We have lots of super cool fans here at HelloFlo, and one of them happens to be Mia Cura, an inspiring teen who took her love of baking and made it into a stellar business!
How did Mia get started and where’s she headed? Read below and check out Cura’s Facebook page!
HelloFlo: When did you start baking cakes, and what inspired you to do so?
Mia Cura: I’ve always enjoyed baking, ever since I was little. It was a part of me that was always integrated into every aspect of my life, before I had even thought of the idea of a business. I grew up decorating cupcakes for the local soup kitchen and baking cookies for every class bake sale. When I wasn’t literally baking in the kitchen, I would be sitting on the couch, watching every baking show aired on TV. You could call it somewhat of an obsession. In 5th grade, my two favorite shows were Ace of Cakes and Cake Boss. I was just so entranced by their ability of taking something as simple as cake and creating it into a piece of art. Countless episodes of Food Network and several YouTube videos later, I had not only created cake into art, but obsession into passion.
HF: When did you decide to take your baking hobby and turn it into a business?
MC: When my passion for baking took off, I had no intention of taking it beyond just a hobby. I brought cakes to parties for friends, then those friends and their friends wanted more; some placed orders. I thought, why not? My mom, who was the first in our family to found a successful business, helped me create Mia’s Cakes. We spread the word by printing business cards and starting my own Facebook page. My dreams for Mia’s Cakes grew.
HF: What are your favorite things about baking?
MC: For me, my happy place has always been in the kitchen, the music loud, the smell of cake throughout the house, and me, sitting at the counter expressing myself through cake. What baking offers to me is space-breathing room for emotion, imagination, and creation. When I decorate a cake, my mind is transported from inside my head to onto that cake. During this time, I have clarity where thoughts are straightforward and possibilities are endless. That’s what I love the most about baking–being able to take my imagination and be creative in expressing myself. Another added bonus: eating the scraps. After all, it is cake.
HF: Any advice for young people hoping to take their hobbies to the next level?
MC: I would say, above all, to have dedication and hard work. What I’ve learned is that dedicating yourself to something you love can take you far. But for me, what I also know is that other things like school can get in the way. It can be difficult to balance school and sports with cake orders due. As long as you do whatever makes you happiest, nothing is both as easy and hard than dedicating yourself to your passion.
HF: Where do you see yourself and your business in the future?
MC: I hope to grow this business further throughout high school. To know that making someone’s day is something I have the power to do, will only make success that much sweeter (literally and figuratively). Hopefully, after college, I will have the opportunity to open a storefront for Mia’s Cakes, and work in a place where I do what I love surrounded by the people I love. My true and sincere dream is to be able to do what I love for a living.
Cover image courtesy of Mia Cura’s Facebook page.
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