We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Natasha Ragin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Natasha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s easy to look at a business or industry as an outsider and assume it’s super profitable – but we’ve seen over and over again in our conversation with folks that most industries have factors that make profitability a challenge. What’s biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

The biggest challenge to profitability in the baking industry is the rising costs of ingredients such as flour, sugar and diary products. Also the rising cost of supplies such as cake boxes, treat bags and decor. These costs can fluctuate due to many factors like weather conditions, supply chain disruptions and market demand, which can squeeze profit margins for small businesses. Competition in this industry is massive making it essential for bakers and small business owners to be different when it comes to making and creating quality products. You must stay innovative and have great marketing skills to maintain profitability.
As I grow my brand there will be other challenges such as labor costs, commercial costs for space and consumer preferences for healthier or more luxurious desserts.

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

My name is Natasha Ragin, 51 owner of Eat My Cake Too…..I am born and raised in Harlem, NY…..I started EMCT when I had my daughter and she was turning 4 yrs old I didn’t have time to pick up a cake for her birthday because at that time I was a full time Fedex Driver and a Full time MOM… so I decided to make her a care bears cake to take to her daycare at the time and like most individuals find the passion for baking is they start baking and trying different flavors. Then my creativity started to flow. I enjoyed making special cake for special occasions and everlasting memories. Eat My Cake Too is a one stop shop for cakes, delicious homemade treats and toppings. Our favorite treats are our Lemon cookies, Banana pudding cookies and the 8oz cake jars. We love to customize birthday, small wedding and all memorable family events and celebrations. I had a client doing a baby shower for her best friend and the person she hired to do the decorations cancelled on her at the last minute, she called me to pick up her order and was crying. Once she told me her situation i was able to call around to supply stores i frequented and was able to help her find someone, that’s when i realized how i have built community relationships with local small business where we can help each other out when needed.
I am most proud of my commitment to not give up on a dream turned vision now becoming a reality. Building my brand Eat My Cake Too has truly been a journey and a battle. The journey has been to stay true to what I believed in and not allow any negative vibes, thoughts or energys to knock me off my path. The battle has been bittersweet along the way from having a demanding career to raising my child then trying to consider starting a business. It was May 2016 when I was accepted into the Prep for Success 5 week intensive course at the Hot Bread Kitchen located in Harlem, NY where I began to learn more about how to run a business but honestly was not ready to take that leap at the moment but I still decided to obtain my business license. Still being a Fulltime Mom with a very active scholar who was doing karate which I did with her, involved with her stepteam in which I missed no shows and also traveled with the team to then becoming a dancemom with a Fulltime Career as a delivery driver for Fedex. All that to say how did I really think I could start a business right? But iI kept going, praying and believing in my dream. By Sept 2016 I was then accepted into the 1st cohort at the Harlem Business Alliance program called the Lillian Project. The Lillian Project was a Harlem-based incubator designed to educate and empower budding women entrepreneurs in the community.
When I say my dedication and commitment to build my brand was so rock solid. In 2017 EMCT had the opportunity to have my own PopUp at a local bar lounge and this was before Popups was as popular as they are now. From there I began to do various PopUps while building a clientele who loves my Custom Cakes and Treats. I created a Logo and started getting familiar with how social media can help get your brand seen and noticed. 2018 I made the decision to go parttime and focus on getting my child thru her senior year in high school while also giving my brand everything I had blood, sweat and alot of tears. 2019 I dropped off my 17 year old daughter to begin her journey as a college student at her dream school HBCU the Illustrious Clark Atlanta University. Being a empty nester I began to pour into Eat My Cake Too dearly and have since been apart of the 4 day Famous Food Festival in Deer Park, NY, Uptown Night Market Harlem, Ny, Harlem Bazaar Harlem, NY , Bronx Night Market BX, NY. Nov 2021 we appeared on the Donna Drake Show on TV55 first media interview ever. I never gave up I kept going.
2022 I became one of 10 women entreprenuers who recieved a upstart grant with UP Project (Unleashing Potential) is a private entity that provides funding in the BIPOC community to individuals who have shown their potential through commitment to and idea, tenacity, hard work and a sense of practicality. Thanks to the NYUL my brand was recognized and became 1 of 10 Up Grantees. We bacame more community based collaborating with a harlem based daycare Small Adults in the Making by providing birthday cakes and treats for the children also offered discounted cakes for low income families I called it the pay what you can promotion because every child should celebrate they birthday.
2023 Eat My Cake Too was one of many amazing vendors at The Taste of Harlem sponsored by NY Women’s Chamber Of Commerce one of the biggest tasting events of the year in Harlem. Free to the community all you can eat and drink. We was also a vendor for East Harlem Nights in August apart of Union Settlement of East Harlem a community based program that provides opportunities small business owners.
We have done various Pops Up in Harlem and even was a featured vendor at the Westfield Garden State Plaza Mall at the Sistah Shop. As we begin to start planning for the holidays and the end of the year 2023, we look forward to starting 2024 really huge with more focus on the business side of the brand…..Stay Tuned.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

There are a few books I have completed that have had a significant impact on my entreprenueral journey.

Here is a list of them:
– Start with Why by Simon Sinek
– The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
– The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins
– The High 5 Habit by Mel Robbins
– You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero
Currently reading E-Myth by Michael E Gerber

These are some amazing books not just for business growth but also for personal growth as well.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Pandemic 2020 was the time when I had to pivot in life, career and business in that exact order. Life got flipped upside down New York City was the hardest hit state to deal with the most deadly pandemic my generation has had to experience. For the world shutting down to having to be called an Essential worker who still had I get up everyday and move about in a the City that never sleeps. To witness my city be placed on pause and see it be a complete ghost town was so heart breaking. For my my upcoming business i had to put EMCT on the shelf for a whole year and had to deal with what life was throwing at me. But I stayed focused and prayed up….If I had any advice for anybody looking to start they own THING……..BELIEVE IN YOURSELF NOT MATTER WHAT.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/eatmycaketoo
• Yelp: Eat MY Cake Too
• Other: Google Search as well Eat My Cake Too Thumbtack.com/Eat My Cake Too