SWEET TREATS FIND THE SWEET SPOT TO HELP COMPANIES BRAND

With dessert comes happiness, and happiness can breed employee morale get your company noticed. In this episode of the Class E Podcast, we sat down with Stufona Latta, founder and CEO of the desert consulting company, Bake Your Mark. In our conversation, Stufona discusses the need for companies to maintain employee morale and innovative ways to share the company brand. We discuss how her company, Bake Your Mark fulfills both those needs. Stufona also shares how valuable the Greenville Starts program was for her and urges entrepreneurs to immerse themselves into communities of like-minded individuals.

Guest: Stufona Latta

Host: Mary Sturgill

Producer: Isabella Martinez '24

 

TRANSCRIPT:

MARY: Hi, everyone, welcome to the Class E Podcast. I'm your host Mary Sturgill. This is the podcast that's brought to you through a partnership between the Hill Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Communication Studies Department here at Furman University. And this particular episode is part of our Everyday Entrepreneur series in which we talk with graduates of the Greenville Starts program in hopes that us sharing their stories with you will help inspire you to take whatever idea you have and make it into a venture. So today we have a very special sweet guest, Stufona Latta, who is the CEO and sugar maven…

 STUFONA: That’s me.

 MARY: …at Bake Your Mark. Welcome to the show, Stufona.

 STUFONA: Thank you for having me.

 MARY: I love this… the sugar maven.

 STUFONA: That's me.

 MARY: That's what you call yourself?

 STUFONA: It is because I feel like, you know, all things dessert, it's sweet. I'm very knowledgeable. So I'm a maven in it. So, there you go.

 MARY: There you go. So how did you come up with Bake Your Mark and exactly for our viewers and listeners who don't really know what that is, what is your company?

 STUFONA: So Bake Your Mark is a dessert consulting company, primarily business to business. And basically what I'm doing is that I am helping companies bake their mark, increase their branding through desserts.

 MARY: Yeah, I love this. So the types of…give us some indications of the types of folks who come to you and say okay, I want to, I want to bake my mark. And you're really putting their logos on edibles.

 STUFONA: Correct.

 MARY:I should say… clarify edibles…sweets.

 STUFONA: So I had… one company reached out to me. It was a fairly new HR department and they didn't know their employees. And so they said, hey, you know, we just want to have something to go with our chat. We're going to have them come in the break rooms. I was like, okay, what about cookies? They were like okay. So they got their flavors together. And it was called, like, chat with Chris and Shawn.

 MARY: Yeah.

 STUFONA: Get the cookies. They didn't know I was gonna put their logo on it. So I did and they were like, we don't care how this tastes, we're going to use them. I’m like okay. And they had employees that they had the cookies. They had some employees that didn't make the chat, but they would come and say hey, do you have any of those cookies left? We heard about them. And so they were able to engage with employees they otherwise wouldn’t have met just on the fact that we heard that the new HR team had some really good cookies.

 MARY: Right.

 STUFONA: You know, let's kind of check them out. So I think that's how it helps because as far as human resources, fairly new, you are able to engage with employees that you may have missed just because you work a different shift or whatnot.

 MARY: Yeah, so here I am limiting my thinking. I was thinking, oh, this is a great way to reach customers. But it's like you said it's a great way to reach your employees as well. And I would think build loyalty and employee morale.

 STUFONA: Correct.

 MARY: Yeah.

 STUFONA: And that was kind of my thinking behind it…

 MARY: Yeah.

 STUFONA: …is that it's about connection.

 MARY: Yeah.

STUFONA: Whether you're connecting with your employees on a personal level or clients on a personal level, because I do love a branded item. I have all my pens and notebooks that if you really give a dessert, which let's just say you know, they really like brownies, so you give them a brownie with

 MARY: Your logo right there.

 STUFONA: Class E Podcast on there.

 MARY: Yeah.

 STUFONA: And then they're like, oh my gosh, this is so good. I remember when my grandma made these and then it's kind of… they’re tying that food memory in with the podcast and it's just like, oh, that's kind of cool.

 MARY: Yeah, that's so smart.

 STUFONA: Yeah.

 MARY: So I… this is, this can fill another niche in branding, as you say with a company. I mean, they have their pens and their T-shirts and their whatevers… their swag that they give people but we have such strong food memories. I think you're right about that. That if you connect through a food memory, then that kind of solidifies that, that branding even more than a t-shirt or a pen would.

 STUFONA: Exactly.

 MARY: I would think.

 STUFONA: And that was kind of my rationale behind it.

 MARY: Yeah.

