Her grandmother, “Suga”, was known for doing the family’s baking and cooking over the years. When she passed, Patricia worked through her grief by perfecting her grandmother’s recipes for holidays and birthday celebrations.
Of course, cooking and baking was just a hobby for the career engineer. It was also wonderful therapy for her depression, as the meticulous nature of baking brings order to a world that might otherwise appear to be in disarray.
After a while, what started as a hobby became a passion, and the notion of creating a business became more of actual reality. Bedford began attending Small Business Austin’s seminars.
“I attended a Small Business Austin crowdfunding seminar well before I even did my business plan,” she said. “SBA offers a wealth of information and networking opportunities.” Bedford created a website and got business cards made, and in 2014, Suga’s Cakery became official.
The networking opportunities I’ve had have been integral to my success and expansion
Bedford took advantage of more training on a variety of topics, such as search engine optimization, and it all enhanced her business operation. Bedford said that it is a good idea to sign up to receive Small Business Austin notifications because “you may not even know what information you need. Besides, they offer more than just training. The networking opportunities I’ve had have been integral to my success and expansion.”
In 2018, Bedford received another blessing that didn’t exactly feel like one when she was laid off. She was forced to expedite her plans and realized it was an answered prayer. She began to use all that she had learned and stepped out on faith.
Suga’s Cakery has expanded from a side hustle and is now a full-time thriving dessert truck located in the Old Gin Pfood Court in Pflugerville. Suga’s offers a variety of baked goods, including seven classic cupcake flavors, banana pudding, and peach cobbler. The menu also includes gluten-free and vegan options. Bedford said that marketing support from Facebook really helped to let people know they were there and business has been good.
In addition to online classes that may be taken at your leisure, upcoming SBA webinars include:
- 3/17- BizAid: Business Orientation
- 3/18- BizOpen: Commercial Property Requirements
- 3/19- Social Media Best Practices]
- 3/23 and 3/25- Introduction to QuickBooks Desktop
“We have received a lot of support from the community and things are going well.” She invites you to come and taste for yourself.. “Look for the big, pink trailer!”
Suga’s is located in Pflugerville in the Old Gin Pfood Court at 310 E Pecan St. and they are serving up that sweetness 11a – 3p and 5p – 8p Wed – Sat; 2p – 8p on Sun and closed on Mon and Tue.
