Hi friends! I'm back, and as promised, I'd like to share with y'all the story of how I came up with Camélia Cake Shop. Hopefully this can ignite some creativity in your lives if you're thinking of starting a small business. There are so many businesses nowadays with so many names, it's hard to think of your own, but here's how I came up with my unique name, Camélia Cake Shop. I will also be talking about my unique branding, as it goes hand-in-hand.
My Business Name
Let's start off with the most obvious - "Cake Shop". I decided to go by Cake Shop instead of Bake Shop for example because I wanted to specialize in cake. A huge takeaway I took from business school is that a technique to success is to specialize. I've worked at bakeries that make many different types of products, and although good, they can't all be incredible. I wanted to focus on cake and make it the best cake I could. I'm happy to say that I have created a soft, moist and not too sweet cake that many people enjoy.
And then comes the part that is dear to my heart - "Camélia". First off, my favourite flowers are camellias. They are also the flower used in the branding of Chanel. Chanel is my favourite designer brand, and it is my dream to be able to buy my own Chanel purse one day. It's been a dream of mine since childhood. As the dream followed me into adulthood, so did the idea of a brand so well known and of high esteem, that people are willing to pay big bucks for it. I wanted to create a brand like that in the cake world - I wanted to be the Chanel of cakes. That's why Camélia is in the name, and I opted for the French spelling because it simply looked nicer, haha!
My Logo and Branding
I had a tattoo artist in Japan draw up the camellia flowers for me. In 2019, I travelled to Tokyo after finishing my BBA and got my first tattoo, two camellia flowers. They are the same two flowers I use in my logo and branding. This tattoo was a promise to myself to carry forward with Camélia Cake Shop. Back in 2019, I had just graduated from my degree and was studying the baking industry by working at some bakeries in my city. The tattoo was permanent, and reminded me everyday that I couldn't become complacent at my jobs working for someone else. One day I would have to take the risk and give it my all to have something of my own. Fast forward to 2021, here we are. Camélia Cake Shop officially launched on January 1st this year and it's been a roller coaster, but I'm so happy with how far I've come. This stems from really believing in your company and your product.
Being a bad bitch and doing what I love is my vibe, and I incorporated this into my branding. Camélia Cake Shop radiates hot girl shit because I've worked so hard to embody this idea in everything I do, business or personal. No matter what, its carried forward into my work. I do not sell cakes. I sell that vibe. This is so important for marketing. What makes your product different than others? What makes it worth it for consumers to buy yours over others? Consider that when building your brand. When you buy a cake from me, there's emotions attached to it. You feel like a bad bitch. You feel like the centre of attention. It's the clout you been waiting for, hence why my signature line is "I make cakes for bad bitches". It's unforgettable and it's compelling. You have to sell a feeling and an experience. A product is not enough. When I'm posting on social media, when I'm following up with a customer, and when I'm making my cakes, I am an embodiment of my brand. I always drill down the idea of "hot girl shit" and being a "bad bitch" because it's so important to me. What that means to me is, whether you're in school, a doctor, a lawyer, a nail technician, an eyelash technician, a stay-at-home mom or whatever it may be, own your truth and add positivity to the world. That's what makes a bad bitch. So anyone can claim it, it's up to you. I carry this value throughout my branding, because it's so meaningful to me. I live and breath this by starting my own business to create something of my own, waking up everyday happy to make beautiful cakes, and encouraging others to live life to their best.
So there you have it, the story of Camélia Cake Shop and why my branding is so vulgar, haha! I want the experience of buying from me to be memorable. I want it to feel some type of way. I want people to feel like the baddest. I want to speak my truth through my business, and hopefully people resonate with it and carry forward those values in their own way, creating more positivity in the world. Your brand is a story, and most of all it is a relationship. What do you want your customers to feel when buying from you? And you can't fake this. They will know. So give it a lot of thought, because you'll be repping it everywhere and with everything you do. Good luck :)