 STUFONA: It’s just like if you can tie your brand to a positive memory, that's an instant connection. And then it's kind of like, you know, let's say we want to see which podcast...okay, which university I want to attend.

 MARY: Right, right.

 STUFONA:  Well, Furman did this for me.

 MARY: Yeah.I remember that chocolate chip cookie from the DH.

 STUFONA: And I wasn't even a student there. So what would they do for me as, you know, once I'm enrolled?

 MARY: Right.

 STUFONA: And so that's kind of my thinking behind it.

 MARY: Yeah.

 STUFONA: …is that, you know, if they just do this, just because, what will they actually do once I'm a part of the Furman family?

 MARY: Right.

 STUFONA: And so…

 MARY: I love that. So how long ago did you start baking and how did you discover that you had that passion?

 STUFONA: So, I grew up around baking. Both my mother and father…they always kept something sweet in the house, but I was one that… I had to stay out the kitchen. I couldn’t. I could only lick the beaters afterwards. That was it. That was the extent. And so my mom passed when I was 20. I was a sophomore in college. And I didn't know it, but I think I use it as a way to kind of continue that continuation. 

MARY: Right, that connection to her.

STUFONA: That connection. Correct. And then my father just passed in December. And I found… he was… had this famous apple cake and I found the recipe for it and so…

MARY: Was that the one you brought to us at Greenville Starts?

STUFONA: It’s not. I did bring an apple cake, but it isn’t. Yeah. Nope. That’s not it, it’s a different one. So, it’s just that. It’s like alright, two different apple cakes, but this one reminds me of my father.  

MARY: But that’s that memory that we're talking about too. I mean, that connection. Yeah. So you have the connection to both your parents. And so that kind of… I love that because that's kind of carrying on the traditions of the family, you know?

 STUFONA: Yeah, and it was just their pastime.

 MARY: Right.

 STUFONA: I don’t know if they ever wanted to do it as a career.

 MARY: Right.

 STUFONA: But I was like, hey, you know, I'm good at it and I would bring things to work all the time, like anytime I’d see a recipe, I’d bake it, take it to work and everybody would be like, oh, we would buy that from you. You know, you need to go bake and so that's what I did.

 MARY: So when did you start Bake Your Mark?

 STUFONA: I started Bake Your Mark April of 2020.

 MARY: Oh, wow.

 STUFONA: Right in the midst of the pandemic. Right when no one could go do anything or celebrate with loved ones.

 MARY: Right.

 STUFONA: And so that's kind of how I came up with the individual packaging just to kind of… even know we’re hopefully, you know, out of it… new normal, whatever you want to call it. Still, just as that precaution, I do like to do individual servings and…

 MARY: Individually packaged.

 STUFONA: Right. So, it’s like, okay, who’s hands been on this?

 MARY: That's a good idea. And it makes them, if somebody's at an event or at a workshop or conference or whatever their company is hosting, they can take that and put it in their purse and, you know, have a little snack later.

 STUFONA: Right.

 MARY: So, it continues to kind of put that brand out there. So, Stufona, you used a human resource as an example. You work in human resources so you see the connections with that.

 STUFONA: I do.

 MARY: What other aspects of that particular part of your background have you been able to incorporate into the business?

 STUFONA: That… being in human resources I really was able to see how some employees could feel like they're just a cog in the wheel. You know, you really don't get anything personalized. You have someone that works for your company, let's say 25 years.

 MARY: Yeah.

 STUFONA: They've gotten married, had children, children have grown up, all within that same company. How do you recognize that?

 MARY: Right.

 STUFONA: Like we recognize, you know, years of service and work anniversaries or birthdays, but what do you do for someone whose child has just graduated high school going off to college, and now they're an empty nester all within a timeframe of them working for you.

 MARY: Right. They've lived their whole lives there, their whole adult lives there. Yeah, yeah.

 STUFONA: You know, what company actually says…

 MARY: We appreciate you.

 STUFONA: Yeah, we appreciate you and you know, eat all these brownies on your way to take your child to college.

 MARY: Yes.

 STUFONA: Because we know you're gonna need them.

 MARY: Yeah, exactly. Even little things like that make such a huge difference in making your employees feel like they are valued and they are appreciated.

 STUFONA: And it's not a grand statement.

 MARY: No.

 STUFONA: Because we all know it's just the little things.  

MARY: Exactly.

 STUFONA: You know, thinking of you, again, like my sister passed away while I worked at my previous company, and, you know, of course I only had, you know, condolences, but there really wasn't anything else. And so, for companies that really value or want to show that they value their employees, this is a way for them to do so.

 MARY: In a personal way I think.

 STUFONA: Very personal.

