“You can’t make cheesecakes.”
Those were the words that Theresa heard when the subject of making cheesecake came up between her and her boyfriend. Instead of bowing down and accepting defeat, she rose and stood up to the challenge.
“He challenged me to a recipe I had found. Once I started, I had to perfect it, so I made it a million times until it was perfect,” Theresa said.
Once she perfected the art of making cheesecake, Theresa started making them for her regular bartending customers. She went on to give them to her friends and family, all of whom were more than happy to pay her.
Once covid hit, her bar was forced to shut its doors. But as an entrepreneur, Theresa wasn’t going to sit around and wait for things to open back up.
“I started making the switch over to a business once covid hit and I had lost my job. If I don’t try to do this now, I’ll never do it because now I have the opportunity,” she said.
Theresa took her stimulus check and every bit of grit and determination, and with the help of her grandfather who offered her the space to make cheesecakes, she went live with the business in November 2020.
And it took off.
The Community
Buy this time, members in the community were already aware of her delicious cheesecakes and wanted a piece of the action, literally.
She hit the ground running and started pumping out large 10” cakes, which sold quickly.
But it wasn’t long before she hit her first major obstacle.
“I was getting ready for the Christmas round, and I actually caught Covid. I had about 35-40 cheesecakes that I threw away. I ruined about 20 people’s Christmas’ because they didn’t have their cheesecakes,” Theresa said.
With the same determination and entrepreneurialism she displayed in the beginning, she went back to the drawing board to come up with a new strategy.
Theresa developed the individual sized cheesecake, which were more convenient for customers and easier to sell. In just two months’ time, she increased production 400%!
Theresa now feels she has the answers to her previous struggles. She found a passion in making and selling cheesecakes, has more control of her life and is much happier. And now she wants other women to follow their paths to happiness.
“I encourage other women to do the same and just find that love and be able to make a living on it.”
Sound advice.
For more information, check out their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TeresaSharpesCheesecakes/
Have you read about this other Great American Woman, model/artist Renee Mattos? Check out her video, it’s a must see!
Who is Trudy Jacobson?
Trudy is an entrepreneur and leader. Her path to success and entrepreneurialism started in the trucking industry decades ago. She encountered numerous obstacles in the male-dominated industry- like discrimination. She was even conned out of a lot of money in a fraudulent scheme. Despite all that, Trudy always fought hard and pushed forward. Once she realized she was capable of anything, she went on to start her own company and excelled. Now she empowers other women to do the same and to learn from her experience. Trudy now highlights their stories for the world to see in the Great American Women Series. Trudy wants women everywhere to know they can achieve their goals.