Confidently Beautiful with Ciera
Confidently Beautiful with Ciera
Mothers in Business Series: Sweet Success with Cake Shop Owner Cass Imlay
Cass Imlay's journey from fearful novice to confident bakery owner showcases the transformative power of embracing unexpected opportunities. She shares her experiences of balancing motherhood with entrepreneurship while imparting valuable lessons on fear, perseverance, and prioritizing what truly matters.
• Cass Imlay shares her unexpected journey into baking
• The initial fear and challenges faced when starting the business
• Balancing motherhood with the demands of entrepreneurship
• The importance of structure and scheduling in a busy life
• Emphasizing health and self-care for better productivity
• Overcoming fear and embracing vulnerability in business
• Encouragement for listeners to pursue their dreams and leap into the unknown
• Gratitude for the family-centered environment of the bakery
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you're listening to confidently beautiful with Ciera a podcast to help you stay confidently beautiful, because we all have confidence inside us. We just need to bring it out and I'm here to show you how body image, dreams, parenting, style, personality and more here we cover it all. Get ready to stay confidently beautiful. Hey, there there, confidently Beautiful listeners, I am so excited to share some really big news. My brand new Etsy shop, confident Expression, is officially open. My mission is all about brightening confidence through beauty and expression. Just in time for Valentine's Day, I've launched the cutest collection of loved theme sweatshirts. Whether you're into bold and bright designs, soft pastels or classic minimalist styles, there's a sweatshirt for everyone. These are perfect for mamas, besties or anyone who loves to spread the Valentine's Day vibe. Head to Confident Expression on Etsy to grab your favorite before they sell out. Let's celebrate love and confidence together and we're back with another episode of the Confidently Beautiful podcast. Thank you for joining us. I am so excited that you are here. I am so excited to bring you the third episode of our special series celebrating mothers who own businesses. I hope that you have been enjoying this series. I know I have enjoyed having these conversations with these women and learning from them and being inspired by them. In this episode, I'm delighted to introduce you to Cass Imlay. In this episode, I'm delighted to introduce you to Cass Imlay. She is one of the amazing owners of Nothing but Cakes. Cass' story is very unique. She kind of stumbled into the world of business and she had never been a baker before, believe it or not. But now she's discovered a passion for it and has grown her business so successfully that they're opening a second location, which is very exciting. Cass shares her inspiring journey of diving into her entrepreneurship and the challenges that she faced and how she has found joy and confidence in a career that she never imagined herself doing. I think her story is the perfect example and proof that sometimes the best things in life come when you least expect them, and how you can turn a leap of faith into something truly amazing. So, whether you are a business owner, mom, or just having a dream, this episode is going to inspire you to take the very first step or the very next step. This episode is packed with inspiration and encouragement that I hope will be helpful for you. Here is Cass Imlay and her story of how she has become a baker, and very successful at it. Thank you for joining us, cass. I'm so excited to hear a little bit of your story and to hear about how you bring confidence into your life and into your business. Tell us a little bit about what your business is, how long you've been doing it, how you got started.
Cass:I am one of the eight owners of the St George Nothing Bundt Cakes. We've been open for five years now. We just celebrated our fifth birthday this weekend, so that was fun. And we're currently opening our second location in Spanish Fork right now. Oh, I didn't know that. That's cool, yeah, so I'm traveling up and down. It's fun. I'm going up this weekend to work on the house. We bought a house there because we have to be there for quite a long time, so we're renovating the house while the bakery is being renovated itself, and we're in the process of hiring and how did you even come upon this opportunity?
Ciera:How did it come into your life?
Cass:The first thing my sisters and I and my mom, we've all, we've all loved hair. First thing my sisters and I and my mom, we've all loved hair. We have all loved the wedding scene, all that kind of stuff. And so we always just like made jokes about creating our own wedding planning company that was all inclusive Someone would do hair, someone would do all of the venue, the food. Like all of us have our different special things that we can do, but it just never kind of came to pass. We all just always talked about it but it never happened.
Cass:About seven to 10 years ago my uncle brought a white chocolate raspberry 10 inch cake to Thanksgiving and we were like what the crap? Like cake is not Thanksgiving, it's supposed to be pie, what the heck. But when my dad tasted it he was hooked Instantly. He's like, wow, this is an amazing product. It's so good. Where can I be a part of this?
