Investment banker-turned-passionate baker
Good news to share with you. I’m now a contributing writer for Washington, DC’s popular blog, Pamela’s Punch, and its soon-to-launch sister site, Pacific Punch. My first assignment was to interview the co-founder of Sprinkles, a popular cupcake bakery that first opened in Los Angeles. My interviewee: Candace Nelson, a.k.a. queen of cupcakes.
Admittedly, I knew nothing about Candace before the interview. Of course, I heard of Sprinkles and had wanted to try one for the longest time, but that was the extent of it. Like a good writer, I did my homework before our scheduled interview, and was pleasantly surprised to learn about Candace’s back story. It’s perfect for Damn the Odds, so I made it my next Inspiring People story.
Her story is about “doing what you love.” Candace went from living in a high powered corporate environment to starting from scratch in a completely new role, in a completely different environment – her kitchen.
In the late 90’s, private equity was flying around and a host of new Internet start-ups appeared on the scene. Candace was working at an investment bank, and then like so many in the dot-com bubble, went to work for an Internet company. Then the bubble burst, and it went away almost overnight. The industry dried up and so did the jobs. Candace had to do some soul searching at an early age.
Her question: what am I passionate about? Candace decided that if she had to start over, it would be in something she loved to do. What was her passion? The answer: baking. Ever since she was a little girl, she loved to bake. That’s it –she would go to pastry school and become a baker!
Candace took a huge leap of faith to try something completely new. Talk about polar opposites. Office to kitchen. Numbers to flour. Her job would no longer be raising capital and providing strategic counsel on financial transactions but kneading dough and decorating cakes. To make this type of jump takes guts.
People worry too much about what others think. I know I did in the beginning. Not anymore I’m happy to say. I live my life for ME. For many people identify is closely intertwined with their ego and image of their last role. They fear what others will say about their new path. Sadly, that stops them from making the jump, and they are ultimately held back from pursuing their passion.
Candace is not one of these people. She had the courage to take the jump and boy did it pay off. Today, Sprinkles is a fast-growing brand with multiple locations across the country. To read my Sprinkles interview on Pamela’s Punch, click here. Candace’s leap of faith paid off. I wonder if mine will?????
Tags: Candace Nelson, DC, Los Angeles, Pacific Punch, Pamela's Punch, Sprinkles Cupcakes, Washington