Aberdeem, founder of Street Sweets, finds absolute joy in every creation.
By Aberdeem, Photo courtesy of Aberdeem
It’s a beautiful thing when career and passion come together!
Following your passion is something that many dream of, but actually making it happen is another story. What I want women to know is that it never gets easier. You only get better at handling the difficulties that running a business and fulfilling your passion throw at you. But if you fully invest in it, everything will flow easily.
For me, baking is the easy part, but what I have come to realize is managing and administration are difficult. It’s easy to get lost in this world of baking; from the marketing to social media to the baking itself, it never ends. There are, of course, a lot of hardships you go through alone, and people may never realize what goes into getting that cake in a box delivered to the customer. From the preparation to the execution to the different comments and responses I get from different customers, positive or negative, the stress is real.
However, I try not to let it consume me or get me down. Because it’s true what they say: When you love what you do so much, it doesn’t feel like a job. It feels bigger than that. Baking a cake for special occasions—birthdays, anniversaries, holidays—there are strong emotions that go into that special dessert I make. I absolutely love every minute of it, good or bad. I get to play around with ingredients and come up with creations for the customer. People are happy with what I do; that joy of seeing them take the first bite is amazing!
I find pure happiness in feeding others, my friends, my family, my community. Baking is not just a hobby or a career for me, but a call to a higher purpose in life. It’s a big manifestation of what I feel I’m supposed to be doing on this earth while I’m on it. I don’t want to live another minute not chasing this path. This dream that”s been engraved in my soul since I lost my father. Because of him, I found what I am meant to do in this world; I am so thankful.
I may have lost my father, but my family has been so supportive. I’m so blessed to have them in my corner. Especially my mother, who does not like cooking at all, but she believes in me. Mother is my biggest fan and helps me with great advice, prayers and the decorations that go into my business. Everything you see that I make and everything that my hands get to the customer is who I am 100%.
I put my soul into every single detail of my pieces, and I firmly believe that the love I feel for what I do somehow flows through my desserts. Today more than ever, I reaffirm how lucky I am to be able to live out my great passion. I will do anything in my power to achieve this dream we both had and make it come true. After so many years in this industry, I feel as if I’ve found my niche, and it fills my heart and soul with absolute joy. My advice to all women out there, entrepreneurs or not, is whatever you decide to put your heart into, go into it full-heartedly. The beautiful journey is yours and yours alone; trust yourself, your product and your journey. Enjoy and learn every step of the way, the good days and otherwise.
Be ready for the biggest leap of faith of your life, the long hours, the sleepless nights, the mistakes and the triumphs. You can only keep getting better. The important thing is to take your time, have dedication for your craft and overcome any obstacle thrown at you, even if all odds are against you. Learn from every mistake, and let them motivate you to do better. Some days you may question if it’s all worth it, but if you have that fire, that passion, that dream you want to fulfill, let that be your motivation and drive to keep pushing through. Follow your dreams and they will become bigger and bigger. And, ladies, never give up!