Meet Dennis Shatter | Co-Owner of Sweet Escape & Treats

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dennis Shatter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dennis, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Hello,
Sweet Escape & Treats is Michigan’s premier mobile dessert catering business! We travel all over Michigan serving guests desserts and ice cream at events such as weddings, graduation parties, corporate events, church events, and much more.
My name is Dennis Shatter; co-owner of Sweet Escape & Treats. I have a background in business management and marketing. I have worked in several industries over the years including manufacturing, food service, automotive detailing, and automotive repair. Ever since I was a young child, I knew I wanted to start my own ice cream business. I have fond memories of going up t the local ice cream parlor and saying to my mom “I want to do this when I grow up”. I chose ice cream because I wanted to help bring people joy.
After several years of saving capital to start my own business, I woke up one day and told myself “It’s time to take the leap and do this”. I didn’t want to keep punching someone else’s time clock. I felt scared, nervous, and a little timid… not knowing if this new path in life was going to work. With the support of my family and friends, I got to work every day doing research, making phone calls, and asking business owners for guidance and advice.
The other half of Sweet Escape & Treats is my business partner, Audra Smith. She is a highly motivated and incredible business woman with a lot of experience in business management. Together, we travel the State of Michigan serving guests delicious, delectable desserts!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
In early 2023, my business partner Audra and I started Sweet Escape & Treats in Grand Blanc, Michigan. We travel all over Michigan serving hard scooped ice cream and homemade desserts such as cupcakes, cookies, brownies, etc. We cater to events such as weddings, corporate events, graduation parties, church events, and much more.
In everything we do, we believe in reimagining the standard. We believe in embracing a different way of thinking. The way we break from tradition is by creating a truly unique experience for our customers and their guests. We make our desserts with love, using only the best quality and best tasting ingredients.
One thing that I love the most about starting this business is that we get travel all over the State; seeing new places and meeting wonderful, new people all the time.
To get where we are today, it took a ton of hard work and planning. Having an education in business management and marketing certainly has helped, but also working in several different industries has also helped. We have both literally been working 7 days a week since we started to get to where we are today. Sure, there is the occasional day off here-and-there, but even on those days, there is inevitably something that still needs to be discussed, planned, or talked about relating to the business.
My advice to any new business owner or anyone thinking of starting their own business would be to talk to as many people as possible first. Become a sponge to new and different ways of thinking. Talk to CEOs, managers, and most importantly… front line workers in your prospective industry.
I want people to know that starting a business is possible. It can be scary, nerve racking, difficult, and overwhelming at times. The key is to just keep moving forward. Take baby steps to get to the next level. I am guilty myself of trying to take to big of steps or try to get too much done in a given time frame, but learning to slow down and breathe helped a lot. It’s ok if you don’t finish everything on your list for today… the important thing is that you stay focused and keep moving forward.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take my friend to the Fenton Farmers Market on Thursday night. There are so many wonderful, kind vendors there that all have a passion for what they do. You can grab a bite to eat from one of the many food trucks and go shopping for produce as well.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’ve had several people in my life help me get to where I am today. My parents Caren & Dennis Shatter have helped me in countless ways. My business partner Audra has helped me so much as well… without her, I don’t think I could have done this. Gregory Cohen has been a great friend who has been operating his own ice cream and candy business down in Florida. His guidance and mentorship has been paramount in my pursuit of becoming a business owner. Having several friends to bounce ideas off of has been incredibly helpful.

Website: https://www.sweetescapeandmore.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetescapeandtreats/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sweet-escape-and-treats-mobile-dessert-catering-02960031b/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SweetEscapeandTreatsLLC

Youtube: @SweetEscapeandTreatsLLC

Other: https://www.zola.com/wedding-vendors/wedding-cakes-desserts/sweet-escape-treats

https://www.pinterest.com/sweetescapeandtreats/

Image Credits
Some of the photos were taken by Catie Eovaldi Photography