Metro Atlanta Business Woman Sharon Hudson Shares Her Amazing Entrepreneurial Journey
“To whom much is given; much is required” is a paraphrased scripture from the New Testament but it was also a lifelong mantra drilled into me by my great-grandparents. I was raised in their household from the age of two weeks until I descended upon a college campus at the age of 15, pretty sure I was grown and ready for the world. I understood from an early age the position of prominence my great- grandfather had in the community-as the only mortician- and he drilled in me the importance of never taking the trust people had in our family for granted; and to always repay people’s confidence by supporting them with whatever endeavor they embarked upon. “Return to the community what the community has given to you”.
Raised with these ideals, I knew that I would eventually take the reins of the family business my great-grandfather started in 1919. During his early twenties, he found employment at a White funeral home. It was the custom of the day for funeral homes to hire Black people, teach them the trade and let them “practice” on deceased Black people. White funeral homes didn’t want the stigma of going against the established practice of keeping White and Black bodies separate in the same embalming space, but realized there was a need in their communities, to provide their services to Blacks. My great-grandfather took the knowledge, saved his money, and through the kindness of his employer was able to open his own mortuary about 10 years later in a small 100% black community across the river (and in a different state) from where he started. It has thrived since that time. He repaid the debt to his former employer, who financed him for his funeral home. He eventually was able to purchase the original White funeral home too, as the owner had no children or suitable heirs for the business. My great-grandfather’s philosophy of running a business debt free has carried on for 84 years.
I went to college at 15, with the confidence and blessing from family that I can be anything I dream. I was encouraged to have a career and make an informed choice over what I was to do with my life, by living a life different than the one I grew up around. I moved to Atlanta after graduation, away from family to do my own thing. The mindset however, to serve my community, and my people, was already set. I chose the teaching profession.
I taught school for a number of years, continued my education to the doctorate level, and moved into education administration. Through my love of education, and subsequent conversation with family, I was encouraged to attend mortuary school as well. Many days of work during the day, school during the evening and countless apprenticeship hours I’ve attained all of my educational goals. All the time, knowing my destiny was to take over what my family cultivated for so many years.
Valuable experience and skills were gained during my career. Management, interpersonal skills, budgetary responsibilities, and verbal and written communication skills were cultivated which better prepared me to transition into full time business ownership. By this time, my great-grandfather was deceased and my grandparents were no longer interested in full time day-to-day management of the business, so the businesses in my home state were entrusted to my parents.
Meanwhile, my great-grandfather made provisions for me to obtain a funeral home, knowing that sooner or later I would “come back home” as I matured. I’m deeply indebted to his forethought and planning as the family name has progressed to yet another state when I assumed full time proprietorship of a funeral home in Georgia. I now manage a staff of 20 dedicated employees and together we service a community with dignity and respect. My business operates on Christian principles. We operate debt free, tithe as a corporation, and give back in many ways to the community which we serve. We sponsor church and civic events but most importantly, any family for which we are entrusted to provide a service becomes part of our family. We provide meals during various times of the year for the community at large and specifically for our families as a way of saying we are humbled and honored by their trust in our services.
It is my sincere hope that my daughter would follow in my footsteps. She’s an adult however, and through her entire life I’ve lain a path by which she can continue to build a solid foundation. While it might seem I’m pushing her to continue the funeral business because it has a history, it’s important to me that she does what she loves. I’ve made peace with the fact that as long as I live, my great-grandfather’s legacy will live, and what he started with his hard work, will be fulfilled. If my daughter chooses another path, I will wholeheartedly support her in that decision.
To that end, my daughter and I have always liked to bake and decorate together. Raised by my great-grandparents, I have a plethora of recipes stored in my mind which we’ve tweaked over the years. She’s expressed interest in decorating cakes, so she’s taken many courses in the fine art of design whenever the opportunity has presented itself. It has become a mother-daughter activity for us which we’ve dabbled with. I’ve taken cakes to bereaved families as a goodwill gesture, and that has morphed into people calling for cakes for special occasions, from weddings, to birthdays to baby showers. My daughter has said over the years that she would be more inclined to run a cakery instead of a funeral home and I’ve taken her advice to heart over these last two years.
Running two vastly different businesses is an interesting venture. However, the principles of business are the same. Deliver to the customer a quality product in a timely manner catering to their wishes and desires. We recognize that creativity is a God given gift and build from the inspiration found therein.
Again we operate a debt free business, and though we’ve not reached the point of hiring employees, separate from the two of us, it is on the horizon in the next fiscal year when we move from our fully licensed cottage industry kitchen to a full-fledged cakery with standard business hours. My daughter has been charged with charting the creative direction, and we’re both working on marketing strategies for this endeavor.
The funeral home has been an early investor but year two we were able to pay back those resources with interest from the profits obtained with cakes. Advertisement hasn’t been something we’ve had to do in the funeral industry but our customer base is completely different so we are exploring different ways to create a brand with a more varied group of potential customers.
I would be equally as pleased if she chose to expand the cakery as I would be if she chose to continue the funeral home beyond my lifetime. Who knows, she might choose to do both, but she has her life to lead and I respect her choice as my family respected my decisions when I started out. Though the cake business is “fledgling” at this time, the business acumen I’ve obtained from watching my great-grandfather (and other family members), function in business and in the community has taught me that we will succeed in this endeavor. I hope I pass on to her the same commitment to be both servant and leader. Servant to a loyal customer base and leader to those who help perpetuate the business in the community.
Cross market with Sharon Hudson. She is interested in …
1. Making cakes for children’s parties.
2. Creating wedding cakes.
3. Being the preferred cake vendor for venues/locations.
4. Sororities/Fraternities/Masonic/Order of the Eastern Star.
5. Recreating company logos out of cake. Company parties with cakes showcasing their brand.
More Info
Phone: 770-314-5932
Website: www.akakery.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/akakery