Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaden Young
Hi Jaden, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My love for baking started at age 5, when I was baking with my grandmother. When I was little, she would always pull out her little plastic box of recipe cards and we would bake something for entire family to enjoy. Years later in 2015, I made my first cheesecake, and after getting rave reviews from family and continuing to explore baking on my own, I decided to start Simplicity Creations Bakery. In 2017, I enrolled in the Young Entrepreneurs Academy(YEA), which helped me understand the logistics of business, build a business plan, and I had the opportunity to pitch to investors for funding. Also, I broke the record for the most items sold at their annual trade show. Furthermore, my connections in YEA led to an opportunity to be featured in the Young Intelligent Black Entrepreneurs Web Series. In 2019, I took my talents to Cheyney University, the nation’s first HBCU, where I was able to bake for different events and pop-up shops as a student. Today, I am continuing to perfect my craft in ATL, building my social media, and finding ways to make my desserts more accessible to consumers.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Being an entrepreneur comes with its various struggles. One of the struggles I faced was time management, there were times where I had to put the business on hold to pursue other interests. However, I pursued everything with a purpose of becoming a better entrepreneur and gaining the necessary skills and knowledge to be successful. Another struggles I faced is burnout. Burnout can be inevitable in entrepreneurship as we can get engulfed in the time commitment our business requires, along with our other priorities in life. How I fought burnout was finding the love I had for baking again. I believe that if you have a true passion and love for your business, you have to set the logistics aside and remember why you loved it in the first place. Create a new product, come up with a new marketing campaign, explore your creativity. That’s how you reignite the fire that has burnt out.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Simplicity Creations Bakery?
Simplicity Creations Bakery is a dessert company that specializes in creating high quality, creative desserts that fit the customer’s dietary needs and budget. We specialize in desserts such as cakes, cookies, cupcakes, and cheesecakes. Simplicity aims to become a well-known brand that not only provides desserts, but also teaches and inspires consumers to get in the kitchen through social media content, cookbooks, classes, etc.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
My best advice for networking/finding a mentor is to be open to welcoming connections and be selective in establishing connections. Meaning, be open to all connections, but take your time and carefully vet who you will pursue a closer connection with on a business or mentorship level. Some connections may not be for you, and that is okay.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creationssimplicity/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creationssimplicity/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@creationssimplicity
