(Food-Beverage-News.Com, March 18, 2015 ) Westland, MI – Many people like to create crafts and express their artistic creativity, but not everyone finds a way to make money tapping into it. Lynn Montry, owner of Anna Lynn’s Bakery and Chocolates in Westland (http://AnnaLynnsBakeryAndChocolates.Weebly.com), was interviewed by Chris Wechner of marketing company The Ultimate Analyst, and Montry shared how she successfully adjusted her business model when conditions changed.
Montry said, “When I came from California, and I used to (have) a ceramic and porcelain doll business, and I did quite well at it…When I came to Michigan in 2002, I thought, well, what the heck? I could open a ceramics shop in Michigan, but (we) don’t have a market for it here.”
Without any sustainable local market for her ceramics and porcelain art, her business could not survive. Looking for a different business to enter, she realized that her skills could transfer to something more universal: deserts. Montry shared, “So I found out that everything I could do in ceramic and porcelain, I could do in cake and chocolate, and my goodness, you can eat it!”
Montry builds her customer base by going to events where she can showcase her goods, but she has to be careful. She reminds us, “I do trade shows. I have to be careful where I go. They do have to be indoors, because, unfortunately, chocolate melts. I have to be picky about what shows I do and where I go.”
She makes plenty of sales through selling her products at events, but she mostly gets her business via word-of-mouth from her previous customers. When asked what causes her customers to recommend her, she replied, “The taste, mostly, because I have flavors that a lot of (other chocolate makers) don’t have…I have a pumpkin pie. I have a cinnamon cream cheese. I have marshmallow chocolates…I can flavor anything to what you want.”
However, besides the taste, she also credits her quality control of the visual part of the cakes and chocolates. She explains, “I’m very persnickety, a perfectionist, you might say. If it doesn’t look right, it’s not going out the door…I will discount (an imperfect product), because I know there is a flaw in it. It may just be where the color bled a little bit or something trivial that nobody else notices, but I do.”
About Anna Lynn’s Bakery and Chocolates: Anna Lynn’s Bakery and Chocolates is owned by Lynn Montry, who loves doing artistic and crafty things, and is located in Metro Detroit. Shortly after moving from California to Michigan, she decided to convert her porcelain and ceramics business into a bakery and chocolate maker. She takes pride in the appearance of her decorated cakes and hand-painted chocolates. Her customers often have a hard time eating her work, because her edible goods look too attractive to eat. For more information or to place an order, call (313) 468-8946 or visit http://AnnaLynnsBakeryAndChocolates.Weebly.com.
About The Ultimate Analyst: The Ultimate Analyst is marketing and data analysis company that helps promote businesses nationwide. Its marketing director Chris Wechner educates people about business and marketing with its blog and by running an online marketing club in Detroit. To learn more about how The Ultimate Analyst promotes businesses, visit http://www.TheUltimateAnalyst.com or call (248) 905-1290.
