A Sprinkle of This: How Candace Nelson Created A Cupcake Phenomenon
You can’t make this up…
Hi everyone! Rebecca here. Today’s newsletter is going to be a little bit different than the others, because I want to showcase a dear friend of mine. As a successful entrepreneur and founder of one of the best cupcake shops around, Candace Nelson has always been an inspiration to me. And she was gracious enough to share her story with us, giving an inside look into the creative genius and journey that brought her from her home kitchen, to our T.V. screens, and ultimately, to our neighborhoods and our hearts with sweet, soft, and delicious cupcakes!
Even more exciting than this, Candace has just released a tell-all book- Sweet Success: A Simple Recipe To Turn Your Passion Into Profit.
“We are in a time of unprecedented disruption and innovation. There has never been a better moment to start a business. So often, I hear from women that they dream of starting a business, but have no idea where to start and don’t believe they’re “founder material.” It’s true that entrepreneurship often looks unattainable, but the reality is that any one of us can be an entrepreneur! I am living proof of that. It doesn’t have to be about sending people to the moon. I built an empire out of a simple cupcake. I want to help people put their dreams into action by sharing the secrets to how I created a beloved brand with an international footprint.
Writing my book, like all things entrepreneurship, was a lesson in expecting the unexpected! Throughout the process, for a variety of reasons, I worked with 4 different book agents, and 3 different co-writers. Fortunately, as an entrepreneur, I’m used to rolling with the punches and continuing to doggedly push my vision forward. I was always very clear on the vision for this book: I wanted to help aspiring entrepreneurs by sharing the lessons I had learned while building my first company, Sprinkles.”
I can’t wait for aspiring entrepreneurs and female founders from around the globe to read Candice’s book, and hopefully take away an easy-bake lesson or two!
You can purchase a copy here, or in most bookstores nationwide!
In addition to Candace’s story, we’re also hearing from Erin Fabio, founder of GRIT Studio, as she explores the value of digging in and finding your GRIT to create success… even when the odds are against you!
“In 2017 I was the content director for a major beauty retailer. I'd taken the job thinking this was where I'd "end up" — finally a consumer brand in the space I loved had openings in my hometown.
The company had just been acquired by Macy's and had an influx of cash for digital marketing. Time for content to shine, right? I asked about budget for agencies, and was told “no.” I asked about budget for hiring and was told “no.” Finally, I asked about getting my team training to create the content ourselves – product photography classes and equipment. The response was “go for it, but we're not paying for it.”
So here I go paying for my own photography classes to learn how to create content for this beauty retailer. And then I'd come back to my team and teach what I'd learned. I bought gear. I bought editing software — did I mention photography is not cheap?
“Getting gritty is the only thing I know how to do.”
Before I even knew that’s what was happening, I had started my side gig: crafting a skill that I'd hone until I was ready to go out on my own. So many people asked me why on earth I was doing this for them – they weren’t even paying for it! And the answer is that getting gritty is the only thing I know how to do. If I'm going to teach my team, I need to have the skills. So I dug in. And you know what? Turns out I'm a pretty good product photographer, which was the missing piece to my arsenal of content marketing full time on my own. Ten years of agency experience, coupled with my brand experience and now my first-hand expertise in photography, art direction, creative direction and production. I was ready.
I promised myself that once I booked 50% of my full time salary in side-gig clients, I'd leave the corporate world. A world full of male founders acting inappropriately and female founders and leadership who looked the other way, a world where people came dead last in priority, a world where managers poked at personal issues until staff cried — I was out.
I dug my heels in and went back to what I know best: doing the gritty work. As a solopreneur I was a one-woman show and before I knew it, it was time to get some help. I started with a team of contractors, and as revenue grew, we grew to a team of 10 full-time and 4 part-time employees (all women!). Our growth is attributed to our GRIT — our passion and perseverance to take care of our clients and to take care of each other. Our core values of “Have Each Other's Backs” and “This is PR, not the ER” drive us to keep perspective and to remember that people come first, always. Client satisfaction surveys show 99% of clients feel they have a high-touch partnership — meaning no one feels like a small fish in a big pond. And every single one of our employees say their favorite part of working at GRIT is time spent together at twice yearly retreats and being able to work with each other day in and day out.
It’s important to me to invest in my team – from competitive salaries and benefits to safe harbor contributions to 401ks, continuing education, and team-voted charitable donations. I know if I invest in my team, they’ll invest their talents in the work and into taking care of each other and our clients. I know this because had my employer invested in me, I would have invested in them. But instead I invested in myself and here we are.
Could my margins be higher? Yes, no doubt. But I'm building this company to be a space for creators and marketers to grow and thrive. Where perspectives and voices matter. Where risk means growth, and where passion and grit yield rewards. To be a place I'd want my two small kids to someday work — especially my daughter. And in some ways, to take care of my younger self when no one else would. The result so far has been some really incredible, and impactful content creation and measured growth marketing.
So that's why we're called GRIT — because that's what it takes to grow, time and time again.” -Erin Fabio, founder of GRIT Studio
I think we’ve all had to endure this “bootstraps” mentality at previous jobs, in one way or another. And while many people might complain about a situation like this, I love Erin’s spin on it. Was the company correct in forcing her to pay for her own professional development? Absolutely not.
But did it help her build the launchpad for her female founder journey? One hundred percent. So the next time you’re in a situation that feels unfair or unjust, think to yourself: “how can I use this to my advantage and really learn something here?”
You might be surprised what you uncover.