Whisk Management

We're back back back again! It's first episode of Season 2 and this one has ALL of the information, facts, figures, and fun stuff for people who enjoy research. In this episode we're diving into the strange, beautiful and dangerous world of AI Art. I bet many of you have seen AI images creeping into client inquiry forms and infiltrating your Pinterest boards and Instagram feeds. While they may seem like something straight out of a fairytale, do you really know HOW these images are generated and the ripple effect that generation has on art, culture, and society as a whole? Well buckle up, because you're about to find out! We'll discuss: What AI art is and how it's created Some examples of AI Art models that you may be familiar with The negative impacts these models have on us as creatives AND the society as a whole How to protect YOUR art and IP that has been shared online and in the public domain  How to spot AI art and what we can do when we're faced with these images when they pop up in our corner of the industry  ALSO, BIG NEWS! In the beginning of the episode I introduced the new community extension of the podcast- The Whisktakers Society! This is a place for bakers, cakers, sweet creatives, and small business owners alike to interact, uplift, and support one another. If you've got a question, want to share a win or something new happening in your business, then what better way to ask or celebrate than with your peers! To join us, click this link! Other links discussed in the episode: AI Vs. Artists: The Biggest Art Heist in History (YouTube Video) Sasha Luccioni's Ted Talk on AI Art's Impacts on Society (Youtube Video) Hugging Face- Ethical AI Community for Coders News Article discussing the Artist's Database being used to sue Midjourney Database of Artists used to train Midjourney AI Spawning AI- Data Governance for AI Spawning AI- Opt Out Extension for a web browser Have I Been Trained- Check to see if your work has been used to train AI models here University of Chicago- Nightshade and Glaze programs Is it AI- website that allows you to verify if a photo is/is not AI   To Further Connect with us: Follow the podcast On Instagram Visit the WMPod Website Follow Blayre On Instagram Visit the Flouretta Sweet Website Leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts  

HEY HEY BAKER FRIENDS! Season Two of Whisk Management is FINALLY upon us! This is just a little sneak peek trailer of what to expect from WM Season 2, and let me tell ya, I'm PUMPED for all of the exciting things I've got up my chef coat sleeve for you this year! Here's the important info: Season two, Episode ONE will drop on Monday, April 8th. This will be my first solo episode of the season! Our Season two guest episode will drop Monday, April 22nd I'm very excited to share about the new community extension of the podcast, the Whisktakers Society! This will be a Facebook group for all of you to interact, ask questions, and connect with bakers, business owners, and sweet creatives like yourself! The link to join will drop on April 8th along with the first episode. Mentor sessions ARE COMING!!! If you've ever wanted some one-on-one time with Blayre to talk business strategy, finding and marketing your unique design style, streamlining your client communications- whatever it may be- your chance to do so is coming! I will be dropping more information and opening spots to Whisktaker Society members at the end of the month, so if you're interested, be sure to join the group when it opens on 4/8! For now, be sure to give the pod a follow on Instagram, and feel free to check out our website too! See ya on 4/8! :)

It's the FIRST official episode of the pod, woo! Do you ever feel like it's impossible to find clients who want to hire you for YOUR specific style, not just a carbon copy of a cake/dessert from Pinterest? Today, I'm discussing how to find the creative voice inside you, and how to translate that to your sweet or creative business. We're going to find the joy in saying NO and setting boundaries when it comes to what you offer, and learn how to tell your clients exactly what you do and don't offer in a way that doesn't seem scary or rude.  BONUS SECTION: My sister Tess joins me for Smart Cookie, a segment where I invite my non-baker friends on the show and quiz them about baking for YOUR entertainment.   Special Shoutouts mentioned in this episode: -@justincakessa -@randymajorart -@frontporchbakingco -@kerryannecoaching -In High Alignment Podcast -@tmfeiler Support the Pod Here Contact Blayre Here Blayre's business contact info: -@flourettasweet -Flouretta Sweet website  

Hello hello baker friends! Welcome to Whisk Management, the podcast for cakers, bakers, and sweet entrepreneurs! I'm your hostess with the mostess, Blayre. Starting in March, join me twice a month as we discuss all things baking and business (and banter and commiserate too!). Until then, give the pod a follow on Instagram @whiskmanagementpod. 

