Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Thornton
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My love for baking started as a kid, watching my mom create fun themed birthday cakes for my brother and me each year. I’ll age myself by admitting my first baking experiments were done at a young age in an Easybake Oven and I am proud to say my skills and my utilities have advanced two-fold from those days.
Back in 2020, when Covid brought a halt to most social activities, I found myself with way too much time on my hands and eventually found solace in baking fun treats for my boyfriend (now my husband). There was one tiny issue- he’s not a sweets guy; while he enjoyed the creativity, the treats were piling up and I surely wasn’t going to eat ALL of them myself. That’s when I got the idea: maybe I could start a small business and sell my cakes and cupcakes! The thought of spreading joy through my creative outlet was exciting.
It started with a giant birthday cake with a surprise Smirnoff Ice bottle hidden inside (if you’ve heard of icing someone – we got them good with this cake). From there, I started getting orders from friends. I created an Instagram account to showcase my bakes and as time went on, my skills advanced and my business started to grow.
Today, I am proud to say that I am 100% self-taught and I pride myself in creating cakes that are inspired by my customers. Baking is like therapy to me and I absolutely love seeing the joy it brings to others.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Baking is a science, it’s a careful balance of ingredients – the same can be said about starting a small balance. You need the right amount of resources, time, passion and tenacity. As a self taught baker, I have definitely had to learn the hard way about time management, how to properly price my work and how to deliver top quality products.
In the beginning I often underestimated the time it would take to complete an order – the attention to detail, the step-by step process it took to complete an intricate design. There were a few orders that kept me up through the night – happy to say I finished them with the help of several cups of coffee! To that note, I also didn’t understand how to charge my customers for an order. It wasn’t until I started working on complicated orders that I realized why most bakers charged so much for their work. A slice of cake is so much more than just that: it’s slice of a much larger piece of art. I like to think we are not just bakers, we are cake artists and the cakes/cupcakes we design are specially created one by one.
I also had to learn the hard way about structural support. Early on, I did not fully understand how delicate cake was and how easily it could crumble under the weight of decor. I designed an adorable farm cake and crafted a barn from rice cereal treats to place on top of the cake. My customer picked up the cake and followed my cake care instructions, but within a few hours, the cake split apart from the weight of the barn decor – I was mortified. I refunded the customer in full and was so upset with myself for losing the time and money. When I look back on this, I am so glad that I learned just how important it is to add the appropriate supports into cakes, especially since I have gone on to make multi-tiered cakes!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in made-to-order customized cakes and cupcakes. I would say I am known for my attention to detail, customer service and creativity. I am most proud of the fact that I am 100% self-taught. I’ve continued to advance my skills just through practicing, watching tutorials and trial-and-error.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I’ve always believed in having the mindset that I’d rather try and fail, then to never try at all. Starting a small business is a huge risk. I’ve had to invest a lot of time and money into having the proper baking tools and gadgets and I’ve spent a lot of time in my kitchen honing in on the craft of baking. Although this is my small business it’s also considered my side-hustle. I have a full time 9-5 job so I am often juggling my time. It was a risk to move forward with starting my business but my passion for baking has outweighed the risk and sometimes, I have to remind myself of this!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cakesandcups-bylauramichele.com/
- Instagram: @cakesandcups_bylauramichele
Image Credits
all photo are mine
