ENT 645 SME Interview – Lindsey Paige, Founder and CEO, Paige Patisserie
On June 30th, 2026, I interviewed Lindsey Paige, founder and CEO of Paige Patisserie, via Zoom. Paige’s company specializes in custom chocolates, primarily serving businesses looking for personalized gifts for clients and employees. We discussed how she identified her ideal customer, differentiated her business from larger corporate gifting companies, and made the decision to build her business through networking and relationship building rather than traditional advertising.
Victoria
Yes, we’re going to record. Okay. I normally use Teams, so in Zoom I’m always like, where do I go? So, I’ve got a list of questions, and I want to go over them with you first, so you’ll understand topically. So more broadly, I believe as an entrepreneur, your answers will hit a lot of them, but I wanted you to understand kind of the nature of the course. So, number one, identifying the ideal client. How do you know who your audience is? Positioning, logo, identity, branding. What is your elevator pitch when you tell people what it did you do? What is your value proposition? How are you differentiating yourself? Copy writing, PR, how you present yourself professionally when you’re getting in front of potential customers. And then how do you think marketing or those kinds of positionings has helped you, hurt you, things like that. So, are you good with that?
Lindsey
Yeah, that’s totally fine with me.
Victoria
Awesome. Awesome. All right. So, I want to start. Talk to me about who’s your ideal customer and how did you figure that out?
Lindsey
Yeah. So, for the chocolates, the ideal customer that we really found works well is a B2B style. exchange. And so, when I started out, we did a lot of the retail. So, we did a lot of the farmers markets, a lot of the little pop-up events, you know, trying selling retail like in stores. We don’t have our own retail space, but you know, selling with those like second or third parties. And so that’s really kind of what we focused on. I will say that. It became obvious to us like because we provide such a customizable product and a higher end product, farmers markets and like pop events weren’t doing that, weren’t doing it for us because our products are just too expensive to be able to put in, you know, that kind of target market because people are looking for like different things, you know, like more easy things. And so, given the customization that we do on the chocolates, we found that having a B2B mindset, you know, selling to companies that will then give to their clients, give to their employees, you know, maybe include in a gift basket not only helps because it saves a lot of time. You’re like, B2B is very straightforward. They’re like, this is what I want. Please get it by this date. Here’s the check. Good to go. And here’s your money. Take the money. Yeah, exactly. There’s no there’s no really pain points. And it’s just like a great relationship-based business. And so that’s kind of what we really focus on is building relationships. And that is why we gravitated towards B2B. And people love, you know, the idea of the customization being edible chocolate is always nice and edible gift. So that’s really where we excelled.
Victoria
How long did it take you to figure out that that was the path?
Lindsey
So, I would say about two years because, you know, we started the farmers markets, those run all year long. So, you’re doing that. But then we would get involved in like other groups. So those groups for like, say, associations, so like accounting firms, a lot of CPA firms that we got involved with. associations like the ANC. So that one is really like hospitality based and going through those and being able to like market and cater to those is where we found a lot of interest and just, you know, the product took off there. And so, you know, really there’s so many groups and things to join out there when you like are an entrepreneur that it’s almost like process of elimination, like, okay, try this didn’t work, no big deal. We’ll try something else, you know, just going through that list and like, finding what speaks to you and who, as the person you are, you can vibe well with, based on the service you provide and how you like to communicate, who’s the group and target audience that will respond to that?
Victoria
How did you So one of the things that our professor, Dr. Lahm, is always kind of trying to hammer home is, like you said, it’s about relationships. So when you identified these organizations, it was other business owners who were like, hey, you really should probably pursue this, or is it something that you just intuited, like maybe I should try to check, how did you know to connect with those associations and other groups?
