Ep. 73 The Best of Boston with Lizzie Johnson

I'm Lacey Jones with Elevate the Individual. Episode 73 the Best of Boston with Lizzie Johnson I feel like with each new guest, I cannot wait to share their stories and their energy with you all, and they're just so uplifting. And as I stop and think on that, I can't help but wonder if that's a byproduct of going after something you feel passionate about and this whole creation process. So learning from someone who's dedicated their time and energy and talents and well being to their specific gifts and light is just so inspiring. So, yes, I cannot wait to share today's guest with you. Lizzie Johnson is the owner of Lizzie's Bakery, which is a premier Boston based bakery say that ten times fast. Specializing in custom cakes and desserts. And Lizzie's Bakery has been voted the Best of Boston Wedding Cakes in 2021 and 2023 and also seen on the Food Network. So with that, welcome to the podcast, Lizzie.

Thanks, Lacey. I'm excited to be here.

I'm so glad you're here. Before we dig in, though, I want you to talk to me about these Best of Boston awards. That is just amazing. So how did those kind of come know besides having the best cakes in Boston?

Yeah. So I'm not from Boston. My husband and I moved here from the West Coast. I'm from Vegas. We met at school at Uru in Utah. And so when his company sent us to Boston, we kind of knew no one here besides maybe one or two people. And when I won Best of Boston Wedding Cakes in 2021, it was during the Pandemic, someone had reached out to me through Boston Magazine that's the company that awards all these prizes or awards all these Best of Boston winners, and someone had emailed me to interview me for how I'm pivoting during the Pandemic. I did an interview with them, thinking nothing of it, sent some pictures to them. And then when they announced Best of Boston 2021 winners, I was actually in California on vacation with our family, and everyone kept tagging me on Instagram about this Best of Boston win. And I'm like, what is going? Like, what is this thing? And why is this such a big know? Because I'm not from don't know. I didn't know the know. Yeah, I didn't know the history behind it and how big it is to win. And so I was getting tagged, and I was like, wow, this is so crazy. Like I'm the best of Austin for wedding cakes. And after that, when they posted an article about who won, and then I guess a lot of people, surprisingly, which now I know people read Boston Magazine a ton, and people trust it. And so when someone's looking at the Boston Magazine, like weddings edition or looking online, they see who won, and then that's who they reach out to for their vendors. And so after I won, I put in my wedding inquiry form, like, how did you find out about me? And most of my inquiries were coming from Best of Boston. And so I went from 15 weddings maybe in 2020, 2021 before that, just like ten to 15 wedings a year to in 2022, I did 60 weddings. That's amazing. Yeah, it's crazy. And it was because of that Best of Boston win. And then I just kept making connections with the wedding vendors in the Boston area, doing things for Boston Magazine, whether it was like an event with them or something, just to keep me on the radar. Then my other good friend won in 2022, which was great. And then in 2023, someone had reached out to me from Boss Magazine again, asking for pictures of real wedding cakes that I've done so that they could post or make an article about it, not knowing that that was actually the picture they were going to use for the 2023 announcement.

Oh, I love it.

Surprise. And I think just like, being consistent and working with them and connecting with them and just doing the things I love to.

And like totally unassuming, right? Like you're like, I'm in California, I'm on vacation, getting these tags, not really realizing the grandness of what's going on, and so just so genuine behind it. And then also the strategy too, and the smart business sense of keeping those connections and those friendships. Know all of that going as you continue to develop that relationship with so that's I don't know, I love stories like that. That's awesome. And so you mentioned that you and your husband moved out to Boston a couple of years ago. Let's introduce yourself and your family and that side of it.

Yeah. So we moved to Boston September 2017. So six years ago and we moved from Los Angeles. We met in Utah after I graduated, my husband was still an undergrad at BYU and I had moved back to Utah. I was doing internships before I moved to Utah. I was doing internships in New York and Boston, and I graduated in BYU's advertising program. So that was like my dream was to be a big advertising girl in the big city in a big where when I interned at the places I did in New York and Boston, it was great. I loved it so much. And then I moved back to Utah to take a job in digital marketing influencer marketing. That's when it was like up and coming. Back in 2014, no one really knew social media influencers. They knew about bloggers, but everyone trying to be a social media influencer was all new back then.

