Featured Baker, Charlotte

Meet Charlotte

Featured Baker Confession…celebrating people who are following their passion, supporting them and sharing their stories with the world is the seed that started this website. Our son has leukemia and all I want is for him to live a long, happy life doing things that excite him every day. I want the same for my daughter, the rest of my family, friends, myself and you. I hope you enjoy these stories of inspiration and passion and that they provide motivation for you to take the next step in what excites you.

For our first Featured Baker, it’s only fitting to celebrate my daughter, Charlotte. She’s a high school freshman, a cottage registered baker with her own business, Charlotte’s Sugar Shop, and an inspiration to many, including me.

HOW IT ALL STARTED

From a very young age, Charlotte started baking with me in the kitchen. She’s extremely creative and seemed to have a natural gift for decorating. As she got older, she would commonly bake beautiful cakes, cupcakes and other treats for family and friends. People started hoping one of Charlotte’s cakes would be at every gathering.

But most of her free time was dedicated to competitive gymnastics. After 6 years of competing, Charlotte fell out of love with gymnastics and baking became her new favorite hobby. She LOVED the smiles her treats brought to people.

With much more free time on her hands, she thought “Maybe I should start a baking business…I’m only 13…can I start a business?” Trying to be a supportive mom, we dove into the Department of Agriculture regulations on selling baked goods. And it turned out, as long as she was in compliance with all the requirements, there was nothing stopping her from starting her own business!

Charlotte took food handling classes through the state university, learned about strict labeling requirements and among other things, we found a bank that allowed a 13-year-old to open an account!

After several months of researching and implementing different aspects of setting up her business, Charlotte gained her Cottage License for Food Production. She launched her business in the fall of 2020 and has gathered quite a following of customers and supporters! At the time of this writing, she has over 1100 followers who she truly appreciates and loves sharing her creations with.

interviewing charlotte

Sitting down with Charlotte, her favorite treat to work on is cupcakes because she loves “experimenting with flavor combinations and because they are so pretty”. When asked what she enjoys most about her business, she said “When my customers tell me how much their kids loved my treats or when they send a video of their kids reacting.”

When asked what her biggest challenge is in her business, she stated “making hundreds of the same item in a week!’ Since Charlotte is a high schooler, she does have to be very strategic with her time to ensure she has a balance of school time, business time and plenty of time to be a kid. And honestly, no matter your age, we can all learn something from Charlotte about balancing life’s priorities appropriately.

I asked Charlotte what she wants for her business moving forward and she said “to continue to learn new skills and to master new techniques.”

When asked what advice she has for others starting a baking hobby or business, she said, “There will be challenges but don’t get discouraged. If something is not working, take a different approach or focus on what is working well.” Charlotte went on to explain how exciting it was when she started getting orders and how she never expected her business would be this successful. “It’s so fun and exciting and I love knowing that I’m bringing joy and happiness to others!”

While Charlotte didn’t bring it up during our interview, one of the things that makes me so proud is that Charlotte has a huge heart for giving. Through her business, she has been able to make donations to causes and organizations that are important to her. Namely, the Best Friends Animal Society, Hope 4 Youth, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and more. Charlotte has also supported her big brother by raising money for his care and bringing awareness during Childhood Cancer Awareness month. Charlotte’s generosity and natural intuition to help others is a gift that she does not realize but I believe will take her far in life.

what can we all learn from charlotte?

There’s nothing you can’t do; you just have to start. Follow your passion and what excites you. If you hit a roadblock, find a way around it, don’t let it stop you. And above all else, stay true to yourself and what is important to you.

honoring featured bakers

I’m honored to have Charlotte be the first of many Featured Bakers and I’m so excited to share more stories of people chasing their dreams. If you or someone you know would make a great Featured Baker, please contact me. In the meantime, enjoy this gallery of some of Charlotte’s work, leave a comment to show Charlotte some love or head over to Charlotte’s Sugar Shop to follow her journey.