We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Karen Leming a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Karen, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
As a young woman, I started a career in Emergency Services because I wanted to help people in an exciting, badass-job. I loved driving the big trucks, swinging the “irons,” and blasting down fires with the hose. Because I’m a small woman, I had to work extra hard to prove that I could hang with the good old boys; and I was determined to be the best. It was a wonderful time and I learned a lot. When I gave birth to my son, everything changed. I needed to be there for him and I needed to slow down my pace a bit so I transitioned to a career in administrative healthcare, which offered a secure 9-5 stability. Life passes you by so fast when raising a child as a single parent, and I put aside my dreams for a time to be a mom and provide for my son. As the years drove on, I started feeling alienated in my career, feeling like an important part of myself was hidden away. So I started doing some thinking behind the scenes, always jotting down notes and ideas about how to put myself out there in the world to share my love, hope, and positivity with anyone and everyone out there. Baking always came naturally to me, since I was a child baking in my Easy-Bake Oven. Just like in Emergency Services, I wanted to be the best and I felt like I could bake some great stuff. In high school, I baked my boyfriend a special, custom-made star-frosted Mickey Mouse cake and it looked and tasted so good that my Dad said “if you can do THAT, you can do anything!” In 2020, the pandemic hit and the healthcare field was going crazy. I ended up saddled with the workload of three people and burning out fast. At home in the evenings after work, I baked to decompress from the stress of work. More and more I realized that I wanted to take my next step, a big one, to work for myself doing something I love and share it. Baking has brought so many smiles and such peace to people that I love, and seeing their smiles got me through some trying times. It’s one thing when it’s your family and friends, but it’s another thing entirely to set up a business and share your gifts with the world. I wondered how I could do it thinking “is this even possible? What if I fail? I’m not professionally trained; will people take me seriously?” Deep down I knew that I had to give myself a chance, be brave and set up shop to create Baking Amor! By stepping away from my 9-5 career job, I would be leaving behind the comfort and stability of a regular paycheck, but I also knew that if I put my heart and soul into it, I could build something that I’m proud of. I dove in. All the way in. I read books and articles, listened to podcasts, watched videos and learned everything I could about starting a baking business. I could make some wonderfully tasty treats but starting a business is more than just making the product. I learned that there is never a perfect time or a perfect situation to get started, you just have to do it and I was doing it, one day at a time. Standing on the precipice of starting my business was terrifying in some ways but freeing too. I took the leap and instead of falling, I am flying! All it takes is a decision in spite of the unknown, having faith that I would be okay no matter what and letting go of my doubts.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Baking has always come naturally to me, from the times baking with my Mom in the kitchen, using my Easy-Bake oven in childhood, through my teenage years in home economics class, baking for my friends, and my life as a mom, daughter, and wife, baking for all of my loved ones. After I became disillusioned with my 9-5 corporate career, I decided to strike out on my own to share a part of myself with the world. No matter what challenges I endured through life, I never lost hope and I continued to love myself and those around me by making tasty baked treats. Becoming a baker was a dream of mine and life is too short to compromise your dreams. I took the leap to start my baking business, Baking Amor! centered around the idea of love. I love to bake. Baking and sharing it with others shows love. By sharing love, we can make a better world, starting in our home and reaching out to the community, the city, the state, and so on. I am proud of where I come from. Born and raised in New Mexico, I was adopted when I was 36 hours old by a Caucasian couple, but my ethnicity is Latina and Italian. I love to express that in my baking, which is why I decided on the business name of Baking Amor! and why I love to incorporate many New Mexican, Spanish, and Italian flavors in my baked goods. I am proud of how hard I have worked to get to where I am today, making my dream a reality. I think what most sets me apart from other bakeries is my mission and my unique products.
Baking Amor! is a big-hearted home bakery specializing in mini treats, spreading love and positivity. Our smaller sized treats are designed for savoring taste, mindful enjoyment, and focus on the experience. Our sweet and savory baked goods are made from locally sourced, organic ingredients when available and baked using eco-friendly practices. Bigger is not always better (and can cause sugar overload, overindulgence, and regret) but with our smaller sized items, you can enjoy a treat with confidence that you won’t be knocked off balance in your mind and body’s journey. We offer our love with everything that we bake, something more than a passing moment of taste and in its own small way, helps to bring more love and joy to this world. Baking Amor!’s aesthetic brings you to days-gone-by, where people shopped in their community and everything was local and crafted by hand with care. The 1950’s vintage vibes are part of the experience, recalling the nostalgia of a period where communities were built on relationships forged in the “real world,” not a digital space. The warmth of a handshake, the brightness of a smile, and the excitement of a “Hello!” greeting are call backs to something simple and comforting.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
For years I just baked for fun. At first, I just did it as “favors” and for free. As I baked for more people and more special occasions, the feedback about how great my products were was surprising and gratifying. From there, I decided to make it a side hustle, giving my usual 110% to make beautiful and delicious treats to an expanding circle. I had tried many big company pyramid hustles, but never loved them enough to fully invest. What I learned is that the best thing to do is invest in myself; make extra money doing what I love. So, I began taking orders for close friends, family, and their friends or coworkers. As that grew, the pandemic hit, and I did some serious rethinking about my life goals, I decided to take my side hustle to a new level and make it my full-time career! When I first started it was easy enough to buy my supplies here and there out of my paychecks. As I grew and wanted to scale up, I really had to budget with my husband and set large amounts of money aside for the business. My key milestones were when I launched my business on social media to start marketing and selling, then when I applied for my first “Pop-Up” event and got approved, the whole thing took off! It was a Christmas/Holiday market where over 30k people attended and I continue to get regular bookings for this upcoming year.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Social media is an art form and is my second favorite part of what I do. Baking of course is always number one, but marketing on social media is a very close second. It takes a lot of time, but it is worth it. In 9 months I have grown my followers on IG from 0 to 400 without assistance or paid marketing. That’s 400 people that I have touched in some way just by sharing all the love and positivity I can put out there. I am super proud of that! I spend hours watching/researching what music, content, reels, etc. are getting the most engagement. Then from that and my own imagination/craft, I build content that fits my niche and genre. I have learned that it is important to keep content going, so I try to post 2-4 times a week. I am still a one-woman show, so this is challenging at times. My best recommendation is to get a lot of content (pictures and video) when possible, then spread it out over time. It is also important to show your face and not just the product. I get more engagement when my followers see “me”.
Contact Info:
- Website: Pending
- Instagram: @bakingamornm
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bakingamornm
Image Credits
Nicole Bridges – Nicole Bridges Photography