By Naomi Marshall
IN just a few weeks and with a little more time on their hands, Linden sisters Alessa Hodge and Alicia Benjamin are now owners of their own small business, “Kiara Delicious Sweet Treats,” which not only is a means of supplementing their incomes, but also fulfilling their childhood dreams. While the coronavirus pandemic has created much negative rhetoric, many have used the extra time allotted to them for constructive and ingenious means to earn and create small businesses with just the use of their hands.

With persons being at home, especially children, one thing that needs to be satisfied is the appetite and the sisters have decided to capitalise on this need. “Since we were children growing up, we always wanted to own our own bakery since we always liked baking and cooking; it was always our dream to make it into something big,” Alessa said. After making glazed doughnuts for the home and friends and posting on social media, the positive reviews prompted them to commercialise the products and advertise them on social media. Both of their workplaces were closed as a result of the virus and so they invested a lot of time into making the doughnuts very appealing with eye-catching colours and a plethora of edible décor and impressive packaging.

The orders started rolling in and the sisters who have now become business partners, have decided to expand their product line from just doughnuts to several other sweet treats such as cinnamon rolls, cookies, cheesecakes and pastries. “The response is very good, a lot of persons started ordering our tasty doughnuts and then our other products. It is amazing how we are able to earn from this and follow our dream during this pandemic,” Alessa said.

They offer a pick-up service or delivery at a cost of $500, but the plan is to have a permanent place of business once things return to normal. “Right now we are using social media to advertise and our clientele has certainly grown. But our dream is to own our own big business and introduce new treats once all of this is over,” she said.

Her advice to persons, especially youths during this, is to not wallow in despair but to seek out their talents and hand skills and to capitalise on it. “This is not a time to be despondent. This is a time to try new things, since the opportunity is here and you never know where it might lead you,” the new business owner said.