We recently connected with Lupe Roa and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lupe, thanks for joining us today. Risk 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.

The biggest risk I have taken was quitting my day job to focus on my baking business. I won’t lie and say it was easy but it definitely has been very rewarding and way more fun than any of my previous jobs! The hard part of running my business was trying to find what my customers would like but also what I would enjoy doing without getting burnt out. On top of quitting my day job, I took another risk this year by only doing pop up events and not taking new custom orders. That risk has lead me to meeting so many other like minded business owners, making new friends and reaching more people than I could’ve imagined!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

The word Meraki is Greek and it means to do something with soul, creativity and love; to put something of yourself in your work. To me energy is everything. If you do something with good intention, the result will be positive. I never want to work with bad intentions or if I’m not in the right head space, trust me I tried once and the outcome really disappointed me. I always try to work and present myself only when I’m in good spirits. I had to take a few breaks this year because I was burnt out mentally and/or physically but I always come back refreshed and ready to keep on baking!

I started off making only sugar cookies but realized I wanted to do so much more than just that. Now I make cakes, number/letter cakes, cupcakes, cake cups, cakesicles, poptarts, brownies, cookie sandwiches, churro cheesecake, cereal krispies, cinnamon rolls, huge chocolate chip cookies, and my favorite… chunky funky macarons! I’m working on expanding my gluten free and me vegan items so stay tuned for that!

I see myself as a happy, colorful baker. I like to incorporate colors into all of my bakes.
My brands colors are pastel-y cutesy colors. Think pink and blue cotton candy skies but add a lil bit of Pantone very peri, sea-foam green and a smidge of yellow. But honestly i love everything colorful!

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

As I mentioned previously I quit my day job when Meraki was almost 3 years old. I learned to balance my time by working two jobs which has helped me now running my business.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

What has helped me the most is doing market events and building connections with people. Often times people will come to my table and mention they saw me on their friends/other business accounts they follow and wanted to try me out. Interactions like those make me feel special and like my work is actually making people feel good, which is my ultimate goal. Doing anime themed events mostly at my FAV boba shop Onezo hehe, has helped me connect more with the anime community and create amazing character themed sugar cookies and treats! Can’t believe watching anime has become part of my job :’)

Contact Info:

• Website: msha.ke/merakibaked
• Instagram: @meraki_baked