She wanted to take her loved ones’ advice but didn’t have the funds or knowledge to dive right into opening a store, so she started small — making cupcakes for “little jobs” like baby showers and birthday parties.
“Then, we’re very lucky. A year into it, I’m at this business expo … and with my luck, I happen to be stationed right in front of Goldman Sachs, the foundation that helps 10,000 small businesses,” Rodriguez recalled. “They couldn’t believe how many people were coming to us at our station. Of course, we had cupcakes, we were the life of the party.”
Years later, she still reaches back to her contacts from the program when she needs help, or someone to provide florals for the shop. It got her on the right track for success, she said.That training came in handy two years ago, when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit the city and shuttered nearly everything. Rodriguez told her staff to stay at home as she and her husband handled the bake shop’sAfter a few weeks, people started knocking on the door.
“What happened is I said, ‘Wow, there are a lot of great people out there,’ and I wanted to obtain some of them,” she said. “I had to figure out a way because you have a company like Amazon, and they come into the neighborhood and start offering $15 an hour when we weren’t at $15 an hour.” Governor Kathy Hochul and Brooklyn Borough President visited the bake shop in August. Rodriguez said that while she can’t keep up with everything the big companies offer, she works hard to keep her team happy and cared for.She kept up that flexibility with all of her employees — some of them started as teenagers, and are now working through college or graduate school. A few are now mothers themselves.