Michelle Flambert is a full-time entrepreneur, college graduate, and a mother of 1. She is the owner of the lifestyle brand “Small Wins Matter” and bakery “The Sweet Rose Bakery”.
Michelle started her journey of entrepreneurship nearly 10 years ago in high school participating in bake sales and selling baked goods to friends. After transitioning through college, internships, 9-5 jobs, and other trials and tribulations in life, Michelle has settled into her true desire as a full-time entrepreneur.
Although Michelle began her entrepreneur journey with her baking business, she also has a passion for helping others. Small Wins Matter is a lifestyle brand that was created for individuals worldwide to emphasize the importance of celebrating their achievements in life, no matter how big or how small.
Michelle has hopes of helping everyone understand their Small Wins in life, matter! They’re just as important as your large wins. Every step that you take is a step closer to your ultimate goals.
Michelle also operates a bakery “The Sweet Rose Bakery” that specializes in custom buttercream based cakes and macaron cookies.
What is Small Wins Matter all about?
Small Wins Matter is a lifestyle brand created for individuals worldwide to emphasize the importance of celebrating their achievements in life, their “Small Wins”, no matter how big or how small.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
I am a full-time entrepreneur and a mother. I graduated from college with a degree in pastry arts in the year 2016. I also have a baking business in addition to my lifestyle brand. I know all about how easy it is to reach a goal or feel gratitude for something and it be completely overlooked.
I wanted to stop turning a blind eye to my own achievements, even the most simple thing you can imagine. I realized how important every step I took was to my bigger goal. Once I began to acknowledge that and told myself “Small Wins Matter”, it all clicked. That’s when I knew how impactful this was and I decided to share it with the world. That is how I started my company.
What were the top mistakes you made starting your business and what did you learn from it?
Thankfully the business is still fairly new, and the majority of what has been done thus far within this business I have already experienced during other business endeavors and I was able to correct any mistakes prior to beginning this business. Mistakes I’ve made in the past consisted of hiring someone for every service I needed and spending excessive money I could have put back into the business, instead of initially figuring out a way to do it myself. There are so many resources online now! Youtube university, different apps that are free to use that can help you create things you may need for the business, etc.
What is one thing that you do daily to grow as an entrepreneur?
One thing I do daily to grow as an entrepreneur is to stay connected to other individuals. I make sure to post content daily to keep people engaged and to grow my online platforms. I also make sure to express gratitude! I’m thankful for the progress that I’ve made. I may not be where I want to be just yet, but I have grown so much from where I started.
What are three books or courses you recommend for new entrepreneurs?
3 books I would recommend for new entrepreneurs are:
- “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill
- “The One Thing” by Gary Keller
- and “Ask and It Is Given” by Esther Hicks
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
My most effective marketing strategy to grow my business thus far has been engagement on social media platforms. Instagram has been the most effective for me. I have reached the majority, if not all, of my customers from Instagram. In addition, Small Wins Matter hosts a mini interview with fellow entrepreneurs that share their Small Wins and their entrepreneurial journey via Instagram’s live feature, every Saturday. This has also helped spread the movement.
If you only had $1000 dollars to start a new startup, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
To be completely honest with you, I’ve had less money to start up both my companies! I would spend the money on first creating an LLC, I would purchase whatever I needed to get the business off the ground and running to start. I would make sure my personal credit is intact and I would then apply for business credit to fund everything else that I needed, in addition to making other investments. Rinse and repeat.
What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
My best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs is to pray, stay consistent, stay patient and never give up. Do not put a time frame on anything. Success at that point is inevitable.
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
A productivity tip I swear by is time blocking. I create my to-do list at the end of each week for the upcoming week. I check my list every morning and time block when I’m working on each task. This means no phone, no distractions. Myself, my snacks, my music or podcasts, and my task.
What is your favorite quote?
My favorite quote is:
“A year from now you will wish you had started today”
How is running a company different than what you thought it would be?
Running a company is no different than I ever thought it would be. I always knew that behind all the glory you see in successful business owners was hard work. I suppose one thing that I learned years ago is that “the grind don’t stop”. As an entrepreneur, you work 24/7.
How can readers get in touch with you?
Readers can get in touch with me by following me on Instagram @michellerosef, @smallwinsmatter and @thesweetrosebakery
You can also visit my website online at smallwinsmatter.online and thesweetrosebakery.com
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