Conversations with Laynie Towbin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laynie Towbin.

Hi Laynie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers. 
In 2014, shortly after our daughter was born, our son was diagnosed with Leukemia. When his treatment was almost done in 2016, I knew I had lost myself a bit. I needed a creative outlet, so I started making cake pops for friends. Decorative cookies were just starting to get popular. I wanted to try those for my kids’ birthdays, along with cake pops. I posted some pictures to Facebook, and friends liked them. I guess the word got out, and people started to buy my goodies! 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Owning my own business has been the hardest and absolute best thing I have done professionally in my life. I have learned more about myself, people, business, and life in these last 8 years than most of my life. I mostly struggled with how to manage it all. I also struggled with mom guilt. Owning your own business is like another kid! 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Baked by Laynie is a custom-decorated cookie company. We also sell custom sheet cakes. I am most proud of my connection with my customers. I always want my clients to feel like friends, and to put them first. It is very important to me that they know the face and family behind our business. Supporting a small family-owned business is really special, and it is a choice. 

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Ha! I would say my mentor is social media, Pinterest, Etsy, Google… I have learned most everything from the web. 

I would also say I am very lucky to have a supportive family who I can bounce ideas off of. They are my most honest mentors. 

Cookie friends are the best also! We have an amazing community online, and here in town. 

Pricing:

• $7 each cookie

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bakedbylaynie.com/
• Instagram: @bakedbylaynie