Lindsey
Yeah, so it’s really, it’s a little bit of both. So, at first, yeah, you’re going to put together, I would put together a list of like, okay, who would I like to connect with? Whether it’s like owners of businesses or maybe wedding venue owners or catering executives, like who’s the target market I want to reach? Again, it’s that process of elimination of like, okay, so maybe this group didn’t really respond well, but this group did, so I’ll gravitate towards them. And then once you get, say, that group interested, it is also a word of mouth. So if they like your product and you communicate well with them, then they themselves will recommend you as well. So that’s where that relationship really comes in is like, yes, do your due diligence of who do I want to connect with? Say it’s like five different groups of people, see which one takes and then, you know, build that relationship with them and they will eventually talk about you and hype you up to you know, others in their circle. Or what you could do is find other individuals exactly like that and then connect with them. And so, you know, just finding the path that speaks to you and that people respond to and then like homing in on that path and then eventually it will do the work for you.
Victoria
Did that help you? basically like, I think I can vibe with these people, right? Did that help you kind of overcome some of your natural hesitancy to kind of put yourself out there when you’re like, I think I can work with these people? Did you use rely on your intuition to feel a lot of things out?
Lindsey
I think yes. And yep. And then also, you know, just It is a little bit of like having to put yourself out there. You know, there’s always that initial intro of like, okay, this might work, it might not. But yeah, I think so in terms of, you know, really homing in on who not only shows interest in your product, but also that vibes the same way. And so, when I say that, I mean really being able to have the same, you know, basic foundation that you have. So, like for us, we’re B2B. And so, we really don’t have to focus on those that sell in retail because it’s just a different like target market. But for being able to find, but for being able to find others that are a B2B based mindset, you know, the thought process and the response is like better and different. And so, yes, in a way, like being able to vibe with those that are in your same target market. Yeah, you have to put yourself out there because always intro is gonna be like. you know, you gotta you gotta introduce yourself and be like, hey, this is what I do. But yes, so when you when you home in on the target market that you’re looking for. And yes, if you vibe well with a certain group like for us again, B2B like Yeah, definitely sticking with that and you’re able to just have the conversation flow after a while because you know how these people think, you know how they work, you know what they’re looking for, you know how to introduce new product to them because you know what their goals are with using your product or service. So yeah, it takes a little bit of ebbing and flowing through the various groups that are out there doing the things that they’re doing. After a while, yeah, and utilizing your intuition and those that you think just like you could be a friend with, I think really makes a difference.
Victoria
I like that. And when you were, it really struck me just now, I had my own tiny little epiphany when you were like, basically you’re saying when you have the right target audience, when you’re working with your true market, it’s almost easier, right? It takes a lot of that pressure off because you both understand each other.
Lindsey
Yeah. And it’s like, there’s not like, like I’m not trying to sell them. I’m trying, you know, we’re building a relationship, we’re friends. And then if they use my product in the future, fantastic. And sometimes it’s used in the future, like next month. Sometimes it’s used in the future, like in a year or so. Sometimes it’s only used for holidays. And that’s totally fine. It’s like, there’s not that expectation. I think sometimes entrepreneurs can go in with the expectation of like, I’ve got to sell and stuff like that, and if you’re good at that and that’s where you thrive, go for it. But if you’re not, and like me, like selling is just like not it. And you’re just trying to like show, you know, and create a relationship with an individual and show them the use of your product and, you know, build, you know, a reputation with them. It’s more of a long-term goal, but it is very rewarding. And it’s a way to do it that’s not just constantly homing in on, I got to sell a product. For me, it also is just very peaceful. And I think that’s the biggest thing, especially for an introverted entrepreneur to find. You don’t want to constantly be on the edge of, oh my gosh, I have to do this, but I don’t want to do this. There’s always going to be those moments of you have to rise to the occasion. But if you generally Perhaps you don’t like selling and you’re like, this is not the route I want to go. Relationship building in a B2B space, like that’s what I found is just a great avenue for me.
Victoria
I love that. I work in sales and marketing, and I have for a long time and sales. I am, people think of salespeople as like in this stereotypical.
Lindsey
Like the car sales guy that you gotta like, you know?
Victoria
My approach is to say, look, you know, sales is about. presenting your value, presenting what it is you can do for them, and being really transparent. And one of the things I use, I run a business development team, and one of the things I use, because ultimately, like I said, you still have to rise to the occasion, even when it’s not easy.
Lindsey
Always. There will always be that, yeah.
