When my husband took this photo, I had just brushed buttercream out of my hair and wiped a confectioners’ sugar explosion off the floor. My daughter helped decorate this sprinkle-loaded 6 inch cake and we’re celebrating something huge!
Milestone.
A significant marker in our lives pinpointing a momentous event. This month, I reached one and I hope you’ll celebrate with me. Afterall, I wouldn’t have reached it without you!!!
In December 2011, I started a food blog that unbeknownst to me would someday host 1,200 recipes used by millions of bakers all over the world. I still cannot wrap my head around it.
I feel I could easily turn this post into a novel with all that has gone into building this career over the past 10 years, but I will keep it short because truly—what I want to convey is just how thankful I am for everyone who bakes, trusts, shares, and enjoys my recipes as well as everyone who helped me get to this point including my absolutely wonderful and mighty SBA team.
When I pressed publish for the first time 10 years ago, I had no idea how much weight that mindless click would hold. My intention was to put cookie recipes in a place for my friends and family to see them, a solution I thought would be easier than emailing recipes to loved ones. I had a full time job and was absolutely not looking for a career change—heck, I had no idea that people even made a career out of food blogging. (It was rare back then.) I took pictures of cookies on paper plates with my fancy new smartphone. I typed vague instructions on my blog, uploaded a photo, and forwarded the link to loved ones. That’s it. That was my food blog. Instagram and Facebook pages were barely new at the time—social media for content creators was in its infant stage. Recipe videos were mostly limited to cooking shows on TV.
So what happened in the past 10 years?
Well, I built a brand from scratch! In 2011, I had never picked up a fancy camera before, never wrote professionally, never owned a business, never managed employees, never wrote a book, and knew nothing about website development. But I had passion and grit—and I believe both are the secrets to entrepreneurial success. I began to build a community who would soon share my recipes with others and before I knew it 1 follower turned into 100 and then 1,000 and then 100,000 and now there are millions of bakers looking at my recipes and sharing heartfelt stories, memories, and traditions based around the content I’ve created.
IT’S SURREAL. THANK YOU.
It’s no secret that baking can spread joy and perhaps it’s become your hobby or an activity when you need to relax or escape. Thank you for making my recipes part of your world.
What’s next? A website refresh & redesign coming in January! Finishing my cookbook proposal so cookbook #4 can happen! Developing quality baking recipes, authoring my blog posts, taking all of my own photography, and managing a trusted and knowledgeable team! These are my professional priorities for (hopefully) more decades to come. But after 10 years of hustling, it feels remarkably rewarding to slow down and reflect on what I’ve created. And without YOU + my supportive family, friends, and team + all of the blogging friends I’ve met along the way, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.
Thank you so much for being here. Bake something delicious today!!!!
Happy Baking xo,
Sally
Congratulations!!
I’m a recent reader (i.e pandemic baker) but honestly if I learned how to do anything right it’s because of you. You made everything so easy and approachable and most of all– delicious!
Happy Holidays 🙂
Congratulations on your first decade! I truly enjoy your website/blog/recipes. I know that when I use one of your recipes that it’s going to turn out great. And it always does! Looking forward to what’s next. All the best!
Congratulations Sally! I’ve been following for a couple years now! Thank you for all the baking tips! Your recipes are always my go-to! Your tips and baking advice has helped me start my baking adventure and possibly lead to a business someday! My number #1 recipe I use is your sugar cookie! I know it by heart! Everyone loves them! I’m excited for your new recipes to come in 2022! Here’s to 10 more years!
Patty
Congratulation on 10 years! Truly enjoy all of your recipes and when looking for something new to try I always go to your site first. Looking forward to many more years with you.
Happy Holidays!
Happy Blogiversary! This is so exciting! Your recipes are my go-to whenever I need something. Not one has failed me yet so I thank you for one baker to the next for all your tried and trustworthy recipes and information. Keep up the tasty work!
Congratulations on 10 years, Sally!! I discovered your blog a few years ago when I wanted to embark on my first major baking project of making pie dough from scratch. Your blog ignited a love for baking that I am so grateful for. Thank you for sharing all of the recipes you have!! Here’s to another 10 years and many more! 🙂
Congratulations Sally, I have been receiving your receipts for about 3 or 4 years and I enjoy seeing them and have saved all of them. Thanks I love seeing them and trying some of them.
Dear Sally + team, congratulations on your anniversary, and many wishes for more great years ahead. SBA is the best!!!❤️
Congratulations! Thank you for all the help, hints, recipes. Great Job.
Congratulations Sally! Love your website.
Congratulations Sally, I love your website and you have taught this 67 year old man how to bake, successfuly! I have never loved baking due to many failures and while being a quite successful home chef, I’ve avoided baking. I have found a new passion for baking thanks to you. I’ve made many of your recipes and they have all been perfect. Thank you and wishing you many more years of teaching us how to bake.
Richard
Congratulations Sally! I’ve enjoyed seeing so many of your recipes and have tried many of them! Your easy instructions and videos compliment your recipes! Looking forward in the New Year for what you have in store! Thanks for the great recipes and Merry Christmas to you and your family and all the best in 2022!
Hi dear
Congratulations on your two digit anniversary.I was not once dissapointed in the recipies i tried.May God bless you and enlarge your territory.
Congratulations, Sally!! Your website is my go-to for dessert recipes. I love the fact that you are so detail-oriented in your recipes. It’s very helpful when you include information about how long the food stays fresh, make-ahead/freezing instructions, etc. And of course, I look forward to your cookie palooza every year! I used your sugar cookie and gingerbread cookie recipes for Christmas this year. They turned out great! Thank you!
Your hard work is very much appreciated. Here’s to many more years of sinfully sweet recipes. I hope that you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!
So happy for you. I have your first two cookbooks. Love your recipes and videos.
Thank you for all my your hard work!! Your recipes and kindness are the best
What a huge accomplishment Sally. You have been such an inspiration and you’ve worked so hard, it’s truly amazing what you’ve built.
I love looking at and trying your recipes, I have had so many compliments about my baking and it’s all because of you . Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge. Best of luck for the new year ahead.
Happy 10th Anniversary, Sally .. my fav. baker 🙂
Cheers !
Congratulations! What a huge milestone to celebrate! Can’t imagine what all goes in to creating an entity that results in making ME have a little easier time in the kitchen, better end results, and a community to share laughs and successes. You bring all of us together, and WE thank YOU!! 🙂
Congratulations Sally on 10 years!
I love your recipes and shared so many with friends and family. Your detailed instructions, videos, suggestions and hints are wonderful and so appreciated. Your recipes are always delicious and I know I can count on a real treat anytime I bake or cook one of your recipes.
Thank you for the 10 years and wishing you continued success!
Congratulations Sally! You’ve taken my home baking to the next level! With all the fancy celebrity chefs’ recipes on my shelf, I am proud to tell people I stick to Sally when it comes to baking! In Sally we trust!!
Congratulations.. Thank you for making baking fun and easy. Cheers to many more years!!
Congratulations!!! Your site is the best recipe site out there! I’m very excited for a new cookbook as well =D
Congratulations!! I share your site with all of my relatives and friends. I’ve learned so much from you in the short year I’ve been following you. I have 2 young granddaughters that love to bake and now I’m sharing the knowledge I learned from you with them. Thank you, God bless and I’m so excited to see what you come up with for the next 10 years.
Congratulations Sally! I bought three of your books for gifts for Christmas this year. One is a gift from my husband and I am enjoying it so much. Looking forward to your new cookbook. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, your family, and staff.
Thank you for doing all the hard work of figuring out what works and what doesn’t so the recipes work for us readers. I haven’t had one of your recipes let me (and my family) down yet! Best wishes for many more years of baking and family memories.
Congratulations!
Congratulations on 10 wonderful years, Sally, and thank you for sharing your love for baking with all of us!!! I first found your incredible site in 2018 following my niece’s engagement. Somehow I came across a link with your wedding cake on it. Wedding cake with Champagne Frosting maybe? I immediately texted my sister telling her she had to look at this incredible wedding cake with sprinkles. It was the best link I’ve ever stumbled upon!!! Seriously!!! Your passion for what you do shines through in each of your recipes. You’ve made baking fun for me again (and very delicious I might add), and I’m forever grateful to you for that!!! Here’s to the next ten years, Sally!!! All the best to you and your family for the holidays and the New Year!!!!
Whoop, Whoop…Congrats on ten years and all you have accomplished. I was fortunate to have found SBA very early on. I had suffered a freak fall and was recovering with not much to do but check out newly birthed baking blogs. I loved yours right form the start as I was interested in all the “science of baking ” information you provided. I can’t tell you how many recipes I have baked and how many people I have forwarded your site link to. I wish you all the best and continued success as you head into decade #2.
Congratulations and cheers to many more! Thank you so much for sharing all of your delicious recipes. I look forward to every single one of your emails.