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

Molly, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

Growing up, I was always envious of classmates with a clear vision for what they wanted to do with their lives, like my older brother. I’ll never forget watching him in front of our family TV with a hockey game on mute, doing his own play-by-play commentary. Broadcasting was his passion and he knew early on exactly where he was headed.

At one time, I thought broadcasting would be a good fit for me, too, and declared that as my major. Upon graduation, I worked several years in broadcasting before realizing the 24/7 news cycle wasn’t my thing.

Although I held various jobs after that pivot, none were my forever love. When I found baking, though, I finally felt career fulfillment. Once I realized my hobby could turn into more than a passion project, it felt like all the transferable skills from my previous roles were supporting my new business. From hospitality and customer service to marketing and client communication, all my skills aligned to support my new endeavor.

For years it felt like my career path lacked direction, but as soon as I realized how much my previous jobs supported my true passion, it was like a light bulb went off. Even after four years of baking custom cakes for clients, I still pinch myself that I’ve found a career I love so much.

To answer your question, would I have liked to start my business sooner? Sure. It would have felt rewarding to find this path at a younger age, but to be honest, the winding path I took ultimately led me to exactly where I needed to be and armed me with the skills to be successful. I guess you could call me a late bloomer, but my journey was well worth it.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

What started as a simple birthday cake for my daughter in May 2019 quickly turned into a passion for baking. Having not come from a baking background, I was fascinated by the practice of creating smooth edges, crisp white buttercream and, most importantly, creating cakes that taste as good as they look.

After that first cake piqued my interest, I found myself looking for any excuse to bake cakes. Friends with upcoming celebrations and parties became test cases and I quickly built my artillery of baking tools and techniques. Soon, I was approached by friends with requests to create confections for birthday parties, graduation parties, and more. Initially I had a hard time charging friends and considered my cakes simply a hobby or gesture of friendship, but they always insisted. Their insistence made me realize this could turn into a viable side hustle.

Through constant support from family and friends, I gained the confidence to open an LLC last year. My friends helped me with my company name, logo, menu, order form and online presence. Within a month, everything came together and felt like destiny. I never imagined I’d have my own business and that people would compensate me for creating a piece of their special celebrations, but here I am, baking away in my kitchen and so grateful for this journey.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect is watching someone’s eyes light up when they see one of my cakes. Their genuine reaction pushes me to give my best every time. I also love when customers comment that my cakes taste as good as they look. To me, taste is equally important as design, which is why all my confections are made from scratch, often using family recipes.

My customers are my constant motivation to keep honing my skills, learning new techniques, and tweaking recipes to perfection.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Since many of my cakes feature sculpting, painting, and other complicated forms of decoration, I often get asked if I have always been artistic. That question brings me all the way back to high school, as I reflect on where that passion was born from. As an infant, I had awful ear aches, ear infections, burst eardrums, and more, which continued as I grew up. As a result, my language suffered. Learning to read and write is tricky when your ears are in a constant state of flux!

Fast forward to high school, when I was excused from the foreign language requirement, due to my hearing loss, which freed up my class schedule some semesters for extra art classes. I learned every medium and loved it all. This pivot in my education helped lay the foundation for skills I currently use at Molly’s Custom Cakery: painting, sculpting, etc. What could have easily been perceived as a negative was actually setting me up for success down the line.

It makes me think of my life’s path again. While it seemed unclear at the time, it all makes sense now. I feel so lucky to be where I am now and even luckier to realize, in retrospect, how all my jobs, career pivots, and education led me to the path I’m on now, owning a business I’m so proud of.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @mollyscustomcakery
• Facebook: fb.me/mollyscustomcakery

Image Credits
Maxyne Leanne Photography