Today we introduce Pastry Chef and #1 fan of the pod, Aaron Davis! Aaron is not only a wildly talented pastry chef, cake artist, and baker, but he's a personal friend of Blayre's and has so many awesome things to share with us today.  In this episode, Aaron and I are talking about: His personal and professional growth since graduating in the middle of the Pandemic, and how he's honing in on finding what brings him joy in his career His experience navigating his own mental health journey in an industry that stigmatizes it and how we can prioritize our own mental health  How it doesn't matter where you start in your career, it's the intentional steps that you take from there that will lead you to where you want to go Ways to seek creative inspiration for your art from unique places Aaron's experience on Holiday Baking Championship AND Holiday Wars and how they differ Support and follow Aaron on Instagram! Check out these mental health resources for Hospitality Professionals: CHOW- Culinary Hospitality Outreach Wellness The Burnt Chef Project Focus on Health Restaurant After Hours Open Path Collective- Affordable Therapy for those without Health Insurance Support the Pod! Follow us On Instagram Follow Blayre's business, Flouretta Sweet Visit us online Mentor Sessions are Here! Click here for more information about how to work with Blayre one-on-one  

Sometimes, business ownership isn't all sunshine and roses. Today we're talking about what happens when you've girlbossed for so long that you can't possibly girlboss ANY LONGER.  May is Mental Health Awareness month, so I'm bringing you some episodes to help remind you that there's nothing wrong with a little pausing, contemplation, and focusing inward. So if you're feeling like turning off the alarm, rolling over and hiding back under the covers when it comes to running your business, this episode is FOR YOU! In this episode: Blayre shares how she's had to mentally (and physically) rearrange her expectations and priorities for 2024 after a VERY slow booking season and some big life changes Commiseration for the wedding vendors, what the heck the Engagement Gap is, and how you're DEF not the only one experiencing low bookings (and it likely isn't your fault either!!!) How to find contentment when things are hard, and what to do with a lull in business or a lack of work Recognizing growth when what you thought you wanted has shifted ALSO, MENTOR SESSIONS ARE HERE! Maybe you've been wanting a extra set of eyes to look at your socials, branding, or website. Maybe you need help starting an LLC or discussing logistics about an in-home kitchen, finding your brand voice, or breaking into the wedding industry. Or maybe you've just been wanting to sit down and pick Blayre's brain! Now is your chance! Book a free 15-20 minute discovery call here and fill out the inquiry form, then we'll chat about what it is you want to work on specifically! Can't wait to meet you! Support the Pod Follow on Instagram or visit our website Check out Blayre's biz instagram or website

If at first you don't succeed... Learn from that shit and keep going!!!!! In today's guest episode, we get to chat with a true Macaron Princess. Crystal Arvelo is no stranger to making things work (I mean, she chose one of the hardest confections in French Pastry, taught herself how to bake them in the middle of the pandemmy, and started a business selling them locally AND Nationwide).  We're talking about: Client transparency and the art of pivoting when things aren't working The story of how Crystal had to close her brick and mortar shop in order to find a better location to serve her customers How to market depending on your own unique business model Not being afraid to just START, but also being smart about business choices and how to learn from your failures and mistakes (hint: failure isn't bad!) Stay up-to-date with Crystal and the exciting future of Colorful Macarons: Follow them on Instagram Follow them on Facebook  Check out their Website Stay up to date with the pod! Follow WMPod on Instagram or visit the podcast website Follow Blayre on Instagram or check out the Flouretta Sweet Website Join the Whisktakers Society!

