BATON ROUGE — Small business owners across Baton Rouge were in the spotlight this weekend as part of Small Business Saturday. For many, including Cami Veasman of Smallcakes of Baton Rouge, the holiday season is both an opportunity and a challenge.

“No one tells you how hard it is to be a small business owner,” Veasman said, reflecting on the reality of running her bakery.

Veasman has been sweetening up Baton Rouge for two and a half years with cupcakes, ice cream, and custom cakes. She says the workload never really lets up.

On Small Business Saturday, shops across the city hope the increase in holiday foot traffic will help boost sales.

“It’s a give back to your local business owners,” Veasman said.

Even with community support, she says keeping a small business running is a constant fight.

“And I think that’s every small business, even when you’ve made it, it’s still a fight to survive,” she said. “You can’t sleep on it at all.”

Last year, Veasman went all out to attract shoppers, bringing in Santa and even the Grinch, but turnout wasn’t what she hoped for.

“I thought it was going to be a hit. I had the Grinch here, I had Santa here and everything, and it did not go that big,” she said.

This year, Smallcakes is offering coupons and gift cards with purchases to encourage shoppers to support local businesses. While shopping locally sometimes comes with a higher price tag, Veasman says there’s a reason for it.

“Small businesses sometimes are a little bit more pricier than going to a larger store, but the highlight is to understand how much it costs for one of us to be open,” she said. “At the end of the day, you’re also getting a product that those places cannot give you.”

Veasman left a career in nursing to turn her baking hobby into a full-time business. She says community support is what keeps her going.

“When you support a small business, you’re supporting a dream, and not just on Small Business Saturday, every day we need you guys,” Veasman said.

Veasman emphasizes that every purchase makes a difference, not just on Small Business Saturday, but all year long.