Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Amy Mucha, owner of Daisy Pops, located in Kent, Ohio.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My name is Amy Mucha, and I am the owner of Daisy Pops, a local cake pop bakery out of Kent, Ohio that is named after my youngest child Daisy—a true cake pop aficionado. We specialize in creating cake pops that are delightful, delicious, and bring joy to all our customers.
Tell us about yourself
In 2011, my mother-in-law bought me a cake pop book, simply because the book contained instructions to make a koala cake pop (I have always been obsessed with koalas). The koala cake pops were the starting point of me making cake pops for friends and family for fun. However, when my kids Peter, Charlie, and Daisy came around, the cake pop hobby got pushed to the back burner.
I started making cake pops again on the side when my oldest was in preschool and I wanted to give his teachers cute holiday gifts, and then made it an official business in 2018. All during this time I was happily teaching high school math and rolling my eyes at people whenever they would ask "Are you going to quit teaching to do cake popping?" But then Covid came and simultaneously 1) stripped away the relational parts of teaching that I loved and 2) made individually wrapped treats very POPular. After many months of discussions, tears, and prayers, I made the tough decision to retire from teaching in May 2021 and take on full-time cake popping--and no regrets so far! Last year alone the Daisy Pops team of a dozen pop artists produced over 113K cake pops, and this year they are (finally) transitioning out of my home bakery and moving into a commercial bakery and storefront. The goal of Daisy Pops is to add a little extra joy to their customers' days one cake pop at a time, so seeing the smiles on people's faces after enjoying a pop is the sweetest reward!
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment so far is quitting my steady, full time teaching job to dive headfirst into cake popping, and being able to employ a dozen other pop artists!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Being the last rung of your own business ladder. The whole weight of the business lies on your shoulders, and no matter how good you are at delegating, the final decisions and responsibilities lie with you.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
1) Make good connections with the surrounding community (especially other business owners).
2) Have a good social media presence.
3) Learn how to delegate early on!
Anything else you'd like to share?
Whenever people ask me my favorite thing about the business, I always say it's the people: my co-workers, our customers, the businesses we collaborate with, and the people behind the local organizations that support businesses. It is a true joy to meet so many people through this business!
Where can people find you and your business?
https://www.instagram.com/daisypops_cakepops
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-mucha-1b3975156/
https://www.facebook.com/daisypopskent
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.
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