Count Baked by Melissa founder Melissa Ben-Ishay is one entrepreneurial success story founded on breaking away from the corporate rat race.
Before founding her company, Ben-Ishay worked at an advertising agency in New York City but found her role unfulfilling. The day she was fired was an “aha moment,” she told CNBC recently. She visited her brother at work, and he suggested the pair start a business selling her cupcakes. They quickly created a website and shot images of the cupcakes against a white sheet background.
Back in 2008, Ben Ishay was doing it all. He handed out cupcakes to tasters, called the caterer from his bedroom, and once the order was placed he boarded the subway with a white cardboard deli box filled with his trademark tie-dyed treats. . At the time, all the cupcakes were made in the kitchen of her small apartment in New York City.
Over the next few years, Baked by Melissa spread its bite-sized cupcakes in tie-dyed boxes all over the city. Her big breakthrough came when she offered Ben Ishay the use of her commercial kitchen instead of selling it at cost.
“Seven months after starting the company, my dad drove up from Bergen County and helped me move everything from my tiny kitchen to the basement of Café Bali,” she recently told CNBC. I looked back at the event.
The cafe’s owners became shareholders in Baked by Melissa, allowing the company to continue using the space for years. Ben Ishay said organic foot traffic was already profitable, but once the press started taking notice, people started lining up around the corner. A year after moving into the Cafe Bari space, Baked by Melissa opened a second location in Union Square.
Photo by Sarah Lindsay
Since then, Baked by Melissa has grown into a global company with 14 brick-and-mortar stores, worldwide shipping, and more than 2.5 million followers on TikTok. Ben Ishai, who also serves as CEO, recently published his second cookbook, Come Hungry.
Social media is becoming increasingly important in building a “cupcake empire.”
In 2021, Ben Ishay’s “Green Goddess” salad recipe went viral on TikTok, becoming the sixth most searched recipe on Google in the U.S., and was searched 1.6 million times in 2022. The recipe has been recreated by celebrities like Cardi B and Lizzo.Ben Ishay appeared on the Today Show and later posted the “Green Goddess” Ranch recipe, which received nearly 2 million more views than the original recipe. Collected. Currently, fans are monitoring the recipes and routines that Ben Ishay shares on TikTok.
“Social media can be a great tool,” she told CNBC via email. “I can do anything. [when] You maintain the right attitude… show up every day (i.e. make it work), listen to your audience, and strive to create quality content. ”
Ben Yishai declined to comment on how a TikTok ban in the US would affect him.
Buoyed by his social media success and becoming a cookbook author, Ben Ishay has been able to expand beyond his cupcake brand.
“I wanted to share that philosophy and way of eating that prioritizes nutritious ingredients at every meal,” she said. “I hope that through my recipes readers will gain confidence in the kitchen and be able to use any ingredients in the future.”
Barriers to success for female founders and CEOs
Research shows that women face higher hurdles in entrepreneurship, with significantly lower access to capital than male founders and high levels of skepticism from the male-dominated world of investors. ing. There are signs of improvement, such as an increase in the rate of new business creation by female entrepreneurs and an increase in the number of women investing in companies founded by women. These capital market issues are despite evidence that women-owned companies often outperform the market, leading to the creation of ETFs that track women-led companies. This is a contributing factor to the survey finding that many people lack confidence in starting a business.
Ben Ishay said he had first-hand experience with gender-based disabilities.
“It’s hard to be successful in business, regardless of your gender,” she said.[But] It turns out that some challenges are unique to women. I think men tend to be overconfident and women lack confidence. I became CEO of the company that bears my name in 2019, and even when I was appointed to the role, I didn’t think I could do it. I was wrong. “
Now a successful CEO and social media personality, Ben Yishai has built her own brand, and the freedom and unpredictability of entrepreneurship is what makes her fulfilled. She says she loves getting out of her comfort zone to solve problems.
“I accept that,” she said. “That’s when we learn and grow the most.”
