I’ve always had a slight fear of baking and I’m not sure why. Maybe because the three times I’ve tried to bake (cake, cookies, cupcakes) it ended with much disappointment and barely edible. I’m a good chef with meals so I figured I could bake. My mom and sister are great bakers, why not me? Since I lacked baking skills, my bake pans are buried deep in my cupboards, never to make an appearance again. That was until I got hooked watching all these baking shows on television – Ace of Cakes, Amazing Wedding Cakes, The Challenge (not all episodes were on cakes), Cake Boss and Ultimate Cake Off. After watching these shows for a few weeks, I got inspired to bake a layered cake.
I downloaded a recipe for Lemon Cake by Paula Deen from FoodNetwork.com. This recipe looked fairly simple, not too many ingredients or steps to follow, and best of all, I love lemon cake! I was filled with excitement as I bought all the necessities to make this layered cake and couldn’t wait to have a slice and show my proud creation to my husband.
Following the directions wasn’t difficult. Bake time wasn’t long. I thought, “Okay, I think this is going to turn out amazing.” The timer went off and I couldn’t wait to take my cake layers out of the oven. I opened the oven door and there they were…flat and the tops were lightly brown, meaning they were on the brink of burning. I was disappointed. I did see a trick on the cake shows, when a slight browning occurs they simply take a long toothed knife and thinly slice the top off. I was lucky I had such a knife and proceeded to move forward in my baking endeavor.
I did cheat on one step. I didn’t make my own frosting. I figured, “Hey the store has the flavor I want already, so I’ll just buy it.” As I put my cake together, I started to feel accomplished and giddy. Viola! Done! It didn’t look as beautiful as the cake photo from the site and the layers were about one inch in height. I cut a slice and had a taste. It was decent enough to eat, a tad dry. At least I followed through with my inspirational project and conquered my fear of baking.
This baking manifesto reminds me of when I was 22 years old and started my first business, a vintage clothing store in Hermosa Beach, California. The second hand shops I used to rummage through in San Francisco inspired me to open my own store. It was the early 90’s, when grunge was alive and bands like Sound Garden, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and Nirvana were changing music history. Used Levi’s were the trend along with Levi cords, original Penguin collared shirts, anything polyester with funky patterns and vintage leather jackets.
Having the entrepreneurial gene, I asked the original owners of Crossroads Trading Co. in San Francisco how they ran their shop and where they bought their merchandise? What was their percentage mark up on items? What do they look for in each piece? What makes it valuable? How do you find the real scores? How can you tell if they are? After doing all my research, I brought my knowledge back home to the South Bay in SoCal. I would drive around the beach areas looking at all the stores and vacant commercial spots. Could I really do this? How much money would it take? I started shopping at rummage sales and off-beat thrift stores deep in shady towns to gather merchandise.
I asked my boyfriend at the time if he thought I could pull this off? I valued his opinion because he was extremely intellectual. He of course asked me all the proper questions that I had answers for, all except for one, “Where are you going to get the money?” He was right, where was I going to get the money? I wasn’t making much working as a department store sales girl.
I had to do more research. I needed to ask the money question to a couple of successful, multi-millionaire businessmen I had the privilege of being introduced to. One of them said, “If I never took the risk and set aside my fears, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today.” The other said, “Don’t worry about the money, that will stop you in your tracks. It will come just believe in your vision.”
The above advice has never left me and I still live by it today. As I started to gather all my information about location, leases, costs, etc. I presented it to my mother. I convinced her that this would be a wise investment and a good experience for me. Luckily she saw my vision and helped me get a loan. My mom is truly a blessing. It took me about 10 months from conception to inception to fruition.
The night before I opened the doors of my store, Junkyard Exchange, I was anxious and couldn’t sleep. Then a flood of panic consumed me and I started to cry my heart out. I was staying at my mom’s condo that night and she came into my room and asked why was I crying? I said to her that I don’t have any idea what I am doing and why did I think I could open a store? What the hell was I thinking?! She told me that it was too late. I just need to suck it up and go for it. Of course everything turned out fine, I enjoyed every part of owning my store for two years.
Taking risks and setting aside fear gets harder as we get older and reality sets in. I’m in the process of starting a new business this year and yet again all the questions, doubts and fears arise. I just need to stay focused on my goal, believe in myself and my vision, apply the advice graciously given to me in my early 20’s, and know I will supersede all that I have accomplished thus far. My bit of advice to share: Do your research, keep collecting information, be patient and go for it. You can do it!
