Interview with Danielle Poux, Owner of Danielle's Desserts

I've personally dedicated the first week of September to highlighting successful business owners in the DC metropolitan area.

Today, I am pleased to share an interview with Danielle Poux, a business owner who left corporate America to pursue her passion for baking. Her story is so inspiring and I'm delighted to share it.

Interview with Danielle Poux

PW: What is the name of your business? 

DP: Danielle’s Desserts

PW: What does the business do?

DP: Danielle’s Desserts produces old-fashioned desserts, made with fresh butter, cream, eggs, and most importantly, love.  Many establishments in the Washington, D.C. metro area have perfected the art of decorating, but very few prepare desserts the way we do.  Ours are fresh, moist, and decadent. 

We produce a variety of cakes, pies, cookies, and other specialty desserts. From German Chocolate Cake to Caramel Apple Crumb Pie, we appeal to a variety of tastes.  All of the recipes are my own and took years to develop and perfect. 

PW: When did you start the business?  

DP: I’ve been baking for over 30 years and have had numerous private clients over the years, but just recently began baking for restaurants in the D.C. area.  I have been making desserts for Ben’s Next Door restaurant since it opened in January 2009.  (As a matter of fact, Examiner staff writer Jeff Dufour mentioned my chocolate coconut pecan pie as a Don’t Miss item in his review of the restaurant in the March 3 issue!)  I also provided the desserts for an election night party at Station 9 restaurant on U Street, N.W., and recently began providing desserts for the Carlyle Club in Alexandria.  I am in discussions with other D.C. restaurants as well.

Since I was bursting at the seams, I made the difficult decision to resign from my “day job” and focus on growing Danielle’s Desserts, which I did in August.

PW: What did it take to get the business started?

DP: Having a good product and baking for my first client many years ago was all that was needed to get started.  However, I am now entering into a new phase of the business and plan to open a dessert café in the Washington area in the months to come.  As the demand for Danielle’s Desserts products has exceeded the space capacity of my home, I am now taking the business outside of my home.  Of course that will be a different ball game.  Danielle’s Desserts is now a registered LLC, and I am talking with commercial realtors and lenders.  Although in this phase I plan to continue serving my restaurant and other private clients, this phase will focus on serving walk-ins and providing gourmet coffees and teas along with my desserts.

PW: How long did it take to make profits and why?

DP: Given the nature of the product, I began making profits right away.  I learned ways of achieving efficiencies while still providing an excellent product.  I have a solid business plan for Danielle’s Desserts café but recognize that with overhead and employees, it will take a bit longer to achieve a profit. 

PW: Why did you choose to start your own business?

DP: I chose to start my own business because 1) I seem to have a product that appeals to people and makes them happy; 2) if I did not do this I would always regret not having made the effort; 3) I am very excited and enthusiastic about the possibilities; 4) I have the energy and experience to do it at this point in my life; and 5) I’d like to leave this business as a legacy for my daughter.

PW: What are your responsibilities?

DP: I am the owner of the business.  At the moment that includes product development, marketing, and business operations and financial management.  Obviously the next phase of the business will entail delegating various responsibilities to staff.

PW: What are some of the problem/risks with running your business?

DP: Giving up a six-figure day job is a huge risk, but I would not have done this if I did not believe it would succeed and eventually pay off.  Getting financing in this economic climate is much more difficult than it used to be.  That is a problem. 

PW: What are some benefits of owning your own business and running it?

DP: The benefits of owning and running this business for me have been 1) the feeling that I am doing what I was meant to do – this is a feeling like no other!; 2) watching my products and hard work pay off; 3) being able to build something that I created and believe in!

PW: Do you enjoy your job and why?

DP: I very much enjoy what I do.  The biggest reason is that my desserts seem to make people happy.  As I extend my reach to other prospective customers, I meet new people each day.  There are so many phenomenal people in this area and I find that I am enjoying this aspect of my work very much!

PW: Are there certain qualities you are looking in an employee?

DP: When I begin to hire in a couple of months the number one quality I will be looking for is a demonstrated strong ability to provide excellent customer service.  I will want my customers to not only enjoy the product that they purchase from Danielle’s Desserts, but to enjoy the experience as well.  Members of my staff will also have strong interpersonal skills, strong intrapersonal skills, a passion for performing their jobs well, and a high productivity rate.  We will have fun doing a great job for our customers! 

PW: If someone wanted to own a business like yours what are some recommendations for the person?

DP: I would recommend that anyone who wishes to own a business like this do the research, test his/her products with many people, be willing to solicit and receive constructive feedback and incorporate changes to continually improve the products, and always meet commitments to their customers.  Finally, I would advise the individual to stick with working for someone else if she/he is not willing to put in the hours needed to do the hard work and get the job done!  If someone can say yes to all of these recommendations, I’d tell them to go for it!  There’s a huge demand out there for quality desserts!

PW: Thank you for taking the time to interview with the Examiner--- when I need to satisfy my sweet tooth I know just where to go.  

** For more information about Danielle's Desserts, please visit www.daniellesdesserts.com.