From Cupcakes to Vending Machines: Marketing & Growing a Local Brand with Michelle Wainwright

Cute as a cupcake has grown beyond a traditional bakery model. Today, the business reaches customers throughout its storefront, events, a food truck, and now vending machines. I wanna dig into how Michelle Wainwright built the company, what she's learned about marketing a local food brand, and why she keeps looking for new ways to put the product in front of customers. Welcome to mastering local marketing, Michelle. Welcome. - Thank you, thank for having me. - So I've got a few questions we're gonna run through today. You are just to kind of do an introduction. You are the owner of Cute as a Cupcake, and we'll get into kind of what it is here as we go forward, but you're also our digital marketing competition client, this semester. Students across the world are working on the case study that we put together for you, but let's jump into some of these questions. Take us back to the beginning. How did Cute as a Cupcake get started, and what did the business look like in those early days? - Yeah, so we actually started the business because I was in the pharmaceutical industry and I got laid off, and one of the things that we did in order to guard our time with the physician was to feed them. And so I would do a lot of purchasing of food, and I would come across different shops that really were appealing to me. And I said, when I retire, I'm gonna have my own little dessert shop, where we could have coffee and fellowship, and all that good stuff. Well, I didn't know retirement was gonna come, so early for me, because when I was laid off, I was like, well, you know what, I'll just go ahead and keep it going, and start the business. So at that time, trying to create a brand from scratch, no one knew about, I started participating in vendor fairs and farmer's markets, because that was already its own established area, its own clientele was there. So my thing was just for you to be able to taste the product. That's what I was trying to achieve. And then from there, finding that to be successful, we went into our local mall at the time, and this was in 2015, really before the craze of online shopping. So that was a good showing for us. And then in 2016, we decided to open a brick and mortar location, and that's currently where I sit. So with that, we were able to identify different channels throughout the years, which also included the mobile opportunities that we have. And then it wasn't really until COVID hit, that we had to go back to the cupcake in a jar, and then that gave us the, where we thought like, oh my gosh, we can ship this. This is now a new channel for us that we never imagined, never even dripped up. We had a website, but the website was basically just to have. So if you saw, needed a web footprint, if you will, we had it. But through that, we learned as we went, how to ship the jars were initially in glass. You know, we transitioned to plastic, but to take you back a little bit, this is kind of where we stand, that one, that timing of 2020 showed us that we could build our footprint beyond Marable Indiana. And then later, we started being able to take advantage of wholesale opportunities, as well as automated retail opportunities. So all of that really came about from that pivotal time, what was happening in the world, where we were able to create different channels for our business. - So, you know, as the company grew, what has been your biggest marketing struggle? - Mmm, biggest and continual. I think sometimes it's the trust factor of the ROI that you can get from marketing, because everybody says that you can get this, you can get that. But I also think a lot of that falls upon me too of just recognizing who our customer is. Because many times I'm like, we're everybody's customer, right? And you just can't do that. But I think through the years, we've been able to kind of hone in what do our books of business look like? And then now, where do we play? And I don't think I have had that clarity, because again, I wanted to be all things to all people. But kind of realizing that in the last couple years, I think if knowing that is part of the issue, but then what do you create for that? So we're looking to build more relationships wholesale, we're looking to build corporate gifting. Who is that? What does it look like? How does it translate? Does it translate in the website? This is who our customer is. But then you don't want to not be, so and else is customer, but you just realize through business, this is your customer, this is who you go at, who never else that comes around is great, but that's where you need to kind of focus your effort. And I have never done that, never done that. - Yeah, I was just having a conversation before we jumped on with a client of mine and they were talking about, understand, you know, they've got a new client with it's a creative agency. And they've got a new client. And as they're going through and they're asking those questions about who the customer is and who do you want to go after? It was clear that they were having this conversation that they had their best customer, but they were going after a much less profitable customer. And I always, I was kind of joking with them. I go, why is it always the clients, the companies, they're always asking, you know, well, how do we sell to this customer instead of our best customers? And you know, you're saying basically you just got to understand and it's the same thing. I was saying is you got to understand who your best customers are and find more of them. I think that's the value that we have to look at because it's so much harder to be, you know, to find everybody being a customer, it just doesn't work that way. - No, but to just have that instinct they are. - I want to be everybody, but you can't. - Yeah, exactly. So what marketing tactic or strategy has worked better than expected? So something that you went in thinking, oh, this