Victoria
And one of the things I teach my team is I’m like, look, when people kind of poo-poo you a little bit, we’ve got a lot of research to identify who our audience is, and we know that, but we’re also outbound prospecting. And so, people are like, when I woke up this morning, I didn’t expect to talk to you. let me, and I say to them, this is what you say. we are a great product, but we are not a perfect product for everyone. And if you can just give us 5 minutes to kind of talk with you a little bit more. We can feel that out. And if we’re not, we’re not. And we move on. And if we are, then maybe we can talk further, right? And I think it’s about honesty and transparency. And you have to have a clear conscience.
Lindsey
Yep, exactly. You have to know what you’re selling and why it’s great and honestly believe it. Yeah, I think that’s half the battle. Because if you don’t believe in what you’re selling, like.
Victoria
We are meeting with people. So B2B is really interesting to me, right? Because it’s super easy for somebody to have an account with Harry, Harry and David and have it expensed and just, you know, have a secretary click a button and send it out. So how do you differentiate yourself? What makes your product different?
Lindsey
So, I would say one of a lot of the things that, again, business owners want to convey to their clients is just genuine interest. And so, yeah, other producers do a great job. I mean, I buy Harry and David’s pears. I think they’re fantastic. And so, but I will say that a lot of business owners because they’re doing, they’re out here doing the same thing we’re doing. They’re looking to make a genuine connection with their client, with their customer, with their employee, and just let them know that, you know, hey, we are here. Thank you so much for everything you do. We appreciate you. And that genuine idea is where kind of we come in. So, we customize a lot of our product, you know, for the business. So, you know, on the wrapping, we’ll have a business logo, we’ll have a personalized note that we write from the business, you know, on behalf of the owner, you know, to the client. And we also hand deliver or, you know, we’ll ship. And so, the hand delivery and everything just being that it’s a genuine product, they know who made it, they enjoy that the chocolates are good, and they appreciate the fact that we are so personal and that we provide a really personalized product that people will remember is why they gravitate towards us. And I also think that the biggest, second biggest reason is, second biggest reason is convenience. So, we take care of everything. So, we make the chocolate, we package the chocolate, we write out the note, we either send it to the client or send it to the business owner, depending on what they prefer. And it’s just a very seamless, easy process. So, with Harry and David, I think it’s all about convenience. Like a lot of producers, it is all about convenience. Like, hey, I can click this button and do this. You can do the same thing with us and we take care of everything, but we’re also personal. We have that relationship. You’re able to really understand the product we’re producing for you. We walk you through everything. thing and then you get a great product at the end of the day that is reasonably priced because we run on a wholesale like style operation. And so, I think that it just homes in on so many pain points for business owners like I can connect with my client with a genuinely great product that they’re going to love. It’s customizable to my business and they will write a note on behalf of me, so I don’t have to do that. But the client thinks I wrote it, so it’s great. They’ll ship it for me, so I don’t have to either ship it or drop it off, which is fantastic. Or I need it for an event, and they’ll drop it off at my venue for me. This is perfect. I think that’s really where we found that niche idea of I think North Carolina is very big on local, which is fantastic, and I think that helps. But it’s also the fact that we’ve built this genuine relationship with our client. Our client knows that we’re able to get all these things done for them, and they just have to like to sign the check and then. good to go and they receive great feedback. And I think that’s also a big thing. It’s like at the end of the day, their clients call them about, thank you so much for this product. We love this, this and that, you know, appreciate you. And so, it ultimately, like if they’re happy, I’m happy. So that’s what we try to do is just make our clients happy and like fulfill a pain point that typically is difficult to fill.
Victoria
Yeah, I like that too. even just doing the Harry and David, right? so even if you do a little card, it’s computer printed.
Lindsey
And 250 characters, that’s like.
Victoria
Yeah, it’s not even as long as a tweet. And that they sent this gift basket to 100 other people, right? But if you have a law firm who’s got a highly valued client or you have, like you said, I was thinking the whole time you’re talking, I was like, North Carolina is super big on local, which I think is a super special thing about being here because our community in general prioritizes that. I also think too, to your exact point, I know somebody had to really think about me, right, to do this. wasn’t, they didn’t just go online and click. Like they really thought about me, the personalization, and that makes it really special. And in the same way you want to build relationships with them, they want to build relationships with the recipient, and it just comes full circle. So, I think that’s, I think it’s really, really cool. So, let’s talk about, I know that you talked about networking associations. How have you managed like publicity for yourself? Let’s just talk about publicity more than advertising per se. How have you done that or do you even do it?