HAPPY 2024 WHISKFAM! This episode has been a long time coming (and features one of the Pod's biggest fans as a guest!) In today's guest interview, we welcome Pastry Chef Dru Tevis, and let me tell you, nobody knows about embracing the journey and putting intentional time into your goals and dreams quite like he does!   Today we’re chatting about: How Dru honed his pastry skills in a very atypical yet intentional way The benefits of staging and working in a variety of settings to enhance your pastry skills How Dru strategically took a pastry program that started from a 3-dessert menu and expanded it throughout a restaurant group with over twenty dining concepts Gaining the respect of your coworkers and staff and growing a successful, thriving team  Dru's win on Holiday Baking Championship and how that brought him (and his restaurant group) local notoriety  Support Today’s Guest: Give Dru a follow on Instagram Check out all of the SoDel Concepts restaurants and drool over all of the delicious things you'll eat the next time you're in Rehoboth, DE! Support the pod: Follow us on Instagram! Give us a 5-star review on Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Apple Podcasts Follow Blayre’s business, Flouretta Sweet on Instagram or on her Website

Are you ready to LEVEL UP your client management game? There was a time where I had NO CLUE how many clients I had, where they were in my cake process, if they had paid me yet, or even HOW they found me in the first place. I would forget to respond in a timely manner, spend hours writing the same e-mails over and over, and would be chasing clients down for their final payments.  If you've been there too, this episode is for YOU!  Today's special guest is Veronica Lugo- a systems expert who is not only obsessed with helping you automate and streamline your business, but also knows how to incorporate heart and soul into her process, and cares about saving YOU personal time and energy (because she own's a business too!).  We're going to be chatting about: What a client management system (CRM) is and how it can help you in your baking business What a workflow is and how to create an automated one using a CRM Some common pain points that you might experience in your business and how a CRM can help you! Our FAV CRM, Dubsado :) How to work with Veronica: -Inquire on her website, where she can help you with a Systems Setup, a Systems Audit, Workflow call, etc.  -Follow her on her SS Instagram -Check out her makeup business IG for plenty of antics -Use her affiliate code for a percentage off of Dubsado! Support the Pod: -On Instagram or by leaving us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts  -Follow Flouretta Sweet on Instagram or check out Blayre's website

Let's Get Controversial! To use or not use fresh flowers on a cake? Is it cool to trash talk other designers because of a specific decorating medium they prefer? Are you a part of the #centerdowelclub?  I polled the WhiskFam on social media to see what controversies and cake trends you love (or love to hate) and today I'm sharing my thoughts about them! Agree, or agree to disagree, my goal is to bring over a decade of cake design experience  and give you my honest opinions (and then some) about each of them!  So, are you ready to dive in? --------------------------------- BONUS SEGMENT: The Bonus segment is BACK baby, and this time it's shiny and new! Introducing SWEETFLUENCER, the part of the show where I share some of my favorite accounts from the 'Gram who are out here doing cool s*** and making me VERY HUNGRY. Check out the episode for more info and be sure to give them a follow! @alicechowcake @chefaedavis @newjunebakery @laurettajeans @alevri.co    Support the pod: Follow us on Instagram! Give us a 5-star review on Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Apple Podcasts Follow Blayre’s business, Flouretta Sweet on Instagram or on her Website

Bakers, you have 90 minutes to grab your edible blood, your isomalt glass shards, and dip into your Halloween candy stash for a treat, because today’s special guests might just inspire you to bake for your lives!  Today I am joined by two former winners of Food Network’s Halloween Baking Championship, Karl Fong (season 5 winner), and Renee Loranger (season 6 contestant and season 7 winner), plus ya girl (season 8 winner), and we’re spilling ALL the tea on food TV! Support Our Guests: Karl Fong- Visit Karl’s Bakery, Cakes by Karl, or give him a follow On Instagram Renee Loranger- Visit Renee’s bakery, Sugar Pop Baking Co., or give her a follow On Instagram Support the pod: Follow us on Instagram! Give us a 5-star review on Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Apple Podcasts Follow Blayre’s business, Flouretta Sweet on Instagram or on her Website

