We had the good fortune of connecting with Tammy/Bertha Smith/Miller and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tammy/Bertha, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The success of our brand is the honoring of our Grandmother who loved her lipstick. She knew that beauty gave women power and confidence to overcome any obstacles that may have been a challenge to them. With that being said once the ladies try our product we get to see them feel and look beautiful. It’s like a mood changer for them and it makes us feel good to see them feeling beautiful.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Tammy Smith was a Dental Assistant for 17 years and now a Dental Records Reviewer and Member Outreach Specialist for three years. Bertha has been a Pharmacy Technician for 15 years working in Pharmacy. Bertha loves helping others as far as their medications and has met some wonderful people along way. What sets us apart is that we have the pleasure of helping others in our careers while owning our own business. Cakelipps is not just interested in the beauty but for the healthy side of it. Cakelipps is honor of our Grandmother Bertha Smith who passed away in May 2012 and this itself is exciting and makes us proud every day! Our grandmother loved her lipstick, and she would always say that it will make a woman feel beautiful no matter what she was going through. Her favorite color was a wine color. We named that wine color lipstick after her which is called Grandma Bert’s Bundt Cake. Tammy had the vision back in 2018 to create her very own lipstick line and Bertha had the same exact vision in 2019. We came together and told our thoughts to each other and we were both surprised that we had the same exact vision. I said to my sister Bertha, “That is no mistake that is definitely confirmation for God, let’s do it!” Cakelipps, LLC came a reality in March 2019. I would say that we have gotten to where we are today because of patience, guidance and having the right people in your corner. Our chemists are in the United States and we have a very hardworking, understanding and brilliant team! It was not all peaches and cream. We had minor setbacks, but the one thing Bertha and I focus on is that you cannot allow that to overpower you to quit. There will be days when you will not make a sell, but you cannot let that discourage you from achieving your goal. We are reminded daily why we are doing this and that alone makes everything okay. Our greatest lesson was not to depend only on your friends to support you. Although our friends have supported but we are reminded that they are not the only people in the world. Bertha and I became mentors to women and little girls who are seeking to own their own business. The most important things we tell them is to make sure you are ready, do not allow distractions, separate yourself from things that may hinder you from achieving your goal, like social media etc. Finally, do not pay attention to what others are doing, we realize that there are many businesses that are potentially doing the same thing, but you must do what is best for you that will set yourself apart from others. Bertha always say: “Picture yourself walking down the bread isle at your local grocery store, basically when you walk down that bread isle you already know which brand you will buy!” That is how you should feel about your brand! Cakelipps brand is cruelty free, paraben free, and it will moisturize your lips giving it the shine it deserves. We have gotten great feedback on our brand stating that they love the way it feels going on and it stays on all day. Our story is simple, we are two sisters who made their vision come true by honoring our Grandmother who loved her lipstick. Combining health along with beauty will make a woman feel great about themselves when having a bad day. It is like our grandmother would say, “Hey are you having a bad day?” Put on that lipstick gaze into the mirror and you will forget all about that bad day. Bertha and I thank God for this journey so far and cannot wait to see where we go from here. Also, you can celebrate with us every year on February 28th to celebrate National Vegan Lipstick Day, which is our grandmother’s birthday. Remember that Cakelipps is: “The Lipstick That Makes Your Smile as Sweet as Cake!”

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting Florida I would take her to Kitchen 305 in Sunny Isles, Florida. We both love seafood and this would be the perfect place to take her for all you can eat lobters. We would get a resort on the South Beach and make it a week long trip walking the strip, and drinking magaritas. We would have a spa day and shopping at the popular malls or strips. South Beach is the best fun to hangout, listening to your favorite music, shopping and drinking your best drinks. I remember we all got together on my birthday and went to Fire and Ice. Fire and Ice was a once and a life time experience. You enter this room where it it freezing cold. They give you a warm coat and gloves. Of course the rest is up to you like wearing jeans, long sleeves and boots. The chairs and tables was made of ice. We just laughed, danced, and drinked our favorite drinks while listening to crunked music. The experience was definately a once and a life time experience!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We would like to give a shotout to Dana Johnson who expired us to bring Cakelipps to life. Dana helped us with the research and great ideas about our brand.

Website: www.cakelippsllc.com

Instagram: instagram.com/cakelipps/

Facebook: facebook.com/cakelipps

Image Credits
Dana Johnson Anthony Clarke (Marketing Manager) Josh Cox Shemar Mcduffie Our Supporters

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