Okay?

And that was like, my job that I took after those internships. And then that's when I started dating my husband. And then a year later we got married and he had one more year of school left. So we were doing the undergrad bureau live together. Well, I was trying to make the money, and he was doing undergrad. And then our goal was to always move out of Utah. We never wanted to stay in Utah unless we had to. And I had gone laid off at my job that I was working at. This was another job after the first job I worked at. So I was a social media coordinator at this B to B company. And it was just the most boringest job in the world. I don't know how I worked there for a whole year because I was like, what did I even do? And so I was so bored of this job that two years before or two weeks before I got laid off, I was like, I'm going to get into cakes. I'm so bored. I need a creative outlet. And so that's when I started going on Pinterest and looking at cake recipes and cake videos on YouTube. And then finally just making the jump to actually buy the cake supplies and decorating supplies and cake ingredients. And then fast forward two weeks later, I get laid off. And so when I get laid off, I'm like, what do I do? I've always had a job since I was 16. My husband's still in school. We can't really afford anything. And so my husband, he was like it was just a weird period in our lives. It was March when I got laid off. He graduates in April.

Yeah.

I'm like, Do I get a new job? We don't want to stay here. And so my husband's like, Just relax. Do whatever you want. You never really relaxed, ever. You always can go to go. And so I was like, okay. And so then that's when I started just baking and nannying on the side. And I remember baking my first cake and selling it to a friend for $20. That's where Lizzie's Bakery was born. But fast forward to now. We have two boys. They're two and a half and four and a half, and we live in a town called Acton, Massachusetts, which is about 45 minutes outside of Boston. Yeah, we just have been hustling.

Well, and I love it that there's a couple of things that you said in there, is that you needed this creative outlet and that you had a job in the social media industry, but you just were kind of bored at that job, and so you were seeking that creative outlet. And then from that, this whole thing was born. And I love that your husband's like, okay, just relax. And I'm like, that was probably the last time you relaxed, because growing and developing a business to your caliber is not always the most relaxing thing. But I love that it was a need for creativity. And so have you always been creative, or how does that play in to all of this? Because your kids are amazing. They are works of art.

Yeah. So I never thought I was creative. I was in the advertising program at BYU. And in the advertising program, there's two tracks. There's the business track and there's the creative track. I was in the business track because the creative track was really hard to apply to. They only took a certain amount of people, just a handful of people every year. So I was like, I'm just going to do the business side because I do love the networking, making relationships, like that business side of things. And so I applied for the business track of advertising. And that was my thing, was I was an account manager. That was my track to graduate, and that was going to be my job if I were going to do so. But I did love to bake, surprisingly, in college, because when I grew up, I grew up in Vegas, I honestly never really had desserts. I never baked with my mom. She only cooked Chinese food, and we just never had sweets because back then where she grew up in China, they never even had sugar anyways. And so it never got brought into our home.

Okay?

And so it wasn't until I got to BYU was when I started throwing dessert parties with my roommates. We went to a very conservative school where you can't drink, you can't have crazy parties. So we would just bake and have dessert parties with our neighbors and anyone that would come to our apartment. And Pinterest was getting popular. This was 2012, and so we wanted to take things from Pinterest and recreate it, whether it was like owl looking cupcakes or different little desserts. And it was only like little desserts, like cookies, brownies cupcakes, nothing. Like, I never made a cake until I graduated college, so I always did like little desserts. And so, yeah, I've always loved baking since going to college. And then I just kind of stopped when I was focused on advertising and then it came back again.

