Bold Mom: Kerri of CherryChip

Bold Mom Kerri Keberly is the woman behind the apron at CherryChip. Kerri’s a full-time writer, wife, mother and also team member of her family-owned photography business. Frew! I get tired just thinking about what her schedule must be like! I’ve asked Kerri to describe her experiences in being a bold mom and business owner.

Enjoy!

Bold Mom: Kerri of CherryChip

Baker | Married | Mother of a 3yo | Farmington, Michigan

The Big Idea:

Before my son was born, I was really into knitting, sewing and crafting, so CherryChip.com was actually a craft blog at first. I sold tote bags and personalized pet frames. I enjoyed doing all of those things, but my interest seemed to fizzle after about a year. I really wanted to do something that I was passionate–and stayed passionate–about, but I couldn’t seem to find that right something. Until I baked and decorated a cake for my son’s first birthday. He was born on Labor Day, so I thought it only fitting to have a patriotic themed party, complete with an Uncle Sam cake. I was proud of the result, and got so many compliments, I started thinking about using CherryChip to showcase my adventures in baking instead.

The Biggest Fear:

The biggest fear I have is that someone will be disappointed with their order. Like, they’ll open the box and say, “Oh, that’s the best you could do?” Of course, no one has ever said that–even if they were disappointed–which I am thankful for, because one of the best parts of this business for me is seeing people’s smiling faces when they come pick up their treats.

The Biggest Challenge(s):

One of the biggest challenges running CherryChip is balancing time between the blog, my full time job and being a wife and mom. To get everything done that I need to get done, I pretty much schedule my life out a month ahead of time, at least. Some people can’t work that way, but for me, it’s the only way I can manage. My husband and I also have a family photography business, so making sure I know exactly what is on each day’s agenda is critical. My husband and business partners all use Google Calendars. We’ve synched them up to each other so we can see everyone’s got going on… right down to our appointments. I schedule when all my orders are due on the calendar, which I reference multiple times a day. I also send myself alerts on my iPhone.

The Biggest Joy:

The thing that brings me the most joy is the look on someone’s face when they get to see what I’ve created for them. A lot of times, they give me and idea of what they want and I run with it. I love it when they are delighted with the result. A close second is when I actually get to be there when they taste it. Oh, how it makes me giddy when they tell me it tastes as good as it looks!

Recent Boldness:

Last May, a local event planner approached me to see if I was interested in contributing to a wedding “inspiration board” photo shoot she was coordinating. She had heard about CherryChip via a friend of mine who passed along my info (Thanks, Robyn!). She was planning to submit the inspiration board to Style Me Pretty, a popular wedding blog, so I jumped at the chance, of course, because, wow, Style Me Pretty? What an opportunity! And what a great way to network and meet other people who share a similar passion. So we all met one beautiful Sunday morning, talents in tow, and made it happen. The results landed us on Style Me Pretty a few weeks later. Although it wasn’t a paying job and I had to find the time to squeeze out a cake and a dozen cupcakes, I am so glad I was bold enough to do it. It’s something I am really proud of, and hope to do more of in the future!

Thanks, Kerri! If you haven’t seen Kerri’s blog yet, go check it out.

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