A puff of flour flies across the kitchen, as the sweet smell of sugar fills the air.
One of our seniors, Marina Yacé, bustles around the kitchen, having only just come back home from school not too long ago. She is tired from volleyball practice and the long day of classes. The amount of bakery orders weighs heavily on her shoulders, but she rolls up her sleeves and gets quickly to work.
Want to learn from the best? When Marina started up her own baking business a few years ago, she quickly became the school’s most renowned student business. Not without a few bumps along the road, but here’s how she did it.
The Start of Something New
Marina Yacé is well-known throughout the school for her baking. With her strong personality and determination, many students look up to her. She takes action and makes her goals a reality.
Even in 7th grade, she had a knack for baking. It was something she always enjoyed doing. Making money by doing her hobby only sweetened the deal.
With the start of any business, it wasn’t always easy. In the early days, things weren’t booming like they are now.
With only one item on her menu, brownies, she only sold every so often. It wasn’t consistent, only selling when she felt like it. It was for fun and the lingering feelings of shyness made it hard for Marina to put herself out there.
But with some help from one of her friends, who helped promote her business, word spread fast. Her friend helped her market to students in other grades.
Over time, more people went to her for her brownies; their teeth sinking into thick the fudgy chocolate, dusting off the crumbs, and going back for more.
But once that friend left the school, Marina taught herself to reach out to people on her own and motivated her to become more independent.
Slowly but surely, Marina became more invested in the idea of making a name for herself. By 10th grade, she started to take her business more seriously, putting in much more effort. She started experimenting with recipes, and expanding her menu, focusing on what people requested. She even made an Instagram, “Baked by Marina_abidjan,” actively putting herself out there. Next came her business card. She gained more and more recognition within the school, and her goods quickly became a staple in our community.
When Marina got into 11th grade, she dove headfirst into the IB, and that meant she had to fill the CAS (Creativity Action Service) criteria. This assignment required her to give back to the community. She saw this challenge as something she could combine with her baking business. So now, 20% of her profit goes to a women’s shelter.
“Two in one… not only am I helping myself, but I’m helping others.”
—Marina Yacé
The Learning Curve
Owning a business is no easy job, especially as a high schooler. It takes time and has a lot of work involved. But life skills were gained, and some that school cannot teach.
Marina sometimes felt the crushing pressure that came with juggling and keeping up with everything; she often sacrificed sleep and stayed up late to be able to push out orders. At times, she put her business over school. Things got overwhelming, and the urge to quit was there. But, she still pushed on.
“I would sacrifice sleep or work to bake,” says Marina.
Time management was tested. Communication skills were gained, as Marina eventually got out of her shell and actively promoted herself. She also learned business strategies. This involved data and targeting her customers. To maximize profit, she had to pay attention to what her customers wanted.
A tip from Marina: to someone who wants to start a business, this isn’t for everyone. It takes being resilient and being able to bounce back to handle something like this. Otherwise, it ends up taking a toll on your mental health.
A Dash of Spice and Everything Nice
Going through this experience played a part in helping her figure out what she wanted to do in the future. Marina developed an interest in hotel management, wanting to own restaurants and possibly a handful of “Baked By Marina,” but on a much larger scale.
Let’s see what the future holds for ICSA’s entrepreneur. If you want to start your own business journey, you know who to ask.