isn't going to work, but it actually kind of became, you know, worth it in the long run. I would say honestly, word of mouth. - Okay. - It has been believed or not. And that's how we've been progressing in the different ways of organizations finding us. Again, because I haven't done anything that has been so well designed and executed. We've done Google ads or Facebook ads, things like that nature. I will do marketing blast. We have our funnel set up, but we've never done anything that's had intention, right? So to answer the question, I would say really the word of mouth has been just like, wait a minute, how'd you find us? Okay, that's awesome. - So follow up on that. Do you have some kind of like brand ambassador or an ability for your customers to share information of you developed anything like that? And if you haven't, okay, it's interesting, right? So we've done a few episodes. Yeah, we've done a few episodes through the last few years about how to like get your customers to be the spooked person for you and get them out there. So yeah, no, definitely really great opportunity. One thing I find interesting about CUDA's a cupcake is how many different ways customers can buy from you. You have the store, the events, the food truck, and now vending machines. How intentional has that distribution strategy been? Or is it just we're kind of identifying new opportunities as we go? - I would say identifying as we've gone. So when you started with the brick and mortar, then understanding like, oh, I want to do a food truck. So we did that because I kind of, that's a vertical that fit. And then being able then to transition to like automated retail, like where did that come from? How did that come about? And it really did because I saw a product farmer fridge with the salad in the jar, and I remember reaching out to the organization. And like, you know, can our product go in your machine? They call it fridges. And it couldn't, which I understood because they're primarily like their desserts or like the chia seed puddings and things like that. So it's like, I'm going to do that myself. And so that's how that came about. So the different channels have not necessarily been quote unquote intentional. They have been somewhat as a result of an experience or a happening that came about. And then trying to take that and make sure that, okay, this is a vertical that we can do. It does make sense, and I just do some random out off the wall, but having the mobile created brand awareness, right? We're out in the area. People are purchasing the cupcakes. That's a way to tell them we have a storefront. And then being able now to have the bending, that kind of takes us a little bit away from the store and just gives it like all encompassing brand exposure. So that's kind of how the decisions were made. - Okay, so farmer's fridge was, that's how you got into it. That was the, you saw them out there. You said, I want to do something like that. Can you walk us through the process? 'Cause you've created your own bending machines at this point, right? Can you walk our listeners through how that process went, what is all entailed with that? I mean, when we may have listeners out there that have other products that are not necessarily cupcakes, but other products that they're like, oh, I would love to have my own bending machines. Like, what does that process look like? - Yeah, so for me, it's just leveraging the internet in the beginning, just looking for companies that produce them, right? You looking for someone specifically, domestically, but you can always go overseas to get it. A lot of the places were in California, you know? And early on, it's like, wow, that's a great expense. You know, so you set your mind like, this is gonna be really, really expensive to do. But never gave up from, I would probably say it took me about a year really to find the person where the company and the company is IBS, which is out of Ohio. So it was really great because it was another small business that I worked with. So small as far as how they're defined, but they do big, big activations with bending machines. So they're well known for preparing or creating their bending machines. So it just happened to work out that I just called and then we started creating a relationship. Josh was my salesperson at the time. time and just sharing what my needs were, what I was doing, and they, again, have worked with big brands and refrigeration was required, so it was really just sharing with them what I was wanting and then them creating it. And I remember just getting different pictures and so forth as they were moving through the progression. It was just amazing to see from them actually bending the jar to wrapping the machine and like it actually came alive, you know. But during the research, it was just really trying to understand what did I need, how big did I want the machine, what kind of capacity did I want the machine to have to be able to dispense the jars, what kind of conveyor system was going to be in the machine. You know, you see now machines are set up or not even necessary machines, you just tap your car and you can open the door and have access to everything that's in the automated retail. But ours is one that has a conveyor belt and that dispenses the jar and then you're able to use your credit card to make the purchase. So just understanding things like that too, from iCloud technology, you want to be able to see what's happening with your machine, even though you're not in front of it, you want to know what item is out of stock. You want to know if there's an issue with the machine, you know, having that as great and then a good credit card company that we can partner with that doesn't have astronomical fees, but they also have good infrastructure. So that way we all are collectively working together. Because even though you see one machine, there's like three different companies that are involved in that one machine, but it's