It was a rainy day at the hair salon and the typical stylist-customer chatter was filling the room. I heard someone start talking about the new frozen yogurt shop going in right next door and was instantly interested and excited. A frozen yogurt shop!? You mean like the famous Pinkberry?? Yeppers! Just like Pinkberry! “Wow, Morgantown, you’re pretty cool after all!” – that was my first thought. My second thought was, “When the heck is this place opening so I can get some delicious frozen yogurt!?!”

That was back in the fall and since the I’ve visited the Naticakes store a few times since then. My favorite flavors have been red velvet and breakfast. Yep! They had breakfast flavored fro-yo (how cool is that!?!) the day I visited to meet founder Nicole Sloane and take pictures for this spotlight. My visit was literally sweet and I had a great time getting to know how Naticakes is “Making life a little sweeter.”

It all started with Nicole’s niece Nati, who unfortunately had to leave them in August of 2007. Inspired by Nati’s gift of laughter and love for sweets, Nicole created a cupcake and yogurt business to spread the sweetness and help children. With 10% of profits going to the Natalie Wynn Carter Foundation that is committed to improving the lives of children all over the world, Nicole’s story and company is truly inspiring and a blessing.

Naticakes may not be a super small business like JFP, but it’s still in its beginning stages and I love the inspiration behind the company…both reasons I chose it to debut my Small Business Spotlight series here on the blog. Starting my own biz was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made so I want to inspire others who may be thinking about starting a business and I want to support other small businesses like mine, and I can do both with this series. Of course I have a special fondness for businesses involved in the wedding industry and I hope brides will find some great vendors for their big day through my findings. The Morgantown Naticakes actually just installed an oven and will soon be selling cupcakes! Weddings + cupcakes = yummy unique-ness! Cupcakes definitely seem to be taking the wedding world by storm so if you’re in the Morgantown area, Naticakes could be perfect for your favors, dessert or cake!

Nicole is all about people. Her background is in Christian ministry and developing people and teams. Combine that with her friendly personality and smiley disposition and she’s basically pretty perfect for the restaurant and philanthropic industries! Her mission of generating funds to help kids and making customers feel like guests is what keeps her going and has allowed her to do BIG things with Naticakes. She took it upon herself to learn both the fro-yo and cupcake skills of the restaurant industry, started a shop at the University of Kentucky and recently branched out to Morgantown, WV. While Lexington, KY was the birthplace of Naticakes, the Morgantown store has allowed the business to become a franchise. The future for Naticakes includes adding another corporate store and selling franchises. Maybe there should be a Naticakes in your town!?

More from my interview with Nicole…

1. In your own personal words, describe your niece Natalie and why she’s the inspiration behind Naticakes? (Share any “extra specials” that might not be on the website)

Natalie was this special little bundle to me who lit up my world! I miss her belly laugh, her sweet kisses, and her incredible sense of humor. One day, my sister and brother-in-law called me so I could hear her latest “trick.” Unprompted that day, she took a deep breath and let out a long, loud “Toto…..” as if blowing out a birthday cake with a hundred candles. That was her nickname for me, and she replayed that little trick for me about a million times. Nati was also the sweetest little girl you could ever meet, and absolutely loved sweets, too. So, it was fitting in every way that she would inspire me to create a sweet shop, committed to “making life a little sweeter” for others, as she did for me.

2. Describe your culinary backgrounds, if any. Or how did you become fond of cupcakes and frozen yogurt?

The dream to begin Naticakes yogurt sweet shop is rooted in my love for my late niece, Natalie, whose nickname was “naticakes,” and surprisingly not in a culinary background. Our mission is “making life a little sweeter,” which is what Nati did for me, and I hope to do for our guests as well as other children advocacy groups who benefit from the sales from our sweet shop.

3. What’s a typical day look like for Nicole, Founder of Naticakes? Typical week?

My week is as varied as my menu offerings! Sometimes, I’m on the road scouting out a new location…sometimes I’m running the day-to-day operations…sometimes I’m assisting a franchisee. If I could just become about five people, my life would be so much easier!