Oh, I love it. And what's kind of fun is that? You were in an environment where maybe there were some restrictions of like, okay, you can't do this camp party, don't go after alcohol, that sort of thing. But what that allowed you to do is use the creative side of your brain and say, okay, well, what can we do for fun? And how can we still make the community and connections and all of that? And really, I don't know, experimenting with those options. And so it's fun to see how that weaves in to the foundation of what you're doing. And as you continue to grow and develop, there's always fears and uncertainties and unknowns that come in. But how do you overcome that? Do you have fears and uncertainties as you grow and develop in this creative pursuit? And if you do, how do you work through them?

Yeah, I think if you don't have any fears, I don't know how you're doing a business. I feel like every year I've had lizzie's Bakery. It's never been like, I never told myself, okay, this is my five year plan, or this is my ten year plan. It's always been like, every day is a new day, and this is what's going to happen, and this is how I'm going to move forward. And I still mess up on cakes. And I'm not perfect. The fears that I have right now are trying new things that will help me grow because I'm at this point where Lizzie's Bakery has the know, the consistent custom orders that would come in, the consistent products that sell out every month. And so I signed up for this huge holiday market that's going to be in Boston November and December, and everything right now is made to order. So you have to order custom from me to get a cake. You can't just buy it from my house. You can't just come and pick up a cake. And so this holiday market is two months long, open every single day. And I have this little booth, kind of like think farmers market style, but in like a wooden hut for the whole two months of November and December, open every day, kind of like your own little storefront. And so I signed up. I didn't know if I was going to get accepted because everyone applies to this. And when I got accepted, well before I applied, I was telling my husband because he was the one pushing me like, you got to do it, you got to do it. And I'm like, it's just so much work. And I've never done this. I never had a full service production bakery to provide people to buy stuff every single day. The deadline was due, I don't know, June 1 or something, the application. And I had just started no, the application was due before I started the summer market that I did with them because I was hoping I could just see how the summer market went and then I wouldn't apply. But the application was due before the summer market started, and so I was like, okay, I'll just apply. I remember I filled out that application, it was due at midnight, and I filled it out at like 11:55 p.m..

Of course, that sounds like college all over right there.

I wasn't sure that I wanted to put myself in this situation and be stressed and not be a good mom because I'm so stressed with my kids trying to get work done. And finally I prayed about it. I was like, okay, is this the right thing to do? And I didn't get an answer. And usually when I pray about things, it's always like, if I don't get an answer, no matter what you choose, you will be okay.

It'll be fine.

Yeah. And that's how it's been like my whole life, trying to choose where to live for internships, which job to apply for, where to live. And so I was like, okay, I'm just going to do it. And if I don't get accepted that was the sign, right, of, like, you don't have to do it, but then I get accepted, and I'm like, Holy crap, this is real. And now I wish that my camera was working, because then you could see my house full of storage racks that we put in our living room to put packaging and supplies and ingredients and the refrigerators that we're going to be putting in tomorrow.

Oh, I love it.

Yeah. And I think I read something where you can't grow if there's no fear.

Yeah.

And if I stayed in the same situation where I was just kind of like a hamster and a hamster wheel just keep circling around, just doing the same things, I knew I wouldn't be enjoying it. And so when I do, these things that challenge me is when I grow, and the business will grow, and it will all work out. And if it doesn't, then I learned. Right.

And even if it doesn't work out, at that moment, there's a reason behind it. This is my belief. There's a reason behind it because it may be turning you towards a different path that is more beneficial to you, your family, your business, all the above. And so you've got a lot going on. I've done farmers markets before, just, like, on a Saturday, and it's a lot of work for a couple of hours. And so to be doing what you're doing for two months every single day yeah. That is a lot of work. And I imagine are you bringing on team members or how are you going to handle that?

Yeah, so I just hired a team of temporary bakers. That's the hard thing, is that I don't have a team of bakers right now. I have, like, one or two that are part time, but I need, like, four or five, and it's only temporary. So I have to find people who don't need a job, like, full time who can just work the two months and then be done after December 31.