 MARY: Yeah. I love this. I love this. So you were in the first Greenville Starts cohort with me, and we loved being your guinea pigs with all of the recipes that you brought in and stuff. It was so much fun.

 STUFONA: Oh yeah.

 MARY: What were some of the takeaways that you got from that experience that you have now put forth into your business?

 STUFONA: For me, again, it's all about meeting new people.

 MARY: Yeah.

STUFONA: And so we were all you know, different stages of our entrepreneurial journey. We could all keep in touch and I found ways that oh, they can help me, you know, I can use this in the future or really be able to bounce off ideas. And what I realized is kind of forging I guess, the City of Greenville and Furman University. So you have like the educational component, which is what Greenville Starts was doing plus you had the city backing it which means…says to me, you know…

 MARY: They believe in you.

 STUFONA: Yeah, so, I really enjoy that. I really enjoy teams that we had and the people, the speakers that we had. I actually met with...

 MARY: Oh, yeah.

 STUFONA: …recently about a month or so ago.

MARY: Yeah. 

 STUFONA: Just to kind of talk about it. And again, I wouldn't have been introduced to that particular company had I not participated in Greenville Starts.

 MARY: Right.

 STUFONA: So, just kind of learning and getting the knowledge of… these are some things that we need to consider while we're doing business.

 MARY: Right. I completely agree with that. The… such good connections for you because as you're sitting here, I'm always brainstorming, you know, entrepreneurs, we all are and I'm brainstorming, oh, what a great connection for you because of this and this and this, right? And so you never know what… I mean, so obviously, we had the connection number there, you know, with the 26 or 29 people that were in our cohort, but all of the, the professionals in their areas because that's one of the great things that Greenville Starts does is that it brings professionals in, you know, the area of law or the area of marketing or PR and branding and that kind of thing. And because we can't be experts in every single thing. So we got all of those touch points with all of those great speakers and all those great people and connections that we can now take with us and use or say hey, I connect with other people because I look at myself as a connector as well. And I'm like, oh, well, I met this person that would really help you with your mentor.

 STUFONA: Exactly. 

 MARY: And the wider we cast those nets with our connections and our network, the better we all are.

 STUFONA: Exactly. And then for me, I know there's always a lot of talk, especially with tech companies about scaling up, scale up, scale up, sell it off. But what happens is that once the business has been sold… yes, it's good for the owner, but there's no longer an economic impact potentially if they leave Greenville.

 MARY: Right.

 STUFONA: Whereas for me…

 MARY: Which many of them do. When they scale up like that, they do leave Greenville. Yeah.

 STUFONA: For me, I want to be kind of rooted so I always say scale deep. Kind of want to be entrenched…

 MARY: Oh, I like that. Scale deep.

 STUFONA: …in the community.

 MARY: I just got goosebumps.

 STUFONA: So, you know, I want to be entrenched in my community. I am a native of this area so and I've seen the changes and I see the good things.

 MARY: Right.

 STUFONA: And so, again, like I said, company that follows an employee, I want a company to use me for that same thing. I remember when they started up and now they are celebrating their 5 million mark of revenue.

 MARY: Yeah, yeah.

 STUFONA: And we're still here and we're all in this together. And I would love for my product to be a part of that from the start, hey, new employee here you go to, you know, this employee is now the CFO.

 MARY: Right.

 STUFONA: But they started out as an analyst. Anything. So that growth and development within your company, I want to be able to do that and keep it here in Greenville.

 MARY: I love that because most of the time you're right as entrepreneurs, especially in the tech field. It's like let's grow the business, scale it up and then somebody's going to purchase this and we're gonna make a lot of money off of this. And that's their sole goal, which is fine. And that's great. That's amazing for them. And amazing for the, you know, sometimes amazing for the people who work there, if they're well taken care of in that transition. But you're right, oftentimes those companies do then leave and take because they're part of a larger company now, they're headquartered now in Nebraska, or wherever, or Silicon Valley or whatever. And so I think what you said about scaling deep is so important as well, and I think that many of us need to take another look at that, right? So it's not just about scaling up, it's about keeping our roots here.

 STUFONA: Exactly.

 MARY: But, but growing as much as we can. And then of course, I mean, you could be nationwide because you can ship and you can do whatever so it's, it’s you can scale…

 STUFONA: But I’m still paying these South Carolina taxes.

 MARY: Exactly. Exactly. But… and that's something that you learn about in Greenville Starts is when you have to do these things.

 STUFONA: Yes.

 MARY: But the potential for that is, is still there as well. Right? And you could franchise and there are multiple ways that you could scale up it while still staying deep, but I think that's what, as entrepreneurs, we look at and we recognize, right?

