Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Michele Penman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Michele, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Success requires alot of hard work and sacrifice. Starting/running a business means you might miss out on hanging out with friends, enjoying days off or getting sleep, but the rewards of being your own boss is worth every moment. The feeling of accomplishment and purpose is incredible.

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?

I have always enjoyed baking. I used to be the person that always brough baked goods at potlucks. I never thought about making it my career let alone starting my own business. Then, in 2013, I was given the opportunity to attend culinary school. That was a life changing moment for me. Attending culinary school presented my first set of challenges. At that time, my daughter and I were homeless, she was still in middle school, I was working part time and was very active at my daughter’s school. I graduated culinary school in April 2015 and my daughter graduated middle school in June 2015. I worked at various cafes, but baking was still my passion. I got hired as baker with a company that handles the food for various A list events including The Emmys and BET Awards. Those experiences were a lot of fun but also a lot of hard work, attention to detail and long hours. I then got hired to be a baker a SoFi Stadium. There, I not only made desserts for the 2 NFL teams that reside there, I also made desserts for the different concerts and other events there. The last event that I worked there was the Superbowl. In 2022, I transferred to AT&T Stadium. While I was working at the various jobs and improving my skills, I often wondered if I was “good enough” start my own business. What would it be like to create my own menu, do my own inventory, do my own networking, create my own brand and be my own boss. In 2024, I got very serious about being my own boss. I began networking, I found out how to book credible vending events, gained 4 clients, rebranded myself and learning everyday about to be better businesswoman. One thing I am VERY proud about was that I was able to turn a profit after my 6th event. What I want my customer to know about me and my product is that I put love into everything that I bake. I am also very proud to say that I use as much locally sourced ingredients in my products from farm fresh eggs to homemade vanilla extract.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Over the past year, I have grown my social media audience by about 50%. What I have done is, when I go to vendor events, I meet at least 5 people and we follow each other. If I buy a product from a vendor, I make sure that I give them a review of their product. I also use ALOT of relevant hashtags to the picture that I post. My biggest challenge is remembering to take and post pictures of the things that I bake.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Two things that have helped me build my reputation in my market is honesty in all that I do and using fresh, locally sourced ingredients. If a customer wants to know if there is anything that they are allergic to in my products, I need to know the answer immediately. If a customer asks if I can make a certain item that I can’t make, I give them my honest answer.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Michele’s Cupcakes
• Facebook: Michele’s Cupcakes (The Baking Ninja)