Meet Gyvon D.K. Gibbs | Baker / Creative Enthusiast

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gyvon D.K. Gibbs and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gyvon D.K., how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?

When my business started I was only doing it part-time as I had a full-time teaching job and in the year 2019 I also took on studies towards earning my bachelor’s degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management. Striking a balance with those three things plus trying to still have a social life has been hectic, and stressful on some days but most of all required lots of discipline.

I appreciate the balance and everything that it comes with as it taught me how to manage time more efficiently and allowed me to be more driven. I became a more well-rounded individual in terms of learning to be more patient with myself, my craft, and my career goals.

As a result of learning how to cope and understand a healthy work-life balance, I made the tough decision to leave my full-time job to pursue baking as my main career (as I was most passionate about that) and to also pursue my studies on a full-time basis as it is an important stepping stone in achieving my overall goal in life.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

This entire business started from a post I made a few years ago of a birthday cake I did for myself (just for fun), that I posted to Facebook. After posting I started receiving requests to make different types of cakes and after gaining support from my loved ones I gave it a shot and never looked back since.

I consider every item I bake a work of art as the fusing of flavors, decorating techniques and overall baking ideas come from a creative place.

CakesByGyviie was originally known for the variety of flavor cheesecakes we offer and as the years passed the unique, sophisticated, fun, abstract, and playful (the adult type of playful) ideas that we brought to life through our custom cakes. We also create other yummy treats like cream cheese-filled cinnamon rolls, brownies, ice cream cake cups, strombolis, and other pastries.

Getting to where I am today professionally was not easy as mastering cake designs took many sleepless
nights and on down days wasted resources. However, I overcame those challenges by investing time to do more research on techniques and tools used, spent time experimenting on cakes for friends and family members, and invested money in getting the right resources to assist with my craft, learning how to effectively utilize social media for marketing, and keeping up with cake and baking trends.

As with every success story, there have been failures but I have learned that to be successful you must give yourself grace and allow yourself to make mistakes, and effectively learn from those mistakes. I also learned that as a young entrepreneur, surrounding yourself or making yourself known to the right group of individuals is very helpful in building a client base and strong market.

If the world should know one thing about this brand is that it started from a place of curiosity and love for cooking and baking, which then led to us providing quality products and exceptional customer service to ALL of our customers.

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 Grenada for a week I would first take them to our world-renowned beach – Grand Anse for some sun, sea, and sand! While we’re having fun at the beach I’d take them to Esther’s Bar for their lovely cocktails. I would also ensure that we do an island tour with my dad – Dwight Gibbs as he is one of the most hospitable and knowledgeable tour guides on the island. On that tour, my friend would have the opportunity to see many of our historical sites like the forts, Carib’s leap, Belmont Estate (which is also a great place to get local food and chocolate), and slave pens just to list a few. They will also have the opportunity to have a glimpse of our picturesque waterfalls and our famous Grand Etang lake. For a super fun day with food and watersports, I would suggest a day pass at True Blue Bay Resort and for a fun night of bowling or chill night hang I’d suggest my favorite chill spot – Lavo Lanes.

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?

A huge shout-out goes out to my little sister Keziah and my love Nnaemeke for continually pushing me to be better from the time this journey began to now. My brother, Linus George for creating my first official graphic work for my branding. My other siblings, family members, friends, and well-wishers for sharing my work and giving recommendations when my services are requested, and for being my first customers. My baker sisters Samesha and Nasema for all the encouragement and referrals, and most of all my customers for allowing me to be at the stage of success I’m at today.

It would be remiss of me if I did not shout out Jabari Simmons and his social media marketing team in assisting with the launch and initial management of my new Instagram page @cakes_by_gyviie and Shxdiart for our most recent logo design.

Instagram: @cakes_by_gyviie

Facebook: Gyvon D.K. Gibbs & Cakesbygyviie

Other: WhatsApp ; (473) 418 – 6227 Email: cakesbygyviie@gmail.com

Image Credits
Lynx Photography