Lindsey
Yeah, so Publicity. If I would say for us, we don’t really do a lot of like marketing. We don’t really run a lot of ads. We’ve done a couple in the past with you know, magazines local to this area, and they’re fine. I wouldn’t say they’ve yielded a lot. It’s Partially because, you know, you’re gonna write off of being able to do marketing. So, but for us, really what we focus on is building a connection. And so, it’s a lot of in-person events. And mainly we do this because we have chocolate and people need to try it in order to like it. You know, it’s tough to do a marketing push for a product, at least in my case, that is not widely known. And when I say that it’s not like a See’s product, it’s very niche. It’s very customizable. It’s not something that you’re going to see on the shelves because we make to order. So, it’s not necessarily something that we prefer to like to sit there. And with that, what we’ve strived to do is just build a good reputation. So, we go to a lot of conferences, we go to a lot of events, we go to a lot of open houses, like wedding open houses, we go to a lot of wedding events. And there it’s just really about First, meeting people, explaining our product, having them try it, and then just continuing to attend these style of events over and over because that’s where you build the reputation. people see you more often than once. They see that you’re out here supporting an organization or a goal that they also support. So, you know, that’s appreciated, you know, they get to know you and then they get to see like how you can fit into, you know, their daily life and how you can help them. And that in itself is its own form of marketing. It also does cost money as well, you know, attending these events, providing these samples, your time, sometimes your time is all weekend, sometimes your time is, you know, throughout the week. So, it has its own goals and its own requirements. Also, what we do is our past clients, we make sure to visit them, say like once or twice a year with just new products that we have available. Not only that, but with thank yous because if you’re a gifting company, you kind of have to do the same thing as well that you’re selling. So just with our own thank yous, and that’s where we really try to customize our product to their needs to just show them like, hey, we really care about your business, and we appreciate you spending money for the holidays last year. And so That’s really the route we’ve gone. And I will also say we do this because our target market isn’t on Instagram really. Our target market isn’t really looking at a lot of ads. Like our target market is a business owner that’s getting up and serving their clients every day. And they don’t really have time to kind of like scroll through and find someone like they want someone that can fit into their schedule. And that’s what we do. We’re able to, you know, fit into their pain points and provide them with a service that helps that. And so, we have like a newsletter we’ll send out, you know, we do have social media, and we’ll keep up with that just to, you know, say like, Hey, we’re real, we’re alive. Like, yeah, you know, we’re not, we’re not fake products.
Victoria
You would need something, right?
Lindsey
Yeah. Something to identify us. You know, I’ve done interviews like this. I’ve gone to speak at a couple colleges for entrepreneurship. So that’s really kind of how we do our marketing and publicity. And not only is it in my wheelhouse, which is what I prefer, but it also is fulfilling. You know, being able to do an interview like this, being able to talk to young college students about how fun it is to sell chocolate, being able to talk to wedding vendors about these awesome little customizations that we have for their couples. Like that’s really where we thrive because it’s, our most important thing is again, getting samples in people’s hands and sharing why we love to do what we do. I love that. That’s our branch. Yeah.
Victoria
And it seems to, that personal connection and relationship building is a common thread from your first answer all the way here. And I did want to, I was thinking as you were speaking, event marketing is equally valid, especially when you consider your target market, right? Like you said, your target market is not on Instagram. Like we recognize the need for that social or digital presence because it is validating in some way. It’s like your storefront or business card, but your audience, that’s not where they are, right?
Lindsey
Exactly. Yeah. And for those people that thrive in that area, that’s awesome. For us, it was just a different path we took.
Victoria
Yeah. I know that we are about at time. I just wanted to ask you very quickly, for any new entrepreneurs, people starting out, for me even, I have an idea and I’m, it’s one of those things that’s scary about pulling the trigger, but conversations like this and work I’m doing in school is kind of, I’m inching closer, closer. Yeah, absolutely. At what point did you say, I’m just going to do this?
Lindsey
So, I had started the business in California, and for us, what we had done is really just started making chocolate and giving it to people. So, I would give it to friends and family, try this, let me know what you think. And then just listening to customer feedback of just like, hey, this is what we can be improved on. Have you thought about this target market? Have you thought about reaching out to realtors for their closing gifts? That’s kind of how we grew. I would say that for young entrepreneurs, the thing you’ve got to do is just start. You know, you have to rise to that first occasion. And whether that first occasion is attending a farmer’s market or going to a meet and greet or even just like getting yourself out there in terms of going to public speak a little bit, like you have to just start Yeah, you’re gonna pull, yeah, you gotta pull the band-aid off because what it’s gonna do is even if you have a horrible experience, it is gonna show you what you don’t wanna do. You know, like, hey, this wasn’t great, so I’m gonna stay away from this group and maybe I’ll focus on this group to see how, you know, how they respond. And while I’m at this event, maybe I’ll ask people for feedback and maybe one of them will provide me with something that will take me down a different branch. Yeah, I mean, we can spend so much time perfecting our product and making it good. But if we’re not out there getting it into people’s hands and they’re not trying it and they’re not taking our business cards, then, you know, it’s not really going to yield much for us. And I think we’ve gone through like thousands of business cards.
Victoria
I bet, I bet, I bet. You know, I think it’s, you know, one of the things, again, most of my BDRs are very, very early career. And I think the biggest way to learn is to screw it up. Because you won’t be so traumatized. You won’t do it again.
Lindsey
Yep. Fall on your face. Maybe spend some money you didn’t want to spend on an event that didn’t turn out great. And then you know what you want to stay away from. And then you’re able to focus on, okay, this didn’t work. Let me see if this helps. What’s the route I can go down for this? Nothing. And I think another thing is it doesn’t have to be perfect. When we started, we got our website up, we had a business card, it was fantastic, and we had samples, and that’s it. We didn’t have a bunch of things to hand out. And that’s really kind of what we focus on. We just focus on the basics of what we need. And that usually translates into a great customer service. Yeah, you figure out the rest as you go. And not only that, because you don’t know everything. And the best way to find out the things you don’t know is to listen to people. And the only way to do that is to go out there and engage with them and give them your product or your service and see what they think. what they think. But, you know, every thought is and every opinion is helpful because it, you know, it gives you feedback. And at the end of the day, we’re all, you know, serving our customers that are out there. And so, we have to hear, you know, what they think. And so you just got to get out there and just do it.
Victoria
Just do it.
Lindsey
Yeah, it’s just got to like to take that first step, even if it’s a small little event or, you know, One of the things we did is sent out a box to a potential client and hopefully you hear back and just try and see what works and see what doesn’t work. Like again, we attended those farmers markets for a year. They didn’t work. So, we stopped doing that. We shifted towards, you know, more corporate events and those did work. But actually, it’s fun because a lot of the people I see at these corporate events or wedding events are people that I saw at the farmers market when I used to do farmers markets. So, you know, small world. And people will remember you. And that I think that’s the biggest thing is like getting out there and building that reputation. So, people recognize you by more than just like, you know, you talking to them.
Victoria
Well, Lindsay, I want to thank you so much for your time and I hope we can continue this relationship as I pursue my own journey. I really appreciate it. And I’m going to if it’s okay, I’ll also after Probably a little bit later because I’m at work. No worries. I do have to send over a release to you. It’s a requirement of the class to make sure that I’m not doing anything I shouldn’t be doing. But I’ll also have a write up and I want to share when I get that done, I want to share all that with you as well. And again, thank you for your time. Thank you for your advice and your guidance. And if there’s ever anything I can do, just let me know, okay?
Lindsey
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I’m more than happy to help. More than happy to answer any questions, you know. All I can do is talk about my journey and how things worked out for me and how things didn’t work out. So more than happy to have conversations.
Victoria
Awesome. Thanks, Lindsey. You have a great day.
Lindsey
Thank you. Have a good day. Bye.
