Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Rolon.
Hi Melissa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Melissa, and I grew up in NJ. I started baking for different reasons other than profit. I had just had my little princess and became a stay-at-home mom. I had worked ever since I can remember and was in the health care industry. For the first time, I decided to stop working and dedicate my full attention to my daughter.
All the new changes of becoming a wife, a mother and not working triggered postpartum depression. I was in a dark place and didn’t know how to overcome it. I turned to God at that time because He was my only hope. I remember asking Him “Only you can help me”! I also said “Give me a talent I can use to distract me and help me out of this dark place. ” After that day the Lord put in my heart that I should bake. although I have always liked to cook and bake now and then I knew this was something different!
This was the beginning of my beautiful new journey. I started by doing my friends and family’s cakes to gain confidence and practice. I also learned a lot from YouTube and trial and error and to this date I continue to learn. shortly after I started getting orders in NJ from customers my ex-husband had a job offer in Texas and we moved there to start another new journey there.
In Texas, I grew to be one of the top home-based bakeries in Frisco. My business had grown and had become successful after 5 years. Now, I moved to FL due to my divorce to start a new journey. I am starting back from zero BUT with years of experience under my belt, with so much potential and talent to keep providing the best of my abilities and services. I am excited to start here and become even bigger than I was before.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In this industry, there are so many struggles. One of them is being invisible/unknown to everyone. Another struggle is that I am new to FL, and I am just getting to know the area and customers.
Orlando is a big area, and it is amazing but with that also comes a lot of competition. Lastly, another struggle is that many of my customers have been tourists, and the potential of a recurring customer is lower than usual.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Other than my cakes which are my form of art and expression, I am a Nutritional consultant, with a Nutrition and science degree.
I know very contradicting my two biggest passions, but I love being able to counsel and help others as much as I love seeing people’s faces when I make them a cake.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking.
I wish I was a risk-taker. I am an overthinker and it’s not logical for me to take high risks. But I can’t say I haven’t, being here and starting from zero was the biggest risk and it hasn’t been easy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://makapakabakery.jimdofree.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makapakabakery/?hl=en&__coig_restricted=1
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/maka-paka-bakery-orlando