Cass:And my dad's always dreamed of owning his own business. He's been an administrator in the eye field for a very long time since I was born and he just always wanted to like branch out and do his own thing. And so he reached out, asked him if they were franchising. They said yes, but at that time St George was too small. And then, about six years ago, my dad he was just on their email list and he happened to get an email from them and he was like that was weird. And he reached out to them again and said, hey, you sent me this email. Was that meant for me? And they're like, well, not really.
Cass:And then he goes just so you know, st George is the number one growth city in the nation right now, so have you looked into it again? They were like we'll look into it. They said yes, and then here we are. My parents were really nice enough to let us all join in. My main portion of the job is I'm ahead of the baking department, so I'm the head baker, and then obviously I have a couple bakers underneath me that I work with and as the years have gone by, I first started just, you know, just a baker. Just put my head down working, grateful to have a job, and within five years I've grown into a much more manager position.
Ciera:That's awesome, like such a fun thing to just kind of be able to do with your family, and I think that's really cool.
Cass:Oh for sure, I love working with my mom and my sister almost every single day, if not every day. My dad didn't get to join for a while, but he's finally joined us and now he's working with us full time, so that's been really awesome too. That's awesome.
Ciera:What is like? I mean, I'm sure starting a new thing is just. It's just scary in itself, but like something that you've had to overcome in this whole five-year experience.
Cass:That was something initially scary for you that I couldn't do it, like I actually have never baked a day in my life and baked successfully every time I tried. I just it's terrible. And so when my sister came to me and said we need a baker and I need you to be it, I was scared, like because I was not good. I had to decide first off that failing was just not an option, like it wasn't just my head on the chopping block, it was my whole family's. If I didn't succeed, the bakery could not grow. Yeah.
Cass:So I had to first decide like it didn't matter if I wasn't good. I had to figure out how to be good. And then I also had to accept the fact that I wasn't good and that it would be a process, but that I had to be willing to learn through that process to get better. And I did. It was a slow process and it was a very tiring process and I was exhausted all the time. But I think I've I wouldn't say perfected the craft, because there's many other nothing bun cakes bakers that can do a lot more than me, a lot faster, but I I know my craft and I'm good at it and I feel confident in it now.
Ciera:Well, that's really cool. So you let's say five years ago, so you would have had a baby at the time, right?
Cass:Yeah, Boston was about 18 months while we were marketing and letting everybody know what was happening. And then I was pregnant with Brayden during year two.
Ciera:Okay, so how have you managed just all of that? You know all of mom life and home life and also trying to grow a business. How have you managed all of it?
Cass:Still learning. It's still a process. Every year is different. School has been a new thing the last two years that I didn't have to deal with, which has brought some good and some bad, but really it came down to one having a schedule, like, if your thing is not on my calendar, don't expect me to know it, because I just I don't. There's too many school things going on, there's too many events at the bakery going on, and as a mom and even you know church responsibilities, I, if it's not on there, it doesn't exist to me. Yeah, um, yeah, I, when I first started, I really did do everything by memory, cause I've always been that way. I can just remember all the things that I need to remember. But as other variables got into play, yeah, I, I had to figure out an outsource of how to keep all that straight. I also, you know, I have a great support system here my sisters. I have two sisters here and a brother. My one sister just moved here last February and my parents are here, ben's parents are here. So between all of those and their kids, we all kind of just, you know, switch as much as we have to, and the boys, if they have to come to the bakery with me. They do, and they know the rules and they know what they can and can't do, even though sometimes they still run around. It's OK, it's just part of life.
Cass:Being a business owner wasn't necessarily something that I saw in my future ever. I was not intending for this life Not that I'm not grateful for it, I am. I wouldn't be in my home if the bakery hadn't opened. We, you know, we used to live in a 650 square foot park model and now we're to a three bedroom home and we wouldn't be here without the bakery. So I am truly so grateful for the opportunity and for the growth that I've had. But in all honesty, it was never a plan for me to own a business and to be so involved in a business.
