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

Hi Mikayla, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I’ve never been a stranger to the kitchen. Growing up, my house was one of the gathering spots for all my friends. I was always cooking or baking something and sharing it the people I loved the most. I enjoyed learning how food worked and behaved as I explore different recipes and dietary lifestyles. When I graduated from high school, I asked my parents if I could go to culinary arts school. They told me I could once I retired.

In the fall of 2014, on the campus of Tennessee State University, I found myself baking cookies to hand out to potential voters as I ran for Miss Hale Hall. Even though I didn’t win, this opportunity afforded me leftover ingredients that I would use to bake another batch. My friends and I had ate cookies until our stomachs hurt, but we still had an abundance left over. It never occurred to me to sell them but once the suggestion was made by one of my friends, a dream was born. I returned to campus, sold the cookies in the matter of minutes, and determined that I could do this every week!

With a new hustle in my heart, I realized that I was still missing a few key ingredients. I didn’t have car, consistent transportation to the grocery store, or a kitchen to bake in.

Every week I secured what I needed and would bake and sell cookies on the campus. VenaCava from its conception was literally made from nothing.

I called my parents and told them that I started a baking company. From this point on, I have never looked back. I continue to make the world a better place one cookie at a time.

Learning how to bake helped me discover my passion for food. My passion for food is rooted in me wanting a better life for my family, my community and myself. I created VenaCava Baking & Co. as my means to teach nutrition education. Cookies are introduction.

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?

Mikayla is a beacon of wellness, a lifelong learner and brings nearly a decade of entrepreneurial leadership experience, having launched VenaCava Baking & Co. a small batch bakery with over 40 gourmet cookie recipes, in 2014 during her freshman year of college. VenaCava prides itself on their menu’s dietary inclusivity and believes that wellness is palatable, and cookies are the introduction.
Mikayla is a certified yoga instructor based in North Nashville and self-identified “cookie sommelier.” She strives to create safe spaces where indulgence and wellness can coexist. She uses cookies as her introduction to clients and communities to teach nutrition education and uplift communities through the power of food. VenaCava’s notable clients include Citizens Bank, Urban League of Middle Tennessee, The Local Distro, E.G.M.C, Gershman Smith, Cross point Church, Corner to Corner, Guidance Whiskey, Hydrate the Hood, Hola yoga studio, Aveda of Green Hills, Tennessee Titans Kristian Fulton, San Francisco’s 49ers Oren Burks, US Embassy EU Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis.

She has made media appearances on Cookies with Khrys a YouTube and Instagram show, Business that’s Black podcast, and been featured several times in the Tennessean. Mikayla has also completed two business accelerator programs Corner to Corner and Walker’s Legacy: Women Who Enterprise. She’s a double alumnus of Tennessee State University where she obtained her undergraduate degree in healthcare administration and her MBA with a concentration in leadership.

How did you build your audience on social media?

In undergrad I used to sell cookies on campus for dollar. I would walk up to people and say it looks like you have a dollar, would you like to buy a cookie. As I was building my social media presence, I utilized that same spirit of tenacity. I would post pictures of cookies all day every day until my found my voice for my brand. My advice for anyone starting to build out their presence is that consistency is the ultimate gift you can give yourself. Keep creating, keep posting!

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

Having amazing mentors that never hesitated to hold space for me or my brand
Seeking out relationships with other business owners and people in the industry, supporting their events and business.

Bringing cookies with me whenever I leave the house.

My customer base sharing our product with their networks

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/therealvenacava?fbclid=PAAaYhTt6Ujf_zgTrCczkrjRZVsajAfmwkwBxvtW_yQFDT1d5IO3E68Q5VDbY
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/therealvenacava?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikayla-jones-mba-b2688681

Image Credits
Tyre Grannemann IG: @visualsbytyre