Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathy Phan.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kathy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started CAKED in my parents’ home kitchen and no clue whether I quit my job for a foolish dream. Finally resolving to live my life to the fullest (and living with my parents = no bills to pay hehe), I decided to pursue my dream with the support of friends who obviously just wanted to be my taste testers, haha. With no idea how to start a business, I initially introduced my cookies to random businesses asking for complete honesty, whether I should continue my pursuit, although fearing for my life while asking for it. Surprisingly, I received overwhelmingly positive reviews (after severe questioning to ensure the reviews weren’t just polite), which gave me the courage to move forward and devote my all to share my passion. I soon decided to try vending at farmers’ markets around San Diego, which led to my recruitment from the Viejas Arena then expanding to the Open Air Theater. I finally opened my own brick & mortar in 2019 and hope to continue growing my business throughout San Diego and maybe even California if all continues to go well!
Has it been a smooth road?
The biggest challenge was definitely figuring out how to start the business, especially from a home kitchen. From figuring out things like what permits were needed, what venues I could sell my desserts through, and how to even start marketing my business.
Then opening up a brick + mortar was a whole new set of challenges. Finding a place, an architect, and a contractor that could fit my small budget, then working with them to figure out how to build something I’ve never built before. It took over a year to build the brick + mortar with many mistakes made, delaying approval months at a time.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
CAKED is famously known for our unique variety of deliciously soft cookies + MONSTER sized brownies. Currently boasting more than 30 flavors, that number only continues to grow as I experiment to give our customers the best and tastiest desserts I can make, with the touch-only homemade goods can give you.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
San Diego is a great place to start a business because I’ve found that the people are so supportive and giving here. They love to support small businesses and help to spread the word as much as they can. There are also so many opportunities around San Diego to grow your business from the many farmer’s markets available to night markets, festivals, and more.
Pricing:
- Cookies $2.50
- Brownies $4
- Monster brownies $6
Contact Info:
- Address: 8680 Miralani Dr. #129
San Diego, CA 92126 - Website: www.caked.love
- Phone: 858.380.4668
- Email: hello@caked.love
- Instagram: @getcaked.love
- Facebook: facebook.com/getcaked.love
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/caked-san-diego?osq=caked
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