We recently connected with Lexi Tuel and have shared our conversation below.

Lexi, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

I started my cake “business” while in culinary school, I believe my first year. I’m surprised anyone ordered from me, looking back my stuff took awhile to look good! I truly started leaning into it once I graduated in 2018 and started growing from there. I always worked full time jobs, sometimes an extra job on top of that. But creating cakes and treats definitely brought me a sense of pride and purpose that nothing else did. It was only until 2 months ago that I quit my part time job and started working in my cake studio full time; and I so wish I could go back in time and tell myself to take the leap sooner! There is only so much you can put into your business when your energy and time is divided into other avenues. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to take the leap into full time entrepreneurship, but there are times I wonder where I would be if I had done it just a little sooner. That being said, I love the people I’ve met along the way and I’ve had the chance to work with some amazing clients and vendors!

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?

I started baking at a young age, like I think most kids do, with my Grammy at her kitchen counter. I loved having that connection with her through food and I believe that as I grew up, I cherished connecting with others through food too. Enjoying a slice of cake or a sweet sugar cookie is a such a personal moment of joy, I love being able to create something people think about after it’s gone. When I decided to start selling cakes 5 years ago, I could never have imagined what it would look like today. I remember when my very first 3 tiered cake crumbled in the front seat of my Nissan Altima, in that moment I thought it was all over! Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to grow my business and brand into something I’m extremely proud of and love sharing. I love getting to work with clients and see their vision come to life through cake! There is always so much that changes with new trends, the possibilities are endless with what we can do next and that is so exciting.

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

Like I mentioned, I officially started working in the cake studio full time within these past few months. I’d like to say this was a long planned out idea, but in all reality it was was a last ditch effort to save myself and my business. Within the last year I was starting to feel very burnt out between my business, my job, and my personal life. This past summer i wasn’t sure Vanilla Bean would make it to see the end of the year. I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep going on this path, I thought I was in the wrong career and started looking into different options. When I was faced with letting go of Vanilla Bean or working somewhere else, I knew I had to give my all to the business or I would always feel like I had failed. I’m forever grateful to my partner Logan for taking the leap with me and helping the business grow, even in these few months! There is definitely more uncertainty and fear in exclusively working for yourself, but it so rewarding and I’m excited to see where this next year takes me.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Anyone that knows me, knows I don’t LOVE social media or Instagram in particular. But there is no denying that building your social media presence helps your business grow! I think the most important thing I’ve learned is engagement.. and this is actually something I enjoy doing! I love engaging with other vendors or small business owners and sparking up conversations. You never know who you’ll end up talking to or the opportunities that might come along.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vanillabeanbakeshopkc.com/
• Instagram: vanillabeanbakeshopkc
• Facebook: Vanillabeanbakeshopkc

Image Credits
Meg Smeed Photography