Oh, I love it, but I was talking with another podcast guest a couple of weeks ago, and she was hoping to find someone who could help with childcare while she ran her business. And the concern was that, oh, I'm temporary, or my hours are so, like, wishy washy sometimes I just don't know that week or that day what I'll need. And her husband pointed out, well, there's people out there who need temporary hours, who need a flexible schedule.

Yeah, that's what I've been able to find, is, like, mothers who have kids in school, work nine to three. That's it. And that's exactly what I need. And the people I hired are those kind of people.

I love it because it really is like, instead of holding yourself back and saying, oh, no one would want to do this, looking kind of the negative side and then saying, actually that could be beneficial to these people over here. So it's fun to see those critical thinking skills too, of like, how is this all going to play out to be beneficial? And you are balancing quite a few things while raising your boys. So what does that balance look like? Or how do you find the balance? What do you do when you feel off? How do you manage that part of it?

I try to be good at balancing. I'm not the best at I i always make to do lists to just map out my days. Both my boys go, connor goes to preschool for four days a week and then Caleb goes to like a Montessori daycare, which is five full days, which is nice.

Yeah.

And so that gives me more time to so I really try to schedule my days, which I used to be like, oh, my kids are in school, I can go grab lunch with a friend or something, or I can go do this. Errand, but really, that's just my time to work. And I really had to say no to friends or just really not contact friends to hang out, even though that's what I want to do because a lot of my friends are stay at home moms who are hanging out with their kids. So I really have to utilize my time. And I realized I used to get down on myself on my to do list if I don't get it all done and then now I've made it. So I've categorized my list where it's like, these need to be done today and this is what I want to get done if all those needs are done.

Yeah.

So then I'm not so hard on myself that, oh, I didn't get to laundry today, but it's fine, we still have clothes compared to like, I need to get this cake done because that's due tomorrow.

Yeah, well, and it's like prioritizing and then creating a system that works for you because your system might work for other people, but it might not. But it's something that you're having to learn and develop and there's a lot of thought process that goes into that. Like you said about the laundry, well, if it doesn't get done, we do have more clothes to wear and so some people might not have that thought about it, some might say, hey, actually, I can get to that cake, but having the laundry done and out of sight is more important to me. Everyone's going to be different in that way and what's a need for them versus what is a want for them. And so I think it's cool that you've been able to and probably continuing to dial that in so that you can work more efficiently. Because there's an element of mental health and wellness that goes into all of this as you try to balance the roles, responsibilities and desires as a mother with this creative outlet and all the things that you want to do there. So how do you care for your mental health as you go?

Yeah, I don't get a lot of sleep, which I should be, and I can live off of like 5 hours of sleep. I know that's really hard to say or, like, bad to say, but it was really hard, especially postpartum after having my second. It was like when he was seven or eight months old, was when it hit me where I was just getting mad at all the little things, mostly at my husband. And I was just offended. He'd be like, how are you doing today? I'm like, Why are you talking to me? And I Googled it and I was like, what is wrong with me? I'm not usually this angry. And I looked up and it was called postpartum rage.

Okay.

Kind of scary. But after that, I was like, I really needed to prioritize me my self care and mental health first. And so I was listening to this other podcast talking about postpartum rage because I've never heard of it before.

Yeah.

And they're like, just make sure you're doing all the three things. The most important three things is sleep, exercise, and eating healthy or eating good food.

Yeah.

And so I was like, okay, I'll start doing that. I'll start prioritizing those three things, and if I still can't feel better, then I'll go to my doctor or something. And then that was it. I just needed sleep, and I needed good food in my body instead of just snacking to survive. And I needed to move my body. Even though I'm standing all the time, baking and decorating, it's not the same as just actually taking the time to exercise and move your body. So after that, I could feel a big difference in my mental health, just less hard on myself if I don't get things done. I'm used to be so strict. The kitchen dishes need to be done so I can wake up to a clean sink. I used to be so strict on that, and if I didn't have that, I'd get so mad. And now I'm like, I don't have any cakes tomorrow. I will do the dishes tomorrow. I don't have to worry about it.

