If you're one who explores all the sidebars of this site (as I hope you do 
), you're probably wondering what's up with the recent appearance of this photo . . .
Or this one . . .
Or any others with the "Sweet Side Gig" moniker . . .
Well, I'm about to tell you what's up! And I think it's pretty darn exciting news for the both of us!
First, what's Sweet Side Gig and how might it benefit you?
The brainchild of Michelle Green and Sharon Wee, Sweet Side Gig is a pithy and practical six-week online course designed to help hobby bakers turn their passions for baking and decorating into profitable, yet manageable (read: not all-consuming) side businesses. It's got modules covering everything from setting earnings expectations to getting your name out in the marketplace. I've not watched every module, but those I've seen provide excellent, nuts-and-bolts advice not just for hobby bakers, IMO, but for those in already established cookie businesses.
Of course, Michelle and Sharon can describe Sweet Side Gig far better than me, so let me share their (verbatim) synopsis of what it's all about:
"Sweet Side Gig is the only online community created with part-timers in mind. You might work elsewhere, parent full time, look after your own parents, or volunteer. However you spend your time, your sweet food business is on the side of your other commitments, and this class was built knowing your time is both short and precious. It starts with a six-week (only one hour a week) foundation class. You don’t need a hugely time-consuming class - you need quick, to-the-point, effective ways to get your side business running like a well-oiled machine. We cover pricing, marketing, time management, making the most out of a small space, having a life . . . AND we will give you cake/cookie/cupcake tutorials for products we know are quick to make and easy to sell. After that, we give you new content every month on more detailed topics - things like social media, selling at markets and events, and creating simple but effective websites. When you join Sweet Side Gig, you get the very best of business education PLUS a supportive community."
(Back to me, Julia!)
I've just scratched the surface of how Sweet Side Gig might help you. It offers plenty more for you to explore, but let's talk now about how it might help Cookie Connection.
Because I have the utmost faith in Michelle and Sharon (for reasons made clear in their bio below) and their course, I've signed Cookie Connection up for the Sweet Side Gig affiliate program! What this means is that I am helping Michelle and Sharon with promoting their course through sidebar links on this site, posts like this one, shout-outs on social media, and so forth . . . which brings me to the following . . .
Important Disclosure: In exchange for my help with Sweet Side Gig promotions, Cookie Connection will receive a small "finder's fee" for every person who signs up for the Sweet Side Gig course through any of the links or sidebar images on this site. (Yes, that pink link you just scrolled past is an affiliate link! ) These fees, in turn, will benefit you! They will help defray the ever-growing costs of this site, and allow me to continue to bring you scads of free content each month!
Win-win for all!
Now, back to Michelle and Sharon, and why I have the utmost faith in them and this venture.
Their team bio (below) speaks for itself, but humor me, please, as I share some personal remarks first! Michelle is the owner of The Business of Baking, which offers a treasure trove of business information for all bakers, in all stages of operation, from startup to established enterprise. As you may recall, Michelle also wrote a bunch of wonderfully insightful business articles for Cookie Connection a few years ago (you can find them here). Not surprisingly, she brings that same shrewd insight and practical street smarts that she shared with us to Sweet Side Gig. As for Sharon, well, there couldn't be a better example of hobby baker-turned-savvy businesswoman. Sharon started out as a hobby baker about a decade ago and is now a household name within the cake community. A world-renowned cake artist best known for her whimsical designs, Sharon has clearly parlayed her side gig into a profitable and highly visible venture!
On that up note, I encourage you to check out Sweet Side Gig (you've got nothing to lose!), and to read more about Michelle and Sharon below. If you should lose track of this post, no worries - you will find links to Sweet Side Gig in our site sidebars and also under "Resources/Online Classes" in our main navigation line (here).
Michelle Green and Sharon Wee started their own businesses from home, on their kitchen tables, making cakes and cupcakes for family and friends. While they were having a ton of fun doing it, both soon realized that if they wanted to continue to do what they loved, they needed to earn some money from their side gigs! In order to buy more cool cake toys and attend more classes, they had to learn about how to run a business, not just how to make a sharp ganache edge! Over time, their goals changed, and what started as side gigs for both turned into full-time businesses.
Sharon achieved her success entirely from home and, along the way, became an award-winning cake decorator with hundreds of thousands of fans worldwide. Michelle achieved her business success while parenting three kids, becoming a qualified pastry chef, and owning a bakery. Both women are now Bluprint instructors, where they teach the business of baking and cake decorating. Both have owned cake businesses in real life (Sharon still does) – businesses with real customers and real employees who work(ed) in the real world. Michelle and Sharon bring that real-life experience to Sweet Side Gig.
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