Inspiring: from a software engineer to a cake engineer - voila! small businesses

About 15 years ago, Shirley Katz Leibovich decided to make a significant change in her life.

After studying photography for many years and then switching to software engineering studies, in the end, she turned to a completely different direction: designing and sculpting cakes.

So how did the great love for the world of photography leverage the new business and how can professional studies affect another profession at all?

We caught up with her for an interview.

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Shirley, tell me about yourself and your business.

"'Cakes and Wonders' has been around for almost 15 years. Before that I was a software engineer after studying software and engineering, but now I'm an engineer and I photograph cakes."

"Through B144 I have a business page on Google and I also have a card in the B144 business index. Many customers come to me who have seen the photos of the cakes on my business card or on Google. They see the photos of the cakes and come with a goal in mind - they know exactly what they want. The clients I receive are of very high quality and are usually more inclined to close a deal."

The virtual store of "Cakes and Wonderful" was built using B144, which provides digital and marketing services to businesses, for the purpose of promoting them online.

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How long have you been advertising your business on B144?

"I started advertising three years ago, even before the corona virus. From the moment we started this advertising, I saw an increase in the number of customers contacting me. Before the promotion, we got customers through word of mouth or from my private Facebook page. There was also an attempt to advertise through some small company that advertised me on Google, but it was barely He brought me clients. I've already thought about closing the business several times, but I decided to try an advertising package at B144, where they advised me what was best for me, and since then the numbers have increased significantly. Not everyone who calls closes, but the chances are higher because there are more calls than clients." .

"There is no doubt that the digital advertising that I do brings me many more customers than it was in the past, and the advertising is very profitable for me in the end. Yes, it makes the money back."

"Quite a few parents are looking for cakes for their children, or those who want to surprise their spouse at a wedding or a big event."

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What are your most popular cakes?

"My two best-selling cakes are a Maccabi Haifa cake and a Minnie/Mickey Mouse cake. There was even someone who came to me from Ashdod to buy a Maccabi Haifa cake. Most come from our area, but there are also customers from different regions of the country."

"There was a bride who asked me to make a cake in the shape of a toilet for her mother-in-law. Probably some kind of joke between them. I didn't ask questions and tried to do it as gently as possible because, after all, you also have to eat it."

"I have special sculptures of a very high level made of sugar dough. My work is very precise and I have a lot of experience. I think you can see it in the photos I upload to the card and website, they attract the eye and attract customers."

"During the Corona period, there was a real boom because people were at home and looking for a way to celebrate, but on the other hand more competitors were added. Now everything is actually stable and progressing well."

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Do you have a tip for small and new businesses?

"Learn from my experience - for several years I really struggled with the business and wanted to close it already. But I didn't give up, and invested in advertising. It's better to invest a few hundred shekels and let someone professional do it for you. Be brave and do digital advertising with someone who understands, because it works. When you go For that, it's important to do it well - invest, take pictures and learn how to do it right. There are a lot of workshops on the Internet that can easily teach how to produce better pictures. People buy first through the eyes, then through the pocket."

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In collaboration with B144

• small businesses

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