Today we’d like to introduce you to Nileyshka Collazo.
Hi Nileyshka, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Nileyshka, I’m 32 years old, and I’m originally from Puerto Rico. I’m a home baker and the owner of Glen Sugar.
I actually stared making quesitos around 2018, after I had my first baby. At first, I was just making them for us at home and for my family. Then, little by little, I stared making them to sell. That was really how I stared.
After that, I stared getting more interested in baking and wanted to learn how to make other desserts. I would watch videos on YouTube and Facebook and just teach myself little by little. Then COVID heppened, and during that time I got even more into baking. I came across an online course from someone in Puerto Rico, so I signed up.From there, I just kept taking more online classes and workshop because I really wanted to learn more.
In 2021, there was a hurricane in New Orleans area, where I was living at the time. After that, I ended up going to Puerto Rico with my kids, and we stayed there for about three months. While I was there, I took some in-person baking workshops, so I was able to keep learning and getting more into baking.
After those three months, I decided to move to Florida with my family. I was basically starting from zero. I was trying to build my business, get to know the area, and figure everything out at the same time.
A few months later, in March 2022, I had my firt booth at an expo in Kissimmee. It was the Save the Date Expo at Osceola Heritage Park. I was able to present some of what I was doing and introduce people to Glen Sugar. That was really special for me because I was Just Staring out in Florida and trying to get my name and business out there.
After that, there were a lot of ups and downs. I would bake, make some sales, and then stop for while. I wasn’t really consustent. I knew I didn’t want it to just be a hobby, but honestly, I wasn’t really treating it like a business either.
This year, especially since April, I’ve been taking it much more seriously. I was out of work for about three months because I really wanted to try working from home and focus on this. Some things didn’t work out the way I expected, and I ended up going back to work in July. But even after going back to work, I didn’t want to give up on Glen Sugar.
Now I’m really trying to be more consistent and put more effort into grwing my brand. I’m still learning and figuring things out as I go, but I fell like I’m finally treating it more like a business I alwayswanted it to be. I don’t want Glen Sugar to just be a hubby anymore. I really want this to become my job.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it definitely hasn’t been a smoth road. Honestly, my biggest obstacle has been myself. I struggled with believing in myself, being consistent, and knowing exactly where I wanted to take my business. Life also got in the way with work, bills and everyday responsabilities. When the sales weren’t what I expected, I would sometimes put my dreams on the side. I’m still learning to believe in myself and stay consistent with what I want to build.
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?
Glen Sugar is a home-based bakery specializing in custom cakes and Puerto Rican desserts. I love creating personalized desserts for ech customer and bringing their ides to life. I’m proud of how much I’ve grown, and my goald is continue building Glen Sugar into my full-time career.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
One fun fact about Glen Sugar is that the name actually comes frome the initials of my name and my children’s names. A lot of people think my name is GLenda, Glen or something similar, but it’s actually not. My name is Nileyshka! So Glen Sugar has a special meaning behind it because it represents me and my kids.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glensugar_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/?checkpoint_src=any
- Other: https://share.google/KLAwJlvziIFFJFBnc
