As Delicious as They Are Beautiful

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Megan Babuska, owner of Classic Cakes, located in Carmel, IN, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We join people on their best days, their most memorable events, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries. At Classic Cakes, we provide the most delicious cake, designed any way you can imagine. If you want your cake to be a 3D Millennium Falcon, your wedding cake hanging upside down from the ceiling, or if you want to join a cupcake of the month club, you are our kind of people!

Tell us about yourself

I am a single mom entrepreneur. I have always believed that people, individual people have the power to change the world. And I naively think that I do too. I am working hard to change the way our industry cares for its employees. And I'm starting that fight by leading by example. I am also a business coach & I hope I can use that influence to help other bakeries & restaurants strengthen their businesses and reevaluate their care for their employees. We will have stronger, more sustainable businesses for it.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My goal is to change the way employees are treated in the food industry. As a business owner, I get told I am working against myself, I will fail, or that I don't know what I am talking about. But the truth is that if you take care of your employees, they will take care of your business, your customers & each other. I see this every day. It is no longer my opinion; it is proven every day when my employees work together to do 50 orders & 80-100 ready-made cakes a week. After 26 years in business, we just had another record-breaking year in 2021. And my team is constantly developing their skills & encouraging each other to grow. We are the best at what we do & that is because my people are the best. I am so proud of the work they do & what they are creating. I love that I am the facilitator of this.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The hardest thing about being a business owner is the weight you carry. This is something I thought I knew, but you can't really "know" it until you've lived it. I am a single mom, and this business has to do well to support my family and the families of each of my employees. That is not something I take lightly. I am responsible for making sure my employees can pay their bills & support their families. That's a heavy weight.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

As a business coach, I always tell people you have to find something that you love to do and create a way to make money around that. Cake is not my passion. Cake is the vehicle I use to connect with people: my staff, customers, and community. My passion is caring for people, and I get to use my business to live my dream. That is where the true reward is.

Understand that you are going to fail. Almost definitely, a lot. Failure is not the time to stop. Failure is when you pause and look at your plan. Your plan can always change, but never your goal. Learn from your failures & keep working toward your goals.

Take care of your people. I wish I could say this to every business owner. TAKE CARE OF YOUR PEOPLE. No one will ever care about YOUR dream the way you do. If you want people to work hard for you, be reliable, and stick around, you have to take care of them. Pay them well, protect their environment, show them you are grateful to them.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.classiccakescarmel.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassicCakesCarmel/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/classiccakescarmel/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.