Sweet News: Baker reinvents, grows during the pandemic

SWFL Reinvented: Tamu Cupcakery

WE’LL GET THE NEWESTUNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS FORSOUTHWEST FLORIDA.BUT WE KNOW FROM LAST MONTH, THEUNEMPLOYMENT RATE IS AT ABOUT 15PERCENT FOR OUR AREAAND DURINGTHE PANDEMIC, WE KNOW SMALLBUSINESSESESPECIALLY BLACKOWNED BUSINESSES ARE HURTING THEMOST.PART OF WHAT WE WANT TO DO WITH’THE REBOUND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA’IS GIVE YOU INSPIRATION.AND SO WE CONTINUE OUR SOUTHWESTFLORIDA REINVENTED SERIES, WITHA LOOK AT HOWEVEN NOWYOU CANFIND SOMETHING SWEET.JUST ABOUT EVERY ENTREPRENEURSTRUGGLES WITH IT IN SOME WAY.FOR MONICA SPIVEY, THEHESITATION TO GO OUT ON A LIMBAND START HER OWN BUSINESS, HADEVERYTHING TO DO WITH PROVIDINGFOR HER FAMILY.SOTMONICA SPIVEY"It’s just me as far as income.I don’t have anyone else to relyon."SO FOR YEARS, THE DREAM OFHAVING HER OWN STORE, WAS JUST ADREAM.BUT LIFE HAS A FUNNY WAY OFGETTING YOU WHERE YOU’RESUPPOSED TO BE.SOTMONICA SPIVEY"I never thought it would be abakery, because I never thoughtI would be a baker."A DECADE AGO, THE WOMAN WHOCREATED THISAND THISCOULD ONLYBAKE IF A BOX WAS INVOLVED.SOTMONICA SPIVEY"That was the limits of mybaking.

Doing Betty Crocker andstuff."MONICA MOVED HER CHILDREN FROMNew York TO SOUTHWEST FLORIDA IN2007.SHE WORKED OVERNIGHT, AND WHENTHE KIDS WERE IN SCHOOL, SHE HADEXTRA TIME.SOTMONICA SPIVEY"I just started playing with howto bake a cake from scratch.

AndI was like, ok, the first cake Ibrought it to work and everybodyliked it, and I thought, ok, Ican actually do thisSO SHE STARTED BAKING FOR FAMILYAND FRIENDS.SOTMONICA SPIVEY"Banana pudding became like thebiggest thing.

Everyone wantedthe banana pudding cake, whichwas my signature cake."AND EVERYONE TOLD HER TO GETPAST HER SHYNESS ANDHESITATIONTO JUST GO FOR IT ANDSTART HER OWN BUSINESS.IN 20-16, MONICA CREATED TAMUCUPCAKERY.TAMU, WHICH MEANS SWEET INSWAHILI, IS HER MIDDLE NAME.AND SHE TOOK THIS SERIOUSLYSHEWENT THROUGH GOODWILL’S MICROENTERPRISE PROGRAM TO LEARN HOWTO START A BUSINESS...THEN, SHE SET UP AT ART WALKSAND FARMERS MARKETS.SOTMONICA SPIVEY"We kind of were doing aninterview thing.

Like ok, what’sso good about this cupcake.

Tomake it from a hobby intosomething I’m actually going todo."SHE STARTED TAKING ONLINEORDERSAND WENT FROM BAKING IN HERKITCHENTO RENTING OUT ACOMMERCIAL KITCHEN.SALES IN 20-20 STARTED SOWELLSHE STARTED PLANNING HERNEXT STEPOPENING UP ACTUALSTORE.AND THEN THE PANDEMIC HAPPENED.SO MONICA ADJUSTED.SHE STARTED DELIVERING.SHE TEAMED UP WITH1-800-FLOWERSAND DID MOREMARKETING ON INSTAGRAM AND YELP.AND MAYBE IT WAS THE EXTRAEXPOSUREOR JUST WORD OFMOUTHBUT IN MARCH AND APRIL,SALES KEPT GROWING.SOTMONICA SPIVEY"I’m not sure where it’s comingfrom, but it’s been coming nonstop."SO SHE’S GOING FORWARDLOOKINGFOR STOREFRONTS TO RENTSO SHECAN OPEN A TAMU CUPCAKERY STOREAS SOON AS THIS FALL.THE HESITATION IS STILLTHEREBUT SHE’S LEARNING FROMEXPERIENCE, HOW TO DEAL WITH IT.SOTMONICA SPIVEY"Every time I do something thatscares me, I’m like you knowwhat?

It’s scaring me becausomething big is about tohappen.

So I’m just going to goahead and do it any way."IF YOU KNOW ABOUT A SOUTHWESTFLORIDA REINVENTED SUCCESS