Fall is here, the leaves are changing, and for some of us, life and business stuff is changing too! In this episode, Blayre takes you through a rough patch filled with setbacks that she recently experienced within her business, and how she dealt with the negative thought patterns and imposter syndrome that followed.  If you've been experiencing something similar (and come on, we've all experienced unexpected setbacks, dealt with imposter syndrome, and wondered if we we're worth our salt, right?), this episode might be the pep talk you need to remind yourself of how awesome you are at what you do!   Mentioned in this episode: Kerry Walsh- Find Kerry's podcast interview with me here, and listen to her content on the In High Alignment Podcast Simone Seol- On Instagram and the I Am Your Korean Mom Podcast Support the pod: Follow us on Instagram! Give us a 5-star review on Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Apple Podcasts Follow Blayre’s business, Flouretta Sweet on Instagram or on her Website  

UPDATE! BIG congratulations to Meghan on her business rebrand (which she talks about in this episode!).  Wish You Well Bakery is now Edd's & Flo's Artisan Bakery Cafe! All links have been updated below   When it comes to owning a business, if at first you don’t succeed, get right back on that horse and keep trying, partner! In today’s guest episode, we welcome Pastry Chef, Baker, and Business Owner Meghan Young, co-owner of Wish You Well Bakery, to talk alllll things brick-and-mortar bakery ownership.   Today we’re chatting about: Meghan’s 15-year hospitality career and how that shaped the way she runs her business now The ebbs and flows of being a boss, staffing your business, recognizing what does and doesn’t work, and being flexible when things get tough Meghan’s tips for starting a brick and mortar business and what she’d do differently if she could go back and start again How even when it seems like things aren’t going your way, it just might be the course-correct that puts you on the right path after all! Support Today’s Guest: Give Wish You Well Bakery a follow on Instagram Check out their website and pre-order some goodies if you’ll be in town! Support the pod: Follow us on Instagram! Give us a 5-star review on Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Apple Podcasts Follow Blayre’s business, Flouretta Sweet on Instagram or on her Website

It's time to set up shop! One of the most common questions new business owners ask me is "Where do I even start?" The task of turning your business into a legal operation may seem overwhelming, but I'm here to help you out! In this episode, I'll be breaking down: The types of businesses you can legally file under with your State, how they are formed, and how they are taxed All of the paperwork you need to gather and file in order to be legally recognized as a taxable and legitimate business with your State and the Federal Government (this is specifically for LLC owners!) How to determine what products you can sell out of your home kitchen, and how to obtain the correct food handlers license and zoning paperwork to do so  How to determine where to set up your space in your home so you can run your business legally and efficiently  Buckle up, because it's a jam-packed one! ------- Support the Pod! Give the Pod a follow or shoot Blayre a message on Instagram Leave us a review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Google Podcasts Give Blayre a follow on Instagram or check out the Flouretta Sweet Website

Pack your suitcases and grab your passports, because we're headed on a vaca this episode! Today I'm chatting with cake designer, chocolate wiz, and luxury foodie travel expert Venessa Liang of Foodie Pharm Babe.  Venessa shares all about her journey of building a cake and chocolate business while working full time in a job she loves, how she infuses the ingredients and culture of her Chinese heritage into her bakes and content, and how sometimes, it's ok to pivot and follow your gut when it comes to creating content you love.  Do yourself a favor and give Venessa a follow on social media- you won't regret it! Check her out on Instagram Find her cake and chocolate bar launches on her website Or check her out on TV by streaming The Great Chocolate Showdown or CTV's Cross Country Cake-Off!   Support the Pod! Give the Pod a follow or shoot Blayre a message on Instagram Leave us a review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Google Podcasts Give Blayre a follow on Instagram or check out the Flouretta Sweet website

We're in the double digits of episodes now, so it's time to drop some KNOWLEDGE NUGGETS for all of you! I'm here to tell you that you don't have to crash and burn and make a million mistakes to learn things that will help you run a better business or travel your career path more successfully. You can learn by doing AND learn from the experience of others, am I right?! So with that in mind, I've come up with the Top 10 most important things I've learned throughout my career in pastry. The first 5 are things I've learned by working for other people (spoiler alert, I've had many jobs in the industry and lots of stories to share), and the second 5 are things I've learned working for myself! This episode is a shortie today, so no special segment, but stay tuned for another guest episode next week, and some spooky fun for the Fall season!   Support the Pod! Give the Pod a follow or shoot Blayre a message on Instagram Leave us a review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Google Podcasts Give Blayre a follow on Instagram or check out the Flouretta Sweet website

If you're looking for the blueprint to making the leap from working for someone else to working for yourself, all while simultaneously infusing your authentic self into your brand, this episode is IT!  Today I'm joined by my fellow Halloween Baking Championship castmate, baking biz owner, and entrepreneur AJ DeDiego! AJ took his career and business into his own hands by learning how to bake, and laying a strong foundation to support his transition into working for himself full time. His story is truly inspiring, so listen with care- you may want to quit your job within the hour! BONUS: Stay tuned at the end of the episode to hear our bonus segment, This or That! I present AJ with two tempting options and see which one he chooses and why.    Support AJ! Give AJ a follow on Instagram Check out his website, blog, and online store here Check out his monthly live streams for The Fresh Market Watch us both compete on Food Network's Halloween Baking Championship Season 8, now streaming on Discovery+! Support the Pod! Give us a follow on Instagram Leave us a review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Google Podcasts Give Blayre a follow on Instagram or check out the Flouretta Sweet website

Pack you knife kits and your toques, we're headed back to (culinary) school! In today's episode, I'm spilling alll of the tea when it comes to attending culinary school. We'll chat about the different types of culinary schools that are out there, what drove me to attend my alma mater, and talk about the positives and the negatives of spending the time and money to get a food education.  BONUS: stay tuned at the end for this episode's special segment, Retro Recipe! I'm sharing the incredible artistry of Calliope Sweets   Helpful links: The Culinary Institute of America Johnson & Whales Le Cordon Bleu Ekats cake courses Jasmine Rae Cakes courses Sugar Geek Show YouTube Don't Tell Charles cake courses Sugarologie YouTube   Support the Pod here or follow us On Instagram Check out Blayre's business, Flouretta Sweet on Instagram or Online

Happy Juneteenth! Today I'm joined by an extremely talented cake designer and pastry chef, Nicole Redd McIntosh! We talk about her expert balance of a full time Executive Pastry Chef job AND her custom cake business, Nicole Bakes Cakes (if you want to learn how to set better boundaries, she is the girl to teach you!). Nicole also talks about her experience as a Black female pastry chef in the hospitality and wedding industries, and the work she's doing to create a safe, supportive environment for her all-female team!  NEW SEGMENT! : Stay tuned at the end of the interview for a new guest segment called THIS or THAT and see what Nicole chooses :) Give Nicole a follow On Instagram or check out her Website if you're interested in working with her! Support the Pod here or follow us On Instagram Check out Blayre's business, Flouretta Sweet on Instagram or Online

Why do we always feel the need to be "on" 24/7? How can we dismantle the idea of burnout and hustle culture and work to center and prioritize rest? This episode get's INTO it! We're talking about what the perceived food and service industry standard is for success and hard work, how that leads us to being overworked, underpaid, and sets us up to fail, and what we can do to change it.  NEW SEGMENT ALERT! Stay tuned until the end for Retro Recipe- a new segment where I find silly and heinous vintage recipes and share them for your enjoyment.  Be sure to check out the article I mention in the episode for more information on How to Challenge White Supremacy Through Rest. Support the Pod here or follow us On Instagram. Check out Blayre's business, Flouretta Sweet on Instagram or Online