currently booking 4 months out and require a 20 percent deposit on orders over $100.00
• Cookie decorating kits start at 48.00 for 12 cookies, and includes 4 types of sprinkles, edible glitter, and 3 colors of buttercream icing in decorating bags with piping tips attached.

Contact Info:

• Phone: 7193316433
• Email: kimberlymsilva99@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberlys_cookies/

Image Credit:
Tanner Silva

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