Yeah, well, you have to look at this too, if I'm doing the math right. Was your youngest son born like 2020, 2021?

Yeah, Kayla was born February 2021.

We're also experiencing a pandemic at that point. And I just remember seeing these new moms because my youngest is eight years old, and so that's the last time I had a baby. But watching these young moms having babies during the pandemic, that was a whole new situation and world. And I don't know your experience there, but there's a whole outside element that plays into this. On top of having babies and also trying to run, create, and grow and develop a business. And so I love that you went to Google like help here, right? Let me look at the resources that you have to try to get the help that you need and then caring for those basic needs and letting others just go to the side of it.

Yeah, I think any baker maker, creative person who has to make a product feels that sense of like, I need to get this done so then I can finally relax or something. But really you just have to prioritize. And my husband tells me the most, you just need to take a nap. But I'm like, I can't take a nap. I don't have time to take a nap or just sit on the couch and just veg on your phone or something. Just take your mind off of work stuff that helps. Sometimes just taking intermittent breaks because if I nap I'm more tired, so I just try not to nap. Yeah, but yeah, just really trying to let go of the things that I don't have control of. And we all have 24 hours in a day and just prioritizing what needs to be done.

So with all of this and doing the work to balance it and care for yourself and grow and develop your personal sense of creativity and your business mind, why is it important for you to develop yourself in that way?

I think probably when you're developing yourself in that way, then you're giving yourself your best self. And I know when I'm spreading myself too thin, I'm not a nice mom. And what you see on Instagram is like, oh, happy smiley pictures. But a lot of times I'm like, if I'm trying to get something done in the kitchen and my two year old is like hanging on my leg, it gets really hard. And so that's like, my goal is like, okay, if I get things done, I can focus on my kids. But really when they're home, I'm just like, I just have to focus on them. This September, a lot of our schedules change because school started and instead of them going to like three days of full daycare, it's kind of sporadic. And Connor comes home at 245 now and so I'm like, okay, I have to be done by 230 and then hang out with him and try to balance all the things. And I think my mother in law says it best, family is priority and making sure everyone is happy, healthy, and don't neglect your kids. She just always says, make sure your family is your priority. Then I look at it that way when I'm running my business, it's like, okay, I'm not ready for a storefront, I'm not ready for a commercial kitchen yet because I want my priority to be my family right now because they're so young. Yeah, just different things I think about every day.

Well, it's always there, right? That narrative and the thoughts as mothers as we try to juggle the two worlds and also deal with personal self as well. Not just business Lacey or mom Lacey, but what about Lacey as an individual? And so a lot of what you're describing is because you're human, right? That's what as you're like, you know, talking about the child hanging on you as you're making cakes, know the thoughts that go through. I'm like, yeah, all of that is very human. It's not because you're broken. It's not because you can't handle things. It's because of this is how the human body and mind work. And so with each new adjustment that comes along, and scheduling right. And school schedules as they change and pickups and drop offs and all of that, it's this sense of trying to find a new balance every time there's a little change in the system. And as you seek after your balance or try to develop that, what wins or successes have you experienced as a result of pushing yourself in this direction?

I think just like seeing Lizzie's Bakery grow year to year is a big win. And everyone always asks, what's your best advice for bakers starting out? And it's like, be kind, work hard and be consistent, and big things can come to you. And don't seek out those things. Like I told you in the beginning, I didn't seek out to win Best of Austin. I did to make myself known. But still, I was just working. I was just doing my job and I was doing my passion that made people. And my whole life in college, I always told people, everyone has a story to tell. Always listen. I'm always talking to people. I'm always talking to my Uber drivers. I'm always asking. I love it because you said, you never know who you're going to run into. And I think that's how I gotten so far in life is like the relationships I've built and the networking and communities. My friends would always tell me, like, lizzie, you're the best person to you always keep into contact with people. You're always messaging, you're always FaceTiming people or calling them to see how they're doing or something. Yeah, it's just like these people in my life have been the one that they have helped me get to where I am today because I've just kept in contact with them. They've all been my support systems. I always joke with my husband because both jobs he just quit his job that brought us here, and he just got a new job that he starts next week. But both jobs that he has now or had were people that I met through in my past life where I connected with them, I became friends with them and then introduced them to Steven.

