We were lucky to catch up with Yahshimabet Sellassie recently and have shared our conversation below.

Yahshimabet, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

I love this question because I think about it every day. For me, life is all about figuring out how to be successful in everything I do. I want to be great, and that requires looking at my weaknesses and being honest with myself. Being successful to me, is all about my attitude and being accountable for what I want. Nothing is handed to you, if you want it you have to chase after it. This is something that I’ve intrinsically understood since I was a little girl and it’s taken me to beautiful spaces. I believe in myself, and even when I doubt myself, there is an internal compass that foundationally believes that I am destined and deserving of greatness. I have a vision of how I want to live my life and my values in my day-to-day reflect a trajectory of successful choices by continuing to be introspective about my thoughts, actions, and responses to life around me. It’s within my conscious awareness to do better and improve. I want to be accountable to my word, and show up when I say I will. Being on time isn’t about what other people think, but about feeling ready and prepared. It’s the same reason I picked out my outfit for school the night before.

Being successful is about playing the long game, and seeing the bigger picture. Sometimes it’s cloudy right now, but I have to see that the sun rays are still there behind the clouds. As Nipsey Hussle says, “minor setback for major comeback.” It can be so hard to see that in moments of doubt, and challenge, but that’s when it’s crucial to stay down and committed. I was watching something the other day and this man said, “Don’t quit when it’s hard. Quit when it’s easy.” it resonates so deeply that it’s become a mantra for me in moments of challenge.

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’m Yahshimabet Sellassie, and since second grade, I’ve imagined owning a cozy café, traveling to Paris to soak up its style, designing beautiful spaces, and working in fashion. All things I’m still excited about and working closer towards everyday.

In 2015, at age 12 I started Yahshi Bakes – an Oakland-based pastry studio and popup. Some of the things on our menu include chocolate salted caramel cupcakes, orange cardamom coffeecake, chai snickerdoodle cookies, and coconut passionfruit cake. Yahshi Bakes takes pride in using organic, high-quality ingredients that are locally sourced whenever possible. Our work reflects our commitment to sustainability and community while creating experiences through the nostalgia of food. Whether it’s a brown butter cookie paired with a cup of chai or hosting a luxurious tea party to spark a connection, I want my work to inspire people to slow down and enjoy the sweetness of life.

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

I’ve had to unlearn the belief that “I can do it by myself, I don’t need help.” Learning how to ask for and receive help has been one of the most important lessons of my life—and I had to learn it the hard way.

I was living my dream: working with former Black Panther Elaine Brown as a business consultant for the businesses at the ground level of The Black Panther, an 80+ unit apartment building in West Oakland providing low-income housing. At the same time, I was pursuing my business degree and securing a vendor contract for Yahshi Bakes to supply pastries for all Peralta Community College events.

I was on my way to school in an Uber that ran a stop sign in September of 2023. It stopped me completely. When I couldn’t walk without holding a hand, and needed help to make a meal for myself, I had to surrender completely and ask for help. I couldn’t do it alone. Nobody can, and I had convinced myself that I was invincible. In this time of recovery, I learned the value of support to build me up and to let people love and support me the same way I would show up for them.

Thank you to everyone who shared their love, prayers, and donations, and showed up for me and my family after the accident. I am so grateful for my community in the Bay Area and beyond.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When I started Yahshi Bakes in 2015, popups were thriving, and I often sold out. In Oakland, Yahshi Bakes became a weekend highlight, with lines stretching down the alley and customers bringing containers from home to stock up on my baked goods.

When the pandemic hit, popups became more saturated and it was a less lucrative avenue for my business to generate revenue. a lot of people turned their hobbies and passions into a side hustle, and it seemed like everyone in the bay had a popup. I found that I was more successful doing prepaid online orders, and starting a subscription box.

It made more sense for me to know how much to bake, and have predictability. This helped my numbers and made it less stressful for me to invest so much time and energy into doing a popup that could go both ways. Instead of repeating the same pattern and hoping for different results, I changed the formula.

Now, I’m focused on curating tea parties that give creatives and entrepreneurs a space to gather, dream, and enjoy a luxurious evening with a refined plated dessert menu, with assorted drinks. My inspiration was to combine my passions including pastry, fashion, music, and interior design. The next tea party will be themed, Lovers & Friends happening on Saturday, February 22nd in Oakland from 7-9 pm. There are 22 seats available and you can join the waitlist by sending an email to [email protected]. I can’t wait to see you there!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.yahshibakes.com
• Instagram: @yahshibakes
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yahshibakes
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yahshimabet-sellassie-953266209/
• Twitter: https://x.com/yahshibakes/?mx=2
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuyropT26-0Ru9xWW2vx45A

Image Credits

Yahshimabet Sellassie, Dana Plucinski and Naomi PQ