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

Alright, Courtney thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

Honestly, when I was in 7th grade I took one of those career aptitude tests and it told me that I should be a chef. I was so steadfast and hung up on becoming a doctor so I totally ignored it and went on to university on a pre-med track. It wasn’t until my Senior year in college that I realized I could not continue going to school for 8-10 more years so once I graduated I took a job in the medical field but hated it. That was around the same time that I started baking as a business. If I had just listened back then I would have been able to save myself time and not be in so much debt going to a private university!

Courtney, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Courtney Ngoc Nguyen, certified Cottage Baker and Owner of “The Flour Petal Bakery,” is a 26-year-old on fire with the passion of life and following her heart and where God is leading. While just a lamb out
of the womb, this lady has the drive of 10 men.

Courtney grew up in a single Mom household and seeing her life-mentor having to go through Chemo
treatments and still work is where she gets her drive. Courtney says, “it was heartbreaking to see my
Mom get up every day to go to work and support our family and then drive herself to Chemo
treatments; but I watched how strong she was day in and day out.” When Courtney was old enough, she
started babysitting to help her Mom and soon was carrying a full college load and classes.
An interest twist is that because of the chemo treatments, “Mom” couldn’t sleep and so she would bake
all night. Courtney would wake up to the wafting scent of cheesecakes, cookies, or cakes just coming out
of the oven.

Her fondest memory was making Carrot Raisin Salad with her Mom. She says, “It felt like I was shredding
carrots for hours and hours. One year we forgot to go get the carrots and I threw a fit. So, early that
morning Mom walked with me to the grocery store to get the carrots so that we could have Carrot
Raisin Salad.” It’s just a special dish for me and this is where my love for baking flourished. With my
Mom.

Courtney’s first baking memory on her own was for one of her Mom’s birthdays. She was 14 at the time
and making her Mom a rainbow layered cakes in mason jars. A funny catch is that It looked “pretty” and
you could see the definition of color topped with sparkler candles, but the taste was just awful. No
matter, this was the catapult that launched Courtney’s love for baking.

Courtney’s journey into her flourished and successful baking career started in college when she was too
poor to go out to eat with friends and would cook and invite them over. The positive feedback from
friends and family confirmed her talent in the kitchen. Courtney graduated from Baylor University with
two degrees in Biology and Chemistry and a minor in Spanish and Public Health.

Even with the degrees under her belt, Courtney couldn’t find a job and with her Cottage Baker
certificates in hand she began baking cakes, cake pops, cookies, or just about anything anyone wanted
to buy. Courtney remembers, “This baking income is how we paid for Medical Center parking, food for
the week, gas, and the basics to just get by.” And then something beautiful happened, all the positive
feedback that flourished from these local baking gigs really boosted her confidence to see what else she
could do and how far she could take owning her own company – thus The Flour Petal Bakery was born.
Having a quality product is important to Courtney and this means word of mouth marketing has
flourished her into baking being her full-time career and she is absolutely having a ball. Courtney has
grown her company from just herself, to having an assistant that keeps track of bookings and scheduling
and Courtney has every plan to embrace this growth over the next few years, or in God’s time, to open
her very own The Flour Petal Bakery storefront right here in Cypress, Texas.

Courtney’s unique trademark is decorating cakes with fresh flowers and it springs to life the very
essences of her cakes. This signature of adorning her cupcakes and cakes with fresh flowers and hand-
crafted embellishments such as gold leafing, Macrons, and chocolates continues to rapidly grow her
base of clientele. Trust when I say, these toppers are truly a work of art that these beauties are simply
too pretty to eat, but one bite, and it’s a heavens kiss on your lips.
Courtney is truly a champion of her Cypress Community too. In partnership with Velma Perez of Cookie
Gram Tx, they have started an organization for Bakers in the Cypress and surrounding areas to help
other Bakers grow under the Cottage Law, to navigate the pitfalls, and provide guidance and
constructive direction so that other like-minded Bakers can be successful in this tough and labor-
intensive industry. Courtney stated, “We believe that there is enough business for everyone, and we are
a Foundation that encourages and helps Bakers as a whole become the best they can be living in their
passion and surviving in their careers.”

The Flour Petal Bakery is also a partner to the Metta’s Local Eats Dine Out for Charity and are donating
1.00 for cupcakes and treat boxes sold, directly benefitting Cy-Fair Helping Hands and The Lucky Mutt
Rescue. Courtney is also involved with Two Lives Changed which is a ministry organization for Teen
Moms to find resources, medical care, and to be connected to a network where help is extended
throughout their pregnancy process. The Flour Petal Bakery donates one cake per quarter to their
Quarterly baby showers and it brings such joy to see these young ladies who typically get overlooked in
their lives, spring to life in the wonderment of a custom-made cake in celebration of their journey and
newborn to come.

There truly isn’t anything else that Courtney would rather be doing than to be a productive part of her
Community and putting stunning baked treats and cakes into your homes and hearts. She gave up a
career in her field for which she acquired a double degree to just bake and bake and bake. This is her
passion. This is her dream. This is her future.

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

In the Cypress area we are big on community involvement and giving back. I currently partner with so many local charities that directly impact our community in a big way and I also helped start a network for bakers in our area to connect and provide a local resource for those who are just starting to build their cottage baking businesses. I think giving back without expecting anything in return is the biggest way to put positive out and get positive back.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

100% of this business is word of mouth whether that’s asking past clients to leave reviews on our page or for them to recommend us to their friends directly. Otherwise I would spend all my time trying o sell cakes rather than baking and delivering them. For this reason first class customer service is an absolute must. We must treat every client like they could be the ones who help us go viral.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theflourpetalbakery.com
• Instagram: www.insagram.com/theflourpetalbakery
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/theflourpetalbakery

Image Credits
Rachel Black Civic Photos Rachel Driskell