Yes.

So it's just like you just never know who you'll meet, who you run into. Never judge a book by its cover because there's always someone that can help you out. Or you can help someone else out.

Yes. And it's that building of relationships, because even if you build a relationship over here, where the cake is kind of the facilitator, that doesn't always mean it's just a cake relationship. It can show up and benefit you in other ways and the other person as you create those connections. And one thing that I like to point out through this podcast is that as mothers do the work to strengthen themselves in these creative outlets and with their mindset and their mental well being and emotional well being, as they show up as an individual who has done that work, they're going to show up differently to their family. And then their family is going to go out into the community and they'll all have a positive impact on a community. And so you can see that that maybe cake is what you do, but it facilitates so much more. Like, it's your creative outlet. And you can use that to develop yourself personally, but it's facilitating relationships, connections. You're strengthening your community, whether it's in Boston, your husband's know, the Uber driver online, all of that because of the work that you're doing personally. And so can you speak to that of how developing a creative outlet can benefit a mother?

I think having a creative outlet, I always tell myself, if I weren't doing cakes at all, I would be like a good stay at home mom. I don't think I could do anything else. Sometimes I'm like, oh, maybe I'll go back into the workforce and get an advertising job and that'd be really cool. I miss having coworkers and going to an office and having that kind of life. But having this creative outlet as a mom just makes it so flexible, where I can really do what I love, still be with my family, still be with my kids, be involved in their lives. And even though they do go to daycare, I still am able to just be with them. And they can see that I do things that I love in hopes that they will do things that they love. And sometimes we'll go to the grocery store and they'll see the grocery store bakery, and they'll beg for a cupcake. I'm like no kid. I was like, we have some in the freezer. I'm not going to buy a cupcake from the grocery store. So it's just funny. And maybe they won't realize it now. And I always take them to my cake deliveries if they're with me. And they love going on cake deliveries, especially if they're long ones, they get to use their iPads, and so they're just so excited. And I was telling my husband, do you think as they get older, they'll just remember just being in the car all the time, just doing deliveries? Maybe they will remember those little bits of like when we do cake deliveries as a family, especially on weekends when we go to a place that we haven't been before and that's like the last delivery. We'll go and explore that town or we'll go and find a playground there that's not by our house and that we usually frequent. And so maybe they'll remember those days as they get older that we took them to these fun towns.

Oh, I imagine they will. And not just like going and visiting places, but they're watching your interactions with people as you communicate. And so if you're making these many cakes, you've got to communicate in an effective manner with so many people. And so just that communication piece that they're seeing, I'm just kind of honing in on that because I used to work a job from home while my little kindergartner at the time and he was kind of a toddler also would sit next to me and I was on the phone a lot. And this child now knows how to hold and carry a very to me, grown up conversation with the individuals around him and the adults in his life. And I just laugh. I'm like that's because he sat next to me while I was having all of these conversations and he just heard and he listened. And so if I ever kick myself for some of those decisions, I just look at no, there's a whole lot going into this that is actually for my children's benefit as I push and I grow through all of this. And so they may remember being in the car for the deliveries, but yes, like you said, they'll have these memories of the places that they got to go and explore in those new playgrounds and the people that you're interacting with. And so you're really opening their community and showing them how to show up in a positive manner within a community.

Totally.

I love it. Okay, so what is maybe one last message that you would want to leave with our listeners as you ponder on your journey that you've been through these last couple of years?

