Today we’d like to introduce you to Debbie Perez.
Hi Debbie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have always loved to bake. I started “Cookieing” approximately 20ish years ago when my children were little. I did it for holidays and as a single Mom, it was a nice creative outlet. People started asking me to do cookies for their parties and I did but it soon got to the point where I could not handle being a single Mom, a full-time job, and all the cookie orders. So, cookies went out the window.
Here and there over the years as the kids got older, I would revisit “cookieing” and it was always something I loved and enjoyed. On occasion, I would make cookies to take to the office or on holidays, etc. People would always tell me ” These are so good you should sell them ” But it is so time-consuming and still being a single Mom and working Full time it was a hobby I would visit every couple of years.
Jump forward to 2020. My kids are grown and out of the house. I have remarried and am working as a Funding Manager in the auto industry. I also now have an aging Mom that is needing assistance and as I have not previously mentioned I suffer from Clinical Depression. 2020 was an EXTREMELY hard year for me. Not only with Covid but all the other devastating things that were going on. My depression was increasing and hitting me harder and more frequently. My husband was encouraging me to quit my job. But I LOVED my team even though I felt a lot of stress from work. I did not want to leave them so I kept at it.
2021 was a little better but I was still struggling. There were weekends I did not get out of bed my depression was kicking my butt!!! Again, my husband kept wanting me to quit my job… I still kept saying no and then in the late Spring of 2021 I decided he was right. Not only was my mental health suffering but I was NOT who I needed to be for the team. They deserved better. I was no longer myself and was not the manager I knew I could be and the one they deserved. So, after 10 yrs. with the same company, I gave notice in June of 2021.
After giving notice at my job, I was TERRIFIED what was I going to do? I was making good money and walking away from that. Even though I knew my mental health and health period were more important than anyone could pay me. I had jumped off the cliff… what was the next step? Where was I going to go that did not get me right back in the same situation? My husband brought up the cookie idea. He said, ” Why don’t you try your cookies”? People love them and have always told you to sell them but you have never had time. Now you do! I figured what would it hurt? I would give it a shot. So, I used some savings and started buying cookie cutters and supplies I would need. My best friend Stacy Seely has her own business with Whitworth Ranch Retreat and has monthly crafting days. I figured I could start selling at these monthly and by word of mouth not only from this but friends and family maybe I could make it a go.
Shortly after I left Corp America, I found out there was a Cookie Convention that would be in Dallas. I was so excited! I could actually go and not have to worry about spending much money. Just the cost of the ticket. I live in Fort Worth and could easily drive back and forth each day. This would allow me to expand my knowledge, shake off the cobwebs, learn from the pros and get to know some others in the field. I knew tickets were hard to come by and I tried diligently to get them as soon as they went on sale BUT Dallas sold out ASAP. Due to Covid, they were having a 2nd convention in Florida to make up for the year it had been canceled. I could not afford the Florida convention even though tickets were readily available. I told my best friend about it and how devastated I was that I would not be able to make it to Dallas. She suggested I go to Florida but I told her I cannot afford to do that! Approximately a week later she called me back and said ” How about a road trip” We had not done one together in FOREVER. The drive from TX to FL was not that bad and we could split not only the driving but the hotel, gas, etc. THIS suddenly made Florida doable. That was an experience within itself. We drove straight through and left a day early due to hurricane Ida. What an experience we had. But we made it to Orlando and CookieCon. I got to take classes and learn from the Pros.
I came back to Texas with more determination to make this work. I knew it would not be an overnight process but if I really worked at it I COULD DO IT, especially with the support I had from my husband. So, each month I make cookies and take them to the ladies’ craft days. Halloween, I had a sale that I promoted on Facebook, I started having people ask me to do birthday parties, etc. for their kids. Word of mouth started spreading the news and Boho Sugar Fairy was off!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road for several reasons. First struggle I would say I have come up against is customers that do not understand the process and are wanting to pay a small price for A LOT of work. I am a one-woman show and these cookies are all individually created. They are not an assembly line production like you can find at Walmart. I have lost orders because people have thought these sugar works of art were too expensive. That is OK they were not my customer. It takes days and many steps to make these cookies and people do not understand that. I am not only buying all ingredients, doing all the mixing, baking, and decorating but I also individually heat seal each cookie to allow for freshness…. as well as packaging the final order. There are many supplies involved that people do not even think of when they order the cookie: cutters, ingredients, electricity, baking pans, gel food color, paintbrushes, airbrushes, boxes, etc., etc. We cookers do this because we LOVE it! These cookies are not only a work of art they are a work of heart.
That leads me to the next struggle… the cost of the ingredients! EVERYTHING has gone up since I started this little business approx. 7 mos. ago. Butter alone is $1.00 more a lb. but literally EVERYTHING from ingredients to packaging has increased in price. I did do a minimal price increase at the first of the year to help with the increased cost of all my supplies but I feel bad having to pass that on to my customer. I can only hope they understand as they shop and are struggling with the same issues in their homes. So far, I have not lost any customers and continue to gain new ones. I can only hope things continue this way.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have always LOVED to bake and it has always been a dream to do it professionally. I am very fortunate to have a husband that supports me 100% and encouraged me to ” jump off the cliff” and go for it! I LOVE helping people celebrate and bringing joy and smiles to their faces. With everything the way it is in the world today ; we ALL need some joy. I LOVE that I help bring that to people through my cookies.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
My Mom was an artist. I feel like I get my creative side from her. As a child, she would allow me to paint with her and this sparked the creative side in me. I am always working on creating something. It may be food-related or cross-stitching, knitting, working on a scrapbook, etc.
Contact Info:
- Email: bohosugarfairy@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.mycustombakes.com/bohosugarfairy
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bohosugarfairy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bohosugarfairy
