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

Katia, appreciate you joining us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

After two years of hustling here and there, in November I was ready to give up my business completely and look for something that could simply bring in money. After losing my financial independence for a while, I was desperate and willing to take almost anything.

It was around November when I kept asking myself what else I could be good at. After all, I had spent almost 10 years building my business, and it felt incredibly hard to hit the mark again like I did when I was 20, just starting out.

I remember closing my laptop and saying to God, “God, if you want me to keep making desserts, I need you to open every door and send me all the work you want—I’m ready to give it my all. I just need one chance.”

Around that time, the holidays were starting—Thanksgiving, Halloween, Día de Muertos, Christmas. I began receiving invitations to participate in pop-ups, and those months became some of the busiest I’ve ever had. I was focused on producing large quantities of desserts in my small kitchen, recording every step, editing videos, posting on social media, fulfilling wholesale orders for coffee shops I was working with, and maintaining the same quality for both my loyal customers and the new ones.

For four straight months, I didn’t stop. I worked 12 to 16 hours a day. Then, finally in March, I stepped out of my house and was able to truly see the fruits of my labor.

I had made it through the holidays without getting sick, two more coffee shops reached out to work with me, I connected with over 50,000 people through social media, I improved my kitchen setup, and I hired help.

That fills my heart with so much pride and joy. We don’t always see the fruit of our efforts right away, and when I’m in that constant “on the go” mode, it feels like God pauses me and says, “You’re doing great. Breathe. Enjoy this.”

Katia, 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?

My name is Katia, and I’m a baker, content creator, and founder of Cupkate Pastry—a dessert brand that started from a deep love for homemade pastries and the joy of sharing them with others.

I started baking over a decade ago in my hometown in Mexico, and what began as a side hustle turned into a full-time business with its own storefront. Three years ago, I moved to San Diego and had to start from scratch—new city, new market, no community. It’s been a challenging journey, but also one of growth, creativity, and reconnection with my purpose.

At Cupkate Pastry, I create handcrafted baked goods—cinnamon rolls, cookies, loaf cakes, croissants —that I sell through local coffee shops and monthly pop-ups. I also share my knowledge and recipes online, with plans to launch an educational platform where people can purchase individual recipes, take recorded classes, and join a community of passionate home bakers.

I don’t just sell sweets—I create moments that connect people to their memories, their culture, or simply to joy.

I’m most proud of how far I’ve come while staying true to myself. Rebuilding a business in a new country has been no small feat, but through perseverance, storytelling, and quality work, I’ve built a community of over 50,000 people who believe in what I do.

For anyone discovering me or my brand for the first time, I want you to know that Cupkate Pastry is more than a home bakery—it’s a space where creativity, community, and care come together. Whether you’re enjoying one of my desserts, watching my videos, or learning to bake through one of my recipes, I hope you feel inspired, empowered, and a little more connected to yourself.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the biggest lessons I’ve had to unlearn is that there’s a time for everything—and that setting boundaries is essential, especially when you run a business from home.

It’s so easy to spend the entire day working, especially when it doesn’t always feel like “work.” But I’ve gone through seasons where I’ve worked two or three months straight without taking a single day off, and that’s when burnout starts creeping in.

So now, as a weekly or at least bi-weekly practice, I try to take one full day where I don’t do anything related to the business. And I won’t lie—it’s hard. I often feel guilty because I don’t feel “productive.”

But I’m actively reprogramming my brain to stop tying my self-worth to how much I got done in a day.

It’s a constant battle, but one that’s absolutely worth fighting.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I like to start with what I have and let my business grow at its own pace.

The first time I started selling cookies, I had $35 in savings. I used that money to buy ingredients and made my first sale. The next time, I had $70 to reinvest in ingredients—and eventually, I was able to buy my first KitchenAid mixer.

When I moved to the U.S., my first year ended in the red. Last year, I broke even. I’ve always preferred to invest the money I have instead of borrowing. I don’t see it as spending—I see it as planting seeds.

That’s how I approach it: some seasons are for sowing, others for harvesting. Right now, I’m in a season of building.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cupkate.pastry/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cupkate.pastry/
• Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cupkate.pastry?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Image Credits

Angie Huang for the first photo