Cupcake Crazy!
Posted by Mary Caraccioli | Filed under Lifestyle, the working life, women in business
Sometimes we just need to hear a happy and inspiring story, so I thought I’d share this one with you…apologies if it leaves you with a craving or two!
Katherine Kallinis Berman and Sophie LaMontagne are two sisters who went after their dream of opening a cupcake business in Georgetown, Washington D.C but couldn’t have anticipated the volume and rate of their sweet success.
“I think when we told our families that we wanted to quit our jobs to start a bakery, they really thought we were crazy and they couldn’t wrap their heads around it and looking back, I don’t blame them because it was just the two of us and we had this crazy idea of just starting a bakery together,” says Sophie.
But quit their jobs they did! They knew it was a huge step and commitment but they were willing to face their fear and pursue their lifelong dream. After being refused bank loan after the bank loan the sisters were down to their last dollar by opening day.
However, the girls’ investment and hard work paid off and to their surprise opening day was huge – people were lined up outside the store and they sold a whopping 750 cakes that first day!
The business has gone from strength to strength for Katherine and Sophie – I told you this was an uplifting tale! The sisters now see sales of 10,000 cakes every day, have opened up stores at other locations and also ship nationwide.
The main objective Katherine and Sophie ensure they adhere to is managing the volume of cupcake production whilst maintaining the same high quality as they did when they first opened. Shortcuts are not an option for these two, who take time to make sure their staff are fully trained and meet their high standards.
The cupcake connoisseurs even became stars of their own reality show, ‘DC Cupcakes.’ “I feel like, even if we’ve inspired one more person to go after their dream – then the show is worth it for us – because it’s been an amazing experience and we have so much fun doing it,” says Sophie.
The girls admit that their cupcake creating quest has been an exhausting one but as Katherine points out: ‘if you love it that much you will fight through and you’ll get to the other side but it’s definitely a ton of work.”
If these two cupcake crazy gals have left you longing for something special to nibble with your coffee, why not check out their website at www.georgetowncupcake.com
Tags: business, career, success
