If there’s one thing Jessica Cervantes can measure her success to, it’s balance. In 2006, at the age of 16, she created the first cupcake on an edible stick while still in high school—naming her budding baking business PopsyCakes, a recognition of its resemblance to ice cream popsicles. After winning first place in the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) competition against 25,000 high school students across the country, she went on to college where she expertly managed the demands of schoolwork with hundreds of incoming orders. If that was not enough, after delivering PopsyCakes to the Miami Children’s Hospital for several months and being touched by the interactions she had with patients, she decided to attend medical school. Her on-call visits, endless class schedule and intensive exams would have to coincide with her
bustling side job.
“I don’t think you ever reach the top,” she says. “There’s always something else you can do. In medicine, there’s new medical literature that you need to get updated on. The same thing with baking—there’s always a new taste, new dessert or a new idea.”
bustling side job.
“I don’t think you ever reach the top,” she says. “There’s always something else you can do. In medicine, there’s new medical literature that you need to get updated on. The same thing with baking—there’s always a new taste, new dessert or a new idea.”
That ambitious sentiment can be attributed to her upbringing. After immigrating to the United States from Cuba at six years old, Jessica learned how to bake from her grandmother (who pioneered the family’s move to the States with little money)—starting with flan and tres leche. She soon turned her baking skills, aspiration and work ethic into a brand that would land in the Four Seasons Hotel and Vizcaya Museum, all thanks to her high school business class’s final project. Jessica was first in her family to start her own business, and the company became the means to funding her education.
Her dessert required the perfect balance of ingredients. The consistency of the stick, the thickness of the cake and the delicacy of the coating would have to be just right so the treat would hold. Successfully getting it right, PopsyCakes has been featured in the New York Post and the Miami Herald, and it was served at NBA star Dwayne Wade’s son’s birthday party.
Her dessert required the perfect balance of ingredients. The consistency of the stick, the thickness of the cake and the delicacy of the coating would have to be just right so the treat would hold. Successfully getting it right, PopsyCakes has been featured in the New York Post and the Miami Herald, and it was served at NBA star Dwayne Wade’s son’s birthday party.
To learn Jessica’s recipe for success and what it takes to start a business when you’re still in your teens, read below.
Use the resources you have at the moment
I did something that was simple enough that someone at my age could do. A lot of people in the NFTE competition said, “In the future, I’m going to do this” and it would take $100,000 to start that company. For me, it had to be something I could do from home. Eggs, flour, milk and vanilla don’t cost that much and I knew how to bake from my grandmother. What made me stand out was that my product and my idea could function at the moment. I was doing what I said I was going to do, right then and there.
Evolve your idea
I knew that kids loved popsicles but they melt in their hands and they’re not very convenient for parents. So I thought, “Why not make cupcakes on a stick?” There would be no mess. As the company grew, I realized that there was so much waste with the sticks and they were dangerous. So that’s when I decided to make a completely edible treat. I first used a cookie stick but found the cake wouldn’t hold. With a solid chocolate stick, it would also melt in the kids’ hands. We finally did a candy cane version for the holidays before I turned to pretzels.
I did something that was simple enough that someone at my age could do. A lot of people in the NFTE competition said, “In the future, I’m going to do this” and it would take $100,000 to start that company. For me, it had to be something I could do from home. Eggs, flour, milk and vanilla don’t cost that much and I knew how to bake from my grandmother. What made me stand out was that my product and my idea could function at the moment. I was doing what I said I was going to do, right then and there.
Evolve your idea
I knew that kids loved popsicles but they melt in their hands and they’re not very convenient for parents. So I thought, “Why not make cupcakes on a stick?” There would be no mess. As the company grew, I realized that there was so much waste with the sticks and they were dangerous. So that’s when I decided to make a completely edible treat. I first used a cookie stick but found the cake wouldn’t hold. With a solid chocolate stick, it would also melt in the kids’ hands. We finally did a candy cane version for the holidays before I turned to pretzels.
Read Full Article Here: The Skill Set: 7 Tips for Starting a Business in High School
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