Naomi Lindsley left her analyst job with an oil and gas company to pursue her dream of opening a cake shop. Sweets in the Sky opened in Missouri City in June 2018, and Lindsley said the business is doing well.
“One day I just felt like I wanted to do something I’m passionate for,” she said. “I always wanted to open a bakery, so that’s why I opened Sweets in the Sky. It was a very bold decision to leave my comfortable job to open this business.”
Born in Beijing, China, Lindsley moved to Singapore when she was 18 to pursue a degree in art. Her love for art coupled with her love for dessert sparked her interest in opening her own bakery, she said.
Sweets in the Sky, named after Lindsley’s daughter, Skye, specializes in wedding cakes and other custom cakes as well as cupcakes, cookies and cake pops. Lindsley said she excels at the decorating while her business partner, Ting Ting Wang, specializes in the baking.
“We both are MBA graduate students, and we are just like other immigrants,” Lindsley said. “We tried really hard to achieve our dream.”
Lindsley said she aims to create long-term connections with customers. The shop offers free cake tastings, and couples who buy a wedding cake receive a fresh top tier on their first anniversary.
“We try to make friends before selling a cake,” she said. “Customer service really makes us different. We are always here because we love what we do.”
Lindsley said she is involved with community events and opens up Sweets in the Sky for special events. The shop also hosts summer camps and classes for children and adults to learn how to make sugar cookies, work with fondant, and decorate cakes.
Personally, Lindsley said she enjoys decorating wedding cakes and children’s birthday cakes the most. It can take anywhere between four to six hours to decorate a cake, she said.
Lindsley said she plans to add more classes teaching macaron and pastry techniques now that she has completed the first year.
“The first year was like a roller coaster,” she said. “We had our ups and downs and challenges, but we also got a lot of new customers. We’re really happy.”