I am a huge believer in the saying “do what you love and the money will come." Being a creative person, sitting behind a desk all day was just not for me. I did try out the corporate world for a few years but always knew that it never felt right. I have been doing graphic design for about 12 years now on my own and I can now say that there is nothing about my work that I don’t enjoy. As a hobby, I started baking for friends and found that this would also be my calling. I always put my own spin on recipes and eventually started to get a feel on formulating ingredients for just the right texture and taste. I tried out cupcakes for a while with rave reviews, but quickly became bored with seeing them EVERYWHERE. This is when the "cake bite" was born! I then became addicted, and had to give away the cake bites I would make to avoid eating it all!
I knew that I was on to something when my friends and family would start to request them on a regular basis. One friend in particular said to me, “You should sell these.” That is when I made the decision to do just that! I do have the added bonus of being able to do the entire design and marketing myself, so it was a natural process to design the logo, business cards, and website.
I then realized that I could not cater the cake bites without a commercial kitchen; so baking out of my home was not an option. This is where talking to people about what you are doing is key! I happen to also enjoy organizing events, so I contacted Sopo Lounge here in Chicago to use their venue for a Holiday Bazaar that I am organizing. I mentioned briefly that I bake as well, and the owner told me that they were revamping their menu and were looking for a new dessert item. He told me that the cake bites would be perfect, and I said well that would be perfect because I need a commercial kitchen! Literally overnight I now had all the pieces in place to start selling.
It might sound hooky, but during this entire process I had constructed vision boards and mentally concentrated on my goals. Being aware of opportunities and listening to others was a huge component on making Cake Bite Girl happen. The next step will be online ordering, which will be happening soon after the New Year! See cake bite girl at
www.cakebitegirl.com
Submitted by Jamie Arlin,
Jamie Lynn Designs/Cake Bite Girl, 847-452-9956, info@cakebitegirl.com