been good. Okay. So I know you've, you're a number cruncher. I get it. You've been in business long enough. So you've looked at, you know, obviously you have a couple food trucks. You have the event. What do we want to call that? I don't want to call it bubble experience, right? And then you have the bending machines. When you looked into that and you look at market potential, and I know we've had this conversation in the past, what led you down that path on the bending machines? Like, is there, were you crunching numbers and going, man, this would be amazing if I could put it into all of these locations? And it's like, what was the driving factor that you uncovered as you were going through that process? Yeah. So I have to be honest and transparent. It really didn't come down to a number issue. It came down to when COVID hit. And it was able to understand because prior to COVID, I was like, I want many stores, you know, I even want to franchise these stores. But when COVID hit, it really showed that things can come to a hit. It can stop. And then looking at ways that we could still build a brand, but didn't have to build it by having multiple locations. We could still have multiple locations, but it would be in an automated retail sense. So that's really how the passion came from behind that because I was able to see now a COVID kind of slammed my dream of being able to have so many stores and seeing what could happen, but didn't kill in a sense where I couldn't still think like creatively and with innovation. So that's really how that came about. So really, that's the end goal. I would love to see those machines placed all throughout the country, you know, and there's a business model that currently exists. And that's where I would love to be able to see. So I can still accomplish having multiple locations, given people access to the brand, but not do it in the traditional sense, which includes a brick and mortar location. Yeah, no, and you know, obviously with brick and mortar, there's tons of costs that go into that versus, you know, something as simple as that simple, but something as simple as an easier, easier, right? Yeah, when when you look three to five years ahead, what is cute as a cupcake become continually to develop into a specialty dessert company where we are known for our cupcakes in a jar and whether that is in the automated vending space or in the wholesale space, my belief is a life without cupcakes is a life without love. And so in order to achieve that is given it, getting it in your hand, and which channels can we take advantage of in the next three to five years to further achieve that goal to make sure everybody's experience in the love and the love through our cupcakes. That's what I will be. That's what my dream or my vision of what the next three to five years look like. It's having access to the brand that goals beyond our brick and mortar location. From a marketing perspective, is there something out there that you wish you understood better to help you kind of promote your business and promote, you know, and again, we're talking a lot about the vending machine. Is there something out there that you just wish you could understand you could we talked about, you know, Facebook, we talked about Google and kind of putting money into it and whether or not the return is there is there something that you just wish you could understand that you wish you could put just put it on auto. I think branding and marketing have to kind of go together, right? And that has been one of the one of our challenges of not being clear, I think, with the brand having a compelling story that the story doesn't have to be told by me in order for it to be received. You know, I think visually, we've missed some things as well. If I think about autopilot, it's just really making sure that I had clear branding and marketing to where people understood the brand and it resonated with them. And that's why I feel like it's just it's everywhere. You know, who really gets it? And sometimes having multiple channels is a blessing and a curse, right? Because you feel like you could be again, everything to all different kinds of people or different customers. But then you lose the capability of being able to kind of hone in on something and know what you are for, you know, whether you look at the bigger brands, whether it's the bullseye from Target or the Golden Arches from Downs or even the Green Straw from Starbucks, right? That's intentional branding that we just never had. Yeah. So is there anything in marketing that or just in business that you've done in the past years? Like I will never ever do that again. I don't think so. Nothing ever. I don't really live with open a second location. Yeah. That's not what I would never do again. Okay. Okay. Fair enough, right? Yeah. For another local business owner, listening who wants to grow, but feel stuck doing business the same way they always have. What would you tell them? Focus on what you do well. Do well at that and stick with that and move it through. Like live it, breathe it, develop it. You know, don't get so caught up on believing that you need to have number of different things. You know, if it if it's one, take it, develop it, live it, breathe it, see it all the way through. That's what I would tell somebody of that. Well, as somebody that has eaten your cupcake in a jar, they are delicious. And I don't eat sweets that often. So I could say that honestly, it was, it was outstanding. My family loved it. Also, people, where can people find more information on you? Yeah. Absolutely. You can visit our website, it's Qtask3.com. And you can also follow us on our different social platforms, which include Instagram, Tate Talk, and Facebook and that handle simply Qtask3. Thanks for joining me today. Thank you for having me. Right. Thank you to everyone that's listening and make sure to follow us on your favorite podcast streaming devices. And we will see you next time.