Cass:So I do try to be very, very good about my priorities. I am a daughter of God first. I'm a wife and a mother first, and after those things are met, that's when my job comes into play. Now, of course, sometimes you know emergencies happen at the bakery and I have to change things. But I want first for my boys to know that they are important to me and the things that are happening in school or in just in their lives in general matter to me, and especially with my husband as well. He matters, and even if that means all we get to do is we wake up 30 minutes before the boys and we just snuggle in bed like that's, I'll do it because it matters and he matters and our relationship matters. It's a juggle, but when you have your priorities set the right way, somehow you have enough time. Like the time comes as well, as the day will always end Like that's. That's something I hold onto.
Cass:When the bakery gets really busy, and especially as a baker, life is hard. It's rigorous, it's manual labor. My back hurts when I'm done. It's, it's hard. And when I have a really busy day because things went crazy at the bakery, I always just remember like it does not matter, I will have the time. One, to finish all the things I need to finish. Two, maybe the laundry won't get done today. That's okay, it can wait till tomorrow. And three, the day will end Like I will get to the end 24 hours. It just it has to end, so it's okay.
Ciera:Oh, that's like the beauty of like sunsets and sunrises is like okay, reset, like it's gonna be fine yep, it does not matter like it does not matter how hard the day is.
Cass:It has to end, and that's sometimes that's the goal, just to get to the end of the day you are, you're busy, busy.
Ciera:What if somebody had something that's like they're really just like? I really want to try this new thing, I want to start this new hobby, I want to start this new business, something that they just like keep thinking about and they really want to try Like. Do you have a piece of advice that you would give them? To just be brave and confident, to just try it?
Cass:Yeah for sure, don't let your fear stop you Like that's truly, that's the biggest thing for everything. It's like even going to the gym or going just trying a new skill the fear of not being good at it can stop us from doing it. But duh, you're not good at it like you've never done it. And so for me, that was what I had to overcome. I wasn't good at baking, that's okay like I wasn't. Everybody knew I wasn't good at it. Everybody knew it was going to take time for me to figure it out. And if I hadn't pushed through that fear and even vulnerability like being not good at something is very vulnerable and it's scary. So pushing through that to learn I wouldn't be where I am today. If I hadn't done that with many things, with even my physical health, my mental health, health and my spiritual health, I wouldn't be there. If I hadn't pushed through the hard fear and the scary things to be where I am today.
Ciera:Yeah.
Cass:Well.
Ciera:I didn't know for me, like I found when I pushed myself to do something that's really scary and I've tried to like just build up the confidence to get it. It just trickles all areas of my life, kind of like what you were saying the confidence to get it. It just trickles all areas of my life. Kind of like what you were saying Absolutely, you know it. Just it will improve. Even if it's really hard in the moment, it will improve everything in the long run.
Cass:So I totally agree, especially being like healthy. When we first started, I was not eating healthy, I was not working out, I wasn't doing those things. And it's. It's crazy because you think just adding one more thing like making good food, it takes time, and working out that takes time and so originally it feels like, well, I already don't have enough time. How the crap am I supposed to put that into my life? And it's just like you have to find the time, because living a healthy lifestyle gives you the energy and the motivation that you need in order to do the things that you have to do.
Cass:I was so tired after only one baby. I was so tired because I just wasn't living the life that I needed to physically. And when I changed my mindset and became more aware of what I was putting into my body and how I was treating my body, all of a sudden like more energy. Now am I like perfect? No, by three o'clock I'm so tired every day. I have to take a power nap every single day, but that just works for me. 15 minutes closing my eyes, it totally helps. I feel so much better the rest of the day, but I'm not exhausted and not getting like a bazillion headaches all day because I've just been eating gross, crappy food, you know. So living healthy, as healthy as you can, really is a huge game changer too. Well, thank you so much.
Ciera:I love everything that you said. You are, like I said, you're so busy and you're doing so much, but I think you are a really good example of, like you were saying, your priorities, making sure that your priorities are in line and always coming back to like those things that mattered most to you. So thank you so much for sharing.
Cass:Well, thank you for having me, and I mean, I admire you too. You are just as busy as me, if not more. Well, thank you.
Ciera:It's a balance for sure. Trying to figure it all out. Thanks for listening. Connect with me on Instagram @ confidently beautiful podcast and share this episode with someone in your life who could use a little reminder of just how amazing they already are. Stay confidently beautiful.