Meet Jaime Badger | Project Manager & Part-Time Baker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jaime Badger and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jaime, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I feel I am successful when I have brighten someone’s day or event. When celebrating life’s events, (e.g. wedding, baby, birthday, graduations) and special moments, it the little details that I feel can make a difference. It makes my day when I get a message or text from a stranger and they said, “I tried one of your cookies, and they are amazing. Can I please place an order?”. When I am adding a touch to a personal event and someone compliments my treats to the host, I have made their event an success and in turn I made a little impact on their day.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Decorating sugar cookies is a creative outlet for me. I love incorporating a client’s theme/colors into the order. I am proud of the progress I have made from when I first started out and look forward to expanding my skills and using different mediums/techniques with cookie decorating. I have returning clients who come to me and ask me, “Have you ever made these….?” and they push me to expand my boundaries. It’s their support and encouragement that keeps me in continuing to take more orders and make more cookies/desserts.

I know I have more work to do like create a professional website, contact local stores to host a pop-up event, etc. and I know I will get there one day. I am excited about the future and I know there is more to learn everyday on how to run a small business and grow. I am proud that I have continued this adventure after finding a new full time position, and proud every time I exceed a new customer’s expectations. I hope other’s learn from my story about how there are others out there who want to help brighten their day – with hope, love, or a sweet treat.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
McKinney Square – breakfast at Layered, followed by shopping on the square, early dinner/drinks at The Yard and then to the Room Eleven for late night drink.

Allen – brunch at Fairview Farmers, hiking at Lavonia Park, dinner and relaxing at Watters Creek

Dallas – Perot Museum and Klyde Warren Park for lunch at one of the food trucks

West Plano – Legacy Hall for dinner, drinks and dancing especially on Thursday night

Dallas – Fair Park for a broad way show or Dos Equis for concert on the lawn.

Ft. Worth – field trip on a Saturday to visit the Stockyards and early dinner at Joe T. Garcia’s restaurant

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First, I have to start off my giving my grandma, Mary, the shoutout who past away in May 2019. The sugar cookie recipe I use is her recipe she passed down to me. It’s very special to me as she was a huge influencer in my life and still is to this day. I had started making sugar cookies when I was little just to make my grandma happy and proud of me.

At the beginning of the pandemic, I was laid off from my previous company of 20 years. I had a hard time finding a new job and I was trying to figure out what to do next. My mom told me about hot chocolate bombs and I taught myself how to make them. I figured what goes well with hot chocolate but decorated sugar cookies! I started off by making gift boxes with 2 hot chocolate bombs and four decorated holiday sugar cookies. My mom helped me packaged them with a decorative bow and tags. We posted the gift box on our neighborhood Facebook page and I had sold all of them in less than thirty minutes. It was thrilling and I received such great feedback we decided to make more. That first holiday season, I made over 700 cookies and 450 hot chocolate bombs in 3 weeks. I had neighbors and friends buying packages as gifts for their co-workers, teachers, families, and friends and referring me to others. Without their support of my family, friends, and neighbors – I wouldn’t have started Say Love Sweets by Jaime.

I came up with the name of my business from the band, The Avett Brothers. They have a song, Living of Love, and one of the lyrics is, “When they ask you what you’re thinking of, Say Love…”.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SayLoveSweets?mibextid=LQQJ4d