We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Melissa Randall from Baking with Melissa a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Melissa, appreciate you joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

Every virtual baking event or baking birthday party that I host is created and customized with the client in mind! No event or party is exactly the same! I host baking events for all age groups so that you can be 5 years old and create beautiful designs or 70 years old and still have a lot of fun creating and baking! Before I host my events, I ask the client questions and get to know the group that I am hosting events for and customize the events based on this information!

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?

My name is Melissa! I am the owner and creator of Baking with Melissa a Baking Party Entertainment Company based in Los Angeles! I host virtual baking events for Employee Engagement and Client Meetings all over the world! And I am known for my in-person Baking Parties, Cupcake Challenge Parties, and Cupcake Decorating Parties and Events for Kids and Teens in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas! I created my business back in 2011 and have been doing this as my full time gig since 2014. What sets me apart from others? Well, you can’t miss me when I walk in the room! Everything about my business is bright, fun, pink, and branded! I bring all of the dishes, the ingredients and the FUN to your location and create a positive and exciting baking experience for all of the participants.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Back in 2020, when the pandemic hit and the stay at home order was in place, all of my booked clients for upcoming in-person parties cancelled their events with me. Suddenly, I was faced with all of my income being taken away. I didn’t have any savings or a back up plan in place. During the first week or so, I was really stressed out and I didn’t know how I could possibly survive when I couldn’t work with people in person anymore. So, I called my mom (she’s my number one advisor)  and she said “you have always been really good at creating something from nothing, so maybe you can dream up something new like you always do”. And that night, I went to sleep and I when I woke up, I knew exactly what I was going to do! For many years, I have always wanted to host my own kids baking show, so I decided that I was going to create my own show live in my kitchen! I went on social media and I contacted my old clients and I invited people to join my free baking party on zoom! Bring your own ingredients and join in on the baking fun! After the success of the first week, I ended up offering free baking parties for all ages every Sunday afternoon for about 3 months! Then I expanded and started teaching (paid) baking classes online to people of all ages all -over the world. Just like my mama said, “just dream up something new” and that is exactly what I did! Now my business is both online and in-person and I have a blast doing both! There’s something so lovely about having a mix of adult virtual baking classes during the week mixed in with in-person baking parties on the weekends with kids and teens! I feel so grateful that I was able to dream up something new and expand so quickly!

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I started my business with zero dollars and a belief that my dream was possible! At that time there was no one hosting baking parties so I couldn’t find anyone to be a mentor or help me figure out the steps on how to run a business like this. So, I just started putting together everything based on what I thought might work. I didn’t have any money to invest, so my mom gave me my first Kitchen Aid Mixer, a friend of mine gifted me new head-shots for my website, a woman I know made my costume dresses at a discounted rate, someone else paid my first year of the hosting of my website! And I was able piece together everything little by little with the support of the people who believed in me! What a gift that was!!! To have people believe in your vision and then help you create it! I will never forget how much my life changed during that time. I felt so supported and I still do.

Contact Info:

• • • Website: www.bakingwithmelissa.com
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bakingwithmelissa/
    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bakingwithmelissa
    • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bakingwithmelissa/
    • Twitter: https://twitter.com/bakewithmelissa
    • Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@imglassie
    • Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/baking-with-melissa-los-angeles-2
    • Other: TikTok: @BakingWithMelissa

Image Credits
I own the right to use all photos how ever I wish