Meet Karen Cacho | Creative Baker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Karen Cacho and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Karen, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
My business started as a side hustle to supplement my part time retail job while I was in college. I would create desserts at the end of the week and pull an all nighter to have it completed in time. Fast forward to today, I am blessed with a full time job, a supportive husband and two beautiful and energetic kids. Having kids greatly changed the time I spend on my business. I quickly had to learn to manage my time more efficiently. My kids taught me that time is precious and with a blink of an eye, moments can pass you by. Any time spent working on my business is time away from my family or time away from having a good night’s rest to have the energy to keep up with them during the day. Balancing a full time job, two kids, maintaining a healthy relationship with my husband and managing my own business takes perseverance and dedication. But if you enjoy what you do, you will always find ways to make it work. Creating customized desserts allows me to tune in to my artistic side and let go of life’s responsibilities for even just a moment and seeing the faces of my clients’ reactions when I deliver the customized sweets makes it even more rewarding. Kayesimplybakes has become my me-time which I think is key in keeping my sanity as it helps to uplift and revitalize my inner being to do better in all the other things I need to juggle in life.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Kayesimplybakes creates customized desserts to fit any celebration. We specialize in cakes and cake pops to match any theme, not only are they the show stopper at the dessert table, they also taste great too! Each dessert is made with high quality ingredients and with great attention to detail. We take pride in making our dessert be part of the celebration by making it more personal and uniquely yours. Transitioning my hobby into a business was not done overnight. I invested a lot of time and effort in figuring out how to legally become and run a successful business. I applied everything I learned from my research online and in the classes I took to figure out what worked best for me and my business. As an entrepreneur, you not only have to come up with the product, but you also have to be able to manage the finance, legality, branding, web designing, advertising, networking, and the social media aspect of it all. That’s a lot of hats to wear, and some are not as fun as the others, but it all has to be done. Setting weekly goals, no matter how big or how small, helped me get things done. I had to constantly remind myself to stop putting things aside to do at a later time and just cross things off the list now. Another thing I learned throughout the years is to make friends and to not compete with others because everyone has their own story. Today, I am proud of what I have accomplished and how much I have grown as a baker and business owner.

Baking and decorating was only a hobby for me, I did not think it was something I would love and strive to make a business out of one day. I had grown up with the idea that being successful meant meeting everyone’s expectation to be some type of a profession. But sometimes things don’t always work out the way we envision them to be, and that’s ok. Life happens, and it all happens for the best reasons.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
When in San Diego, you have to visit the beaches and experience the variety of cuisines. We have everything from authentic Filipino, Mexican, Korean, Japanese, Italian, Brazilian, Indian, and vegetarian food all within a few miles away. A few of my favorites, are Tacos el Gordo, Taeguki, Italianissmo Trattoria, and Rei Do Gado. No matter what the season, our San Diego weather makes it perfect to visit Seaport Village, the waterfront or the beaches. We also have a bunch of hiking spots for all level of hikers and the best part after coming down from a relaxing hike is grabbing breakfast at a local restaurant.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to thank my family for volunteering whenever I’ve taken just a little more than I can manage during my earlier years and especially to my late father and brother who appreciated and supported the art of my work. Thank you to all my new and returning clients for their trust in having me be a part of their celebration. Last but not the least, thank you to my husband that has always been very supportive and never tires in encouraging me to push forward and in believing in me 110%.

Website: www.kayesimplybakes.com

Instagram: kayesimplybakes

Facebook: kayesimplybakes

Other: kayesimplybakes@gmail.com Also on Google Business