And she’s right about the various menu offerings. I’ve tried peanut butter, vanilla, chocolate, red velvet, breakfast, and honey lavendar tart…not all in one visit, though! But that’s the beauty of the store set-up. If you want to try five flavors in one sitting, you can! You grab a cup, decide what you want, how much you want, and you do everything on your own! Pour in the fro-yo and then visit the topping bar. Personally, I think the topping bar is pretty awesome. 🙂

Swedish Fish as a topping!?! Yes, PLEASE!!! Swedish Fish is my fave candy! 🙂

4. What’s your favorite thing(s) from the menu to make and why?

I love creating my own yogurt, because every cup is different. If I’m craving something sweet but don’t want the calories, I opt for a cup of yogurt – ranging from Red Velvet topped with angel food cake, brownies and marshmallow cream to our Honey Lavender Tart with fresh fruit. If I’m feeling indulgent, my go-to cupcake is always the Chocolate Salted Caramel.

One of the things that caught my eye when visiting the Naticakes store was the overall look and decor. I love the mish-mash of chairs and tables for guests to sit and enjoy. I love the light atmosphere and blue color of the walls…so fresh, inviting and unique!

I asked Nicole some business-specific questions for all you entrepreneurs out there!!

5. When it comes to business tools, what three things could you not live without?

My iPhone, my accountant, Naticakes team!

6. What has been one of the biggest struggles as a small business owner?

One of the biggest challenges of owning a small business is that you’re required to be the CEO of every facet. I may begin the day directing culinary operations, jump into the community as the marketing director in the afternoon, and end the day as a sales associate ringing up guests with a mop and bucket waiting for me in the kitchen.

7. Any advice to share with those thinking about starting their own biz or for those already in their journey?

My greatest advice is to surround yourself with people who have business experience. I have a team of consultants who give me input when I need it, and who don’t mind to share their experiences with me. Give yourself the opportunity to learn from others successes and failures – it’s a great short cut to your own success.

8. Any tips on balancing biz, family and personal life?

For me, it’s very integrated. My husband also owns his own business, so there’s a hazy line between business and personal. However, at times, it’s important to leave the cell phone in the purse and head out west for a ski trip! And, I would encourage any new business owner to create some personal space – so you can margin in your life where new ideas can grow and your heart can be kept alive. For me, it’s important to cultivate my spiritual life – all things flow from that.

9. Any cool/interesting stories to share about the biz and/or your journey? A customer experience, an opportunity you had…

For me, I love the doors that owning a business can open for you. I grew up loving Christian Contemporary music, and one day one of my guests in Franklin, TN, asked me if I would consider donating cupcakes to the press room at the GMA Dove Awards. I set up my cupcake display, and loved meeting one of my favorites, Amy Grant, and sharing the story of Naticakes with her. On a daily basis, I absolutely love meeting the guests who walk in the door, and especially getting to know “my little friends” that come in – the little cuties whose faces light up when they walk in!

10. What’s the future of Naticakes in Morgantown? Naticakes in US?

Our Morgantown shop will be offering our gourmet cupcakes within weeks. This is the perfect compliment to our frozen yogurt line, and we will offer our “naked cupcakes” that you can drop into your yogurt bowl before hitting the yogurt bar. We have already begun receiving requests for weddings and catering events, and look forward to taking “nati out on the town” and expand our footprint into the community with these sensational, gourmet treats! Corporately, we’re entertaining several opportunities for new locations, and we have several potential franchisees scouting their own spots. Philanthropically, we are committed to generating as much revenue and awareness for the Natalie Wynn Carter Foundation as we possibly can. The foundation recently built a playground at a special needs orphanage in China in partnership with Grammy Award winning artist Steven Curtis Chapman’s charity, Show Hope, and plans to continue funding this adoption aid ministry. Personally, my sister, Erika Carter, and I have completed the writing portion of a children’s book, Princess Naticakes, and hope to have that published in 2012. With naticakes, we’re never short on vision…time maybe, but our eyes are always on the horizon for what’s next.

Thanks for having me, Nicole! Naticakes is a beautiful store with a beautiful cause and I wish you all the luck in the world. Can’t wait to see where you’ll go next!