Insider to Insider: Sukai Crook, Owner of Dreamy Gelato and Chocolates

I’m very excited to introduce our Insider today: Sukai Crook, who is the owner of Dreamy Gelato and Chocolates in Atlanta.  In my mind, the words “dreamy” and “gelato” are practically synonymous… so I think the business name is BRILLIANT!  I love hearing of how Sukai has built her business based on a series of trips overseas and brought ingredients, recipes, flavors, traditions, and the art of desert-making to the United States.  You must head over to her website and look at all the lovely delicious imagery of sweetness.  YUM!

Sukai Crook
Owner, Dreamy Gelato and Chocolate
www.dreamygelato.com
Atlanta, Georgia

Why did you start your business?

I can’t say that I dreamed my whole life about starting my own business, or that I wanted freedom from the corporate world and rat race.  I truly believe that I was born to be an entrepreneur. I love creating, imagining and making things happen.  My parents own several businesses in Africa so I grew up watching entrepreneurs in action.

I started Dreamy Gelato and Chocolates because I wanted to bring a piece of truly exceptional European desserts back to the US with me when my expat tenure ended in London. To master my craft, I trained in Italy to make gelato and trained in England to make chocolates.

Life is good when your job includes international travel and eating sweets all day.

What book do you recommend to new business owners?

As an entrepreneur, I recommend constant reading and continuous learning about anything and everything. Don’t be narrow minded and read only books in your current industry; you never know where you will get inspiration and insight.

If I have to recommend just a few books, my Bible would be the first because it is my road map for life. Secondly, I would recommend books by John Maxwell, Robert Kiyosaki and Jim Collins.

Do you have any cool goal-setting tips to share with us?

I always set goals. I set formal goals and informal goals. Sometimes I grab a napkin or piece of paper and start documenting goals. My goals always have outputs. I like to be specific and quantitative; this way there is no subjectivity (I either hit my goal or I did not). I frequently set extremely high goals that are difficult to achieve. Fortunately, I agree with motivational speaker, Les Brown, that it is important to shoot for the moon because even if I miss, I’ll land among the stars.

What do you find to be the biggest challenge as a business owner?

As a small business owner, one of my biggest challenges is staying out of the details and focusing on building the business. My first year, I was happy working in the store every day.  However, as my business grows and improves, it is important for me to hire and keep the ideal employees and then spend my time focusing on strategic initiatives. Finding and keeping the right employees is a challenge, but critical to the success of the business. As the economy improves (and it will improve), it is important that I am focused on aiming Dreamy Gelato and Chocolates for the moon.

If you were starting your business all over again, what would you have done differently?

Absolutely nothing!

I have had so many challenges as a business owner. There have been days where I have just sat in the shower and cried. However, without my disappointments, I would not have figured out how to succeed. With every setback I get that much closer to success.

Thanks Sukai!