I think the last thing I'd say is if you're going through this phase, we always say that we're in the thick of it. I am in the thick of it, of toddler life and trying to run a small business and trying to grow the small business and just trying to do all the things. You don't have to do all the things, but if you want to do all the things, you are able to do it. And don't beat yourself up if you aren't perfect. And we're all just trying to do our best. Someone told me the other day whatever you go into, whatever industry you go into or whatever creative thing you want to do, always have this abundance mindset of like there's always something for someone. There's a lot of bakers out know, especially in my area or in Boston and I never think of like, oh, there's too much competition out that I'm not going to get that cake order because there's this person selling for cheap or whatever. I always just think like, hey, there's a lot of cake to go around. There's a lot of people who have birthdays and there's a lot of people who have parties and want cake. And then you just have to brand yourself the way that you want to so that people can notice you. But just having that abundance mindset and not being afraid to start things because you think it's too saturated out there. And another person said to me, like, be obsessed with your competitors, be friends with them. They're all in the same boat as you, and you're just going to be helping each other out instead of beating yourself up for comparing yourself or all the negative things about what people think about competitors. Right?

Yeah.

I have a great group of baker friends that I can rely on here if I ever need anything. Especially during the pandemic, if anyone got sick, everyone was there for each other. So, yeah, just overabundance mindset, stay consistent, work hard, be kind, and just listen to people.

That's like great advice for any business. And I love that this approach to being obsessed with your competitors, it's in an abundant way, not like, oh my gosh, what are they doing? And how can I do it better? That's not a negativity to it, because when you approach with abundance, that like, hey, there's more than enough to go around, and how can we support and lift each other? You then develop this stronger community. And you're not just selling cakes, you're selling like you talk about your brand. You are a big piece of your brand. And so it just kind of all plays well into it. And I would say that part of your success or a big piece of that is who you are as a person. And your approach to all of this and not having that scarcity mindset, really. And then you mentioned something too, of it's not something that you have to do, it's something that you want to do. And so taking that approach can also lift a burden which, when you're trying to move and groove as much as you are and accomplish the things that you're accomplishing, removing that weight of that burden can spring you forward and provide the energy and the energy that you need to accomplish and get after what you want to accomplish. And so there's a lot of mindset that goes in to what you're doing. And I love that you also brought in that abundance piece because that's what helps build community and a more pleasant community. And if we each live that within our spheres, imagine really what it would do for our communities as a whole. Yeah, cool. All right, Lizzie. Well, I am so excited if people want to follow along on your journey, especially as the market kicks off and all the fun work you're doing? Where can they find you?

So if you are on social media, my go to is Instagram. You can find me at Lizzie's. L-I-Z-Z-I-E-S underscore bakery. If you ever want to order a cake tasting box and get it shipped to your house or if you're in a local area for custom orders, you can go to my website, lizzie'sbakery. Com. And yeah, I'll be at the Snowport Holiday Market in Seaport in downtown Boston November 10 through December 1 or December 31. And it'll be open every day except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day and the day after Christmas. So we'll have a booth full of cupcakes cakes, cookies, cookie mix jars to take home or to gift to friends and teachers and neighbors. And cake jars, tasting boxes. Really? All the things you can think of for a bakery.

Oh, I love it. It is a pop up shop. And the cake tasting boxes, are those shipped nationwide or what do you do for those?

Yeah, so we can ship those all over the US. Except for Hawaii and Alaska, and those are once a month. And if you join my email newsletter on my website, you can be the first to know before they sell out, because they do sell out fast before I actually announce it to the general public. My email subscribers always buy them first, and it's six different flavors a month depending on the month. So we're in the fall season, so we're doing lots of fall flavors like pumpkin cake and spice cake or apple cakes. Yeah, they're really a cool. And you don't have to be getting married to have a taste box. Anyone can enjoy their family or friends or even by yourself. So taste box are a great gift.

Oh, I love it. That is a fun little unique way again, to spread your influence and your business so it's not just local. So that's a big thing to kind of take on. But I was just going to wish you luck with this market and everything that you're doing. I really appreciate you taking the time to sit down and talk about kind of what goes on behind the scenes as you've grown this business. So thank you, Lizzie, for joining us. And I'm going to pop all of the Instagram website. All that information will be in the show notes of this episode so that people can check it out.

Awesome. Thank you so much, Lacey.