We love our clients. We also love entrepreneurs and sharing their insight, wisdom and beginnings with you. Here we introduce you to Jocelyn of Grandbaby Cakes. It’s delicious. Enjoy.
Tell us a little bit about your start up story? How did it begin?
It all began quite organically. I have been surrounded by bakers all of my life and never thought it would become a career for me. In fact, my career goals were more along the lines of television and film production which is where my career started. However, God of course had a different plan.
I randomly brought a cake to work one day and started receiving orders out of nowhere. When the orders continued to pour in, I became very overwhelmed and stopped selling cakes. I just couldn’t handle the growing word of mouth with just little ole’ me and my small apartment kitchen.
I took a break and started baking again for fun and instead of selling my baked goods, I decided to share the recipes and photos on Facebook instead. It was less pressure for me, and I enjoyed the process even more.
I wasn’t making the same cake day in and day out and was able to really tap into my creative energy and skills of recipe development and photography I never knew I had. Last year, a good friend told me I should start a blog and as they say, the rest is history.
Many entrepreneurs start their business due to a defining moment in their life, what was your defining moment, where said “I need to be in business for myself?”
A couple of months after I started my blog, I received an email from a reader. At that time this was quite a surprise because I wasn’t sure anyone was even reading my blog! Her message was so moving. She told me how much she adored my blog and how the caramel cake changed her life and tasted just like the cake her grandmother used to make for her. It was the thing I truly needed at that time to keep me going on this track of blogging.
Describe being and entrepreneur versus an employee in corporate America. What do you enjoy most about working for yourself?
I adore having the final say when it comes to my work. At the end of the day, my brand is a representation of me so there is no one else responsible for it but me. It is a scary thing but also the most rewarding thing there is. It means the sky is the limit and no one can stop me but me.
I don’t have to sift through office politics and subjective views or wait for someone else to deem me worthy of promotion and praise. The validation comes from my hard work alone.
If you were able to go back in time, what would you tell or advise your younger self, who just started her own business? What was your biggest “growing pain?”
Don’t Be Afraid!!!!! The biggest hurdle most of us face when branching out is fear. It is so much easier to have a dream than to actually make that dream happen. Settling is just plain easier.
Where do you see you company in the near future?
I truly see a bright future for Grandbaby Cakes. I see cookbooks, television, events, and product lines coming your way sooner rather than later. I want to move beyond people seeing my business as just a “blog.” I view Grandbaby Cakes as a brand or as my friend would say, a “movement.”
What is most valuable thing that you learned working with Lifestyle Zen?
So many creative small business owners miss the boat when it comes to legal services. It just seems like a service that we don’t “immediately” need so we put it down on the priority list due to finances. As a blogger, photographer and recipe developer, I have learned that all of my creative work needs to be protected or it is worth nothing. That’s where Lifestyle Zen comes in. I am so glad to know my brand and its future is in incredible hands.