Today we’d like to introduce you to Tarsha Joyner.
Hi Tarsha, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I actually went to school to be a computer programmer and then I went to school to be a graphic designer. One of my graphic design classes I was tasked with branding a business from start to finish. Including brand usage guidelines. I decided to create a real business because my son needed a summer job and it would be his first job. So I thought I would get a better grade if the business was real turns out I was right I got A+ and my son got some very real life experience on how to run a business and good customer service. After he decided he no longer wanted to work for me. I kept the business going because I was making money on it even though I really didn’t know how to bake. Mainly the business was there to help me to make product that I can put into packaging that I designed in my head in the beginning. It was all about the packaging. I ended up winning two ADDY awards. I GRADUATED IN 2013. And soon became very bored with my software support analyst job. I did my 1st Food Network show in 2015 and won $10,000. It was the Christmas cookie challenge how was the very first ever Christmas cookie challenge winner. It really gave a boost to my business at the Lynchburg Community Market winning that and I soon started getting more orders than I could handle in my home kitchen. So I look for a space to open a shop with no knowledge of how to run a business I learned very quickly that having a storefront and having a home business was nowhere near the same. We we’re at the market for 4 1/2 years from 2012 to 2016. We opened our shop in October 2016 this year will mark 10 years in business if we make it that far.
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?
The road has been anything but smooth! I’ve had to learn how to deal with conflict and how to handle it without losing my cool. I’ve had to learn how to hire people and fire people. I’ve had to learn how to not take things personally when I’m at work. When you’re at work it’s all about business. I’ve had to learn how not to let one bad review outshine, hundreds of good reviews— still learning that one. I’m Covid was a big pivot point in our shop. Things changed so much after Covid mainly COGS and the ability to source. Good workers with good work ethic. At this point it’s mostly just me and my husband running the shop. We’ve had a few employees that we tried, but they just don’t seem to understand what it means to work. Not that we’ve been looking that hard. I’m not saying that everybody sucks but it’s just really hard finding good workers and that’s just not for me. That’s across the board.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I started my life as an artist. I didn’t realize that until I was in my 40s. But I know that that is the gift that God gave me and I have tried to expound on it as much as I can with the time I have to manage. I believe that food is another medium to work with. I believe that food should look as beautiful as it tastes because we eat their eyes first. I love various forms of art expression, and I dabble in as many as time allows, but running a business does not allow for much. I always have a sketchpad with me depending on the bag I have is the type of work that I’m able to eke out. depending on the bag I have is the type of work that I’m able to eek out as time allows. One of my bags might have a sketchpad with pencils. One bag might have a sketchpad with watercolors. One bag might have colored pencils. One bag might have pastels. I have a lot of bags and it just depends on which one I have that day what I might be doing in my spare time if I have any spare time. I also have a piano at the shop at home and when I get a spare moment to practice, I’m trying to learn how to play. I also so when I make dolls. I quilt I still have about two quilts that I need to finish. And I’m trying to make the ultimate travel bag so I’m making patterns for that and by the time January rolls around I hope to have created the perfect travel bag for me to take back to Europe. I also am a photographer and I love taking pictures. I love films, photography, digital photography, sun photography whatever I can use to capture the image I’ll use it. This talent has been most helpful in my social media posts to entice people to come to the shop. I don’t think that creativity is something you do. It is something that you are. I love the term creative being used as a noun. I don’t call myself an artist I call myself a creative.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I don’t believe in luck. I believe in blessings from God. Luck implies that there is just some happenstance some randomness that just occurs in your life. I believe that everything that happens happens for a reason. Good or bad it all happens for a reason. Nothing is random. I believe that Faith plays a very large part in my life. I understand that bad things happen to good people, but it doesn’t change my belief that all of the blessings that I have come from my heavenly father. Because of my faith, I pray over my business every day and we have been blessed to keep it going because I know that is where God needs me to be, and when he needs me elsewhere, he’ll let me know, and I will move on to the next learning experience. To the next thing that will help me grow just as my shop has.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Mrsjoys.company.site
- Instagram: HTTPS://instagram/missusjoy
- Facebook: Https://facebook.com/MrsJoysAbFabTreats