 STUFONA: That’s it.

 MARY: What is a piece of advice that you have for someone who thinks they have a good idea but they haven't taken that step yet, or maybe they've started and they… now they're stuck and they just don't know where to go from here?

 STUFONA: My first piece of advice would be for them to get out of their own way. Because really, that's what stops us…

 MARY: That’s so true.

 STUFONA: Our fear, our just whatever, like we feel like inadequacy or anything, but there is someone to buy everything.

 MARY: Right.

 STUFONA: And you can say man, why didn't I think of that banana slicer?

 MARY: Yeah.

 STUFONA: Even if it’s just a gag gift,

 MARY: Right and I mean, so many people love gadgets, especially so I would buy a banana slicer.

 STUFONA: And then the second piece would be, again to find a program such as Greenville Starts to participate in to see that you're not alone. Like yes, you may have this particular endeavor that's different from everyone else, but you're pretty much gonna find people that are in the same starting places.

 MARY: Yeah.

 STUFONA: And so even though you may be out in left field, you're all playing baseball.

 MARY: Exactly.

 STUFONA: It’s a team.

 MARY: And it takes, it takes everybody to create that ecosystem and create that team. Because I mean, I learned so much from everybody in that class, and just about different…even our businesses were totally different. There are certain things that you can take obviously and apply to your own business, even if it's totally like we had a bunch of really cool tech guys in our, in our cohort that I sat and talked with, and I learned a lot and I was like, okay, I can, I can take that idea and apply it to mine.

 STUFONA: We all need to protect our brand.

 MARY: Yep.

 STUFONA: So, you know, we all have to make sure we're following the right rules and regulations and filing our taxes or whatnot.

 MARY: Right.

 STUFONA: Making sure we have the proper registration. So, you know, there are basic tenets that we all have to follow regardless of what we're actually pursuing.

 MARY: Right. 100% 100% So Stufona, what's next for you and Bake Your Mark?

 STUFONA: So, I'm out at Travelers Rest Farmers Market through October and I really love going out there because first of all, it’s… but I really enjoy meeting the individual people and each week I kind of design a different menu. And so that helps me see what sells, what doesn’t…

 MARY: Oh yeah. You’re doing market research.

 STUFONA: Right.

 MARY: Love it. Yeah.

 STUFONA: Right. And then as far as company wide, it's just helping companies get that loyalty and that recognition for their brand and then also doing the same for myself. So kind of trying to do a little market strategies to see, you know, what will be the best avenue for me to do that.

 MARY: Yeah. So if someone wants to hire you to brand some things, some items, some really delicious dessert items for their company, how do they get in touch with you?

 STUFONA: They can submit a request via my website www.bakeyourmark.com and then I'm also on Instagram @bake.your.mark. So, those would be the two best ways… to shoot me a DM.

 MARY: Or go talk to her at the Travelers Rest Farmers Market.

 STUFONA: Oh yeah. Talk to me there.

 MARY: Because you might walk away with some things. I guarantee it. Stufona, thank you so much for joining us.

 STUFONA: Of course. Thanks for having me.

 MARY: Oh, you have a special offer for anybody who listens to the broadcast.

 STUFONA: That’s right.

 MARY: Yeah, let’s talk about that.

 STUFONA: Anyone that wants to try me out, which I don't know why you wouldn't, but okay.

 MARY: I don’t know either because it’s good.

 STUFONA: You can get 10% off your first order. Just mention that you heard about me on Class E.

 MARY: Alright, perfect. So make sure that you mention to her when you talk to her that you heard about her company, Bake Your Mark, on the Class E Podcast and you get 10% off your first order. That's a great little discount there. Stufona, thank you so much.

 

STUFONA: Thank you.

 

MARY: All right, everyone. That does it for this episode of the Class E Podcast. I'm your host Mary Sturgilll. Remember, this is the podcast that's brought to you through a partnership between the Hill Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Furman University and the Communication Studies department. It is produced by two student producers, Kayla Patterson and Eliza Polich. This is a true example of the Furman Advantage because these students do everything it takes to put on this podcast including the marketing and promotion for it. The other thing I want to remind you is that you, if you want to join the Greenville Starts program, all you have to do is Google Greenville Starts and Furman and it should be the very first thing that pops up when you do that. And check to see… the cohort may be full but you can get yourself on a list for the very next cohort because this is an ongoing thing. So make sure that you or if you have friends or family members who have a great idea, push them to do that because they will not regret it. Alright, that does it for this episode of the Class E Podcast. Again I'm your host Mary Sturgill. Dream big everybody.