Today we’d like to introduce you to Tamesha Calhoun.
Tamesha, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Calhoun’s Sweet Treats started in September 2017 as a side hustle that blossomed into a business that I now run on a full-time basis. In December of 2015, I found out that I was pregnant with my first and only child. At the time, I was working a full-time, corporate accounting job. I thought I had my career path figured out until I became a mom. When my little girl was born, everything changed for me. The most drastic change was my career path. All I knew was accounting & my goal to be a top executive for a major corporation.
September 30th, 2016 was the day she was born. I remember being on maternity leave and thinking to myself “I don’t want to leave her when I return to work”. From that day forward, I had every desire to figure out what my next move would be. I needed to find an additional stream of income to work towards my new goal of becoming an entrepreneur, for the sake of my child. I worked M-F from 8 to 5 pm, traveled (due to work) often, breastfed, picked her up, came home just to get ready for bed to do my routine over and over.
After a while, I absolutely hated it! Lol. I worked on my business day in and day out by promoting continuously to get a following/customers that needed my services. I started Calhoun’s Sweet Treats by only selling candy apples. Those are one of my favorite treats, and so I started with what I liked. Since then, I’ve expanded into so many other things that I had no clue that I was good at doing. Not only do I make candy apples, but I also have a signature apple that NO ONE does.
It’s called the “Junk in the Trunk apple”, which is loaded with all of your favorite things… caramel, Butterfinger, M&M’s, chocolate, and more. In addition to that, I’ve added cakes as of this year, chocolate-covered treats, chocolate chip cookies (with or without the chocolate), cupcakes, strawberry brownies, popcorn, and a host of other treats you’ll love. During the pandemic, we were working from home. I had even more time to focus on my business.
In December 2020, I took a leap of faith (along with a budget and a plan), then I walked away from my corporate job to become a full-time entrepreneur. Everything has been rocking and rolling since I made one of the greatest decisions of my life.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It hasn’t always been smooth. When I first started, I would go weeks, and maybe even months without an order. However, I always stayed consistent because I knew what my greater goal would be. Plus, I knew that my audience needed to build trust with me and what I offered.
As the saying goes, “don’t accept things from strangers”. I was a stranger to them, and I just had to prove that they can trust me and CST.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
It’s crazy how successful I’ve become, even though I’m not even at the level of success I would like to be in. I love how customers gravitate to me and my products with no hesitation. The customer service and pride that I have within my business show through me and the quality of work that I give my customers. I think they see it too and respect me even more for it.
In addition to creating treats that I’ve mentioned in a previous question, I also provide a selection of confectionery artists and cake decorator supplies on my website. Along with that, I operate a YouTube channel where I create tutorials for beginner to advanced treat makers and cake decorators. I started that because I know how I felt researching for things to try, and the tutorials were limited.
I vowed that I would give myself back to people worldwide, especially moms who are looking for a way out of their careers to have more time with their kids.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
Yes, I do. I love financial literacy and mindset books (hard copies or audiobooks). I also do a lot of research about any and everything in regards to advancing your financial position, creating generational wealth, improving your mindset, your body/health, and even your walk with God as a human being, mother, future wife, daughter, friend, etc. Here are some of my recommendations.
•The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
•The Millionaire Next Door
•Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be
•The Bible
•The 21 Day Financial Fast
•Think and Grow Rich
There’s more but this is just to name a few. YouTube is a great resource for information as well.
Contact Info:
- Email: Info@cstsupplyshop.com
- Website: Cstsupplyshop.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/calhounsweettreats
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalhounsSweetTreats/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/user/tdcalhon
Image Credits
Jasmine Cleopatra with Jaih Addison Photography, and Food photography
