Life and Work with Kayla Lancaster

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla Lancaster.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Kayla. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
From a very young age, I was always very creative and loved baking with my mom and Grandmas. I first started decorating cakes when I was 11 years old and decided that I wanted to make my own birthday cake. A year later when I was 12, I started selling cupcakes and small, simple cakes, mostly to my parent’s friends that wanted to support the little entrepreneur in me.

Once I got to high school, I started really focusing on growing my brand and started selling more to locals by marketing my business on my Facebook page. When I was a Junior in high school, I had an “American Dream Project” in my English class and had to draw my ‘American Dream’ which of course, is to own my own store-front bakery! I needed a name for the drawing of my future bakery and, with the suggestion from my dad, ended up with the name Taste Buds Bakery!

My business was still relatively small, the largest orders I did were weddings; the first when I was 14 and second when I was 15. For the most part, I sold all my baked goods to friends, teachers, and family.

When I was 17, I was hired as the pastry chef for a local restaurant, Charro Steak. It was my senior year of high school and I was taking dual enrollment culinary classes with Pima Community College and had just gotten my ServSafe Manager certification! I stayed at the restaurant for a little over a year until I decided to leave and focus more on my own business.

Now, I am 19 and just started my sophomore year at the University of Arizona. I plan on applying for a double major in MIS and Entrepreneurship from the Eller College of Management. Right now, I run my bakery from home as I am licensed with the Arizona Home Baked and Confectionery Goods program. My business really started growing when I created my Instagram page (@tastebudstucson) about six months ago, in March of 2018. Since creating my page, I’ve gained over a thousand followers, had many new customers, and have been able to partner with different local businesses!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I would say I have been fortunate to have a relatively smooth road. Of course, there have been stressful situations, and some cakes I have had to trash and restart from scratch but I wouldn’t say I have had a major setback. My biggest advice for young women starting their journey is to always stay positive. I think that is what has brought me this far. I’ve cried many times over messing up orders, I have spilled water on cookies, had a tripod filming my decorating process fall over and smash a cake, but I do not ever let that stop me from completing the order the way it should be done if that means starting over so be it. I think people remember their ‘bad’ times more than their good but really we should focus on all the accomplishments we have made because there are way more goods in life than bad. No matter how much stress I go through or how many times I need to restart, seeing the looks of customers faces when I deliver their cakes, especially when I see the reaction of kids seeing their birthday cake, I am immediately filled with joy and anything that may have gone wrong in the process doesn’t matter anymore!

I think the other most important thing I could say is to be patient. When I started selling cakes when I was 12, I knew I wasn’t going to have orders every week, not even every month, just once in a while. I am completely self-taught and know just how much work it takes to start from the very beginning. I have stayed up working on cakes until 3 am for orders due the next day because I didn’t realize how long a technique would take, so patience is a big factor in this type of work. You need to be willing to not give up, no matter what line of business you are in, your work will not blow up overnight. Just keep doing your best, set monthly or yearly goals and eventually, you will achieve your dreams!

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Taste Buds Bakery – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I do everything in my business, from marketing, taking orders, baking everything from scratch, decorating, taking pictures, and delivering. I think I am most popular for my creativity in my designs and gourmet cupcakes. I started off only making cupcakes so you could say I have mastered the art of cupcake decorating.

There are two things I’d say I am most proud of, the first being how I have built this business and been able to grow my brand, I’ve been able to partner with different companies and was just reached out to by Wilton who asked if they could feature one of my cakes on their page! The second being how much I have been able to accomplish on my own from teaching myself not only how to decorate cakes but also the business side of running it all.

I think what sets me apart from others is I work very closely with my customers to create new unique designs. I think the fact that I started so young and I am not afraid to try new things also sets me apart from others. Whenever a customer asks me if I can make something new, whether it be a cake that looks like a stack of pancakes or a flavor no one would think to make in a cake, I do not turn them away, I agree to try anything and everything I have the skills for!

What advice would you give to someone at the start of her career?
In addition to always staying positive and being patient, I would say a really important thing for a young woman starting their careers is to never get hurt or discouraged from the words of others. Anyone who criticizes you hasn’t had to start from the beginning so they do not understand how hard it can be. Ignore the negative comments and stay confident in yourself and your work. I also like to follow one of my favorite quotes and encourage everyone to find a quote that inspires them, “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney

Pricing:

• I host cupcake decorating classes for kids every couple months: $15-20
• Cupcakes start at $20 per dozen
• Cakes are based on size and detail but start at $35
• Decorated sugar cookies: $24 per dozen
• Mexican Chocolate Snickerdoodles: $8 per dozen
• Spritz cookies (including holiday themes): $5 per dozen

Contact Info:

• Email: tastebudstucson@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tastebudstucson
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tastebudsbakery
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayla-lancaster/

Image Credit:
Nathanael Tenney